These patriotic little Fourth Of July cupcakes are hiding a surprise inside…
They’re secretly stuffed with blueberries and Healthy Whipped Cream!
One morning last week, my roommate came downstairs, gave me a funny look, and said, “Katie, why are you making patriotic cupcakes in June?”
Sometimes, in order to get holiday recipe posts written and published in time, I do odd things—like make Santa cookies in September or pumpkin bread in July. No one (except maybe me) wants to see a recipe for chocolate bunnies the day after Easter.
The Fourth Of July cupcakes may look ordinary from the outside…
But just one bite, and you’re surprised with even more fresh berries hiding inside.
One can never have too many fresh blueberries!
These breakfast cupcakes are based on my go-to vanilla recipe. I love variation recipes, as you’re already certain, before starting out, that the recipe won’t fail. If you have a tried-and-true recipe, why completely reinvent the wheel, right?
Sometimes it’s just fun to see a new twist:
Happy Fourth Of July Cupcakes
(makes 9-10 cupcakes)
- 1 cup spelt flour, or white flour, or Arrowhead Mills gf (140g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp ground flax OR 2 tsp ener g powder
- 4 tbsp sugar of choice or xylitol (54g)
- pinch stevia OR 2 additional tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt of choice (Silk or SoDelicious both work) (230g)
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (60g)
- 3 tbsp oil (can omit, but the cupcakes will be gummy) (36g)
- fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries or jam
- cream of choice, such as Soyatoo or the homemade whip cream recipe linked under the first photo of this post
Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease muffin tins. Combine all dry ingredients (except berries) in a bowl, and mix very well. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients (except cream) and stir. Pour wet into dry, and mix until just combined (don’t overmix). Cook 18-20 minutes, then let sit at least 10 before removing from muffin tins. Cut out holes with a knife, and stuff fresh berries (or jam) into the holes. Then you can either squish the tops back on or discard them (by way of your mouth!). Just before serving, top with the cream and more fresh berries.
View July Fourth Cupcakes Nutrition Facts
Did you like playing hide-and-seek as a kid?
I was really good at hiding. But the game can be terribly boring (not to mention painful!) when you’re a good hider. You’re stuck waiting for someone to rescue you out of whatever kitchen cabinet or tiny closet space you’ve squished into. So I always preferred being the seeker, which made everyone happy because no one else ever seemed to want that job.
Link Of The Day:
Janae @ Bring-Joy says
I was never patient enough for hide & seek. Also, the hardest part was finding a spot that was truly “hidden,” we didn’t quite have the house or yard to have too many good spots.
I’ve kind of forgotten about this game & I’m ashamed to admit I don’t think my kids have played it too much because of it. Thanks for the reminder, I’ll be sure to put “play hide & seek w/ the kids” on my to-do list today.
(my favorite part about your recipe are the fresh blueberries inside–a delightful surprise indeed!)
Yellow Haired Girl says
I always wanted to be the hider … seeking got frustrating for me, because my sister was SO good at hiding 🙂
These look fantastic!
Nichole says
Hey Katie! I looove this idea! I am going to try it now! Lol. I tried the cauliflower chocolate cake and it was so delicious! My sister and two of my friends were called over to try it! They didnt even notice, so I didn’t tell them when they asked for the recipe. Mwuahaha. More chocolate for me! My brother doesn’t enjoy chocolate though, so would that recipe work for vanilla? Thanks!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I haven’t tried it… But if you experiment first, please report back! I’d love to know :).
Nichole says
Hello! I tried the vanilla cauliflower cake and…. IT WORKED. I actually made it into your skinny mini jelly roll for one! Add some extra sugar and a tad bit more of vanilla- great!
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy says
Oh Katie what a great idea! These are so cute and healthy! Definitely perfect for the fourth!
Cheri @ The Watering Mouth says
Stupid me, Katie, I always get caught up in just regular old inspiration and by then it’s way too late for holiday posts. Lol. I got so interested in my cute lemon vodka sorbet cups the other day — but I show in the video that I did NOT get drunk off those. I swear! 😀
But lucky thing about your recipes, I never have to worry about eating too much. Well, sort of calories-wise, but I don’t worry anyways. 😀 And these are really good looking, very festive!
Thanks for the 4th ideas!!
xoxo
Cheri
Cheri@TheWateringMouth says
Leave it to you Katie to always be on top of things! I love this recipe – so perfect for the 4th. I always get so distracted with just regular inspiration that by the time the holiday rolls around, I’ve completely missed the boat! Oh well, I’ll just indulge in your cupcakes to make me feel better. Lol.
xoxo
Cheri
Lauren says
These look so yummy and you’re right – they are perfect for the 4th of July!! They are so pretty!!
And I too, used to get bored hiding during hide and seek!!
Lauren
http://www.brooklynnatural.blogspot.com
Angel | Angelic Monkey says
Ooo I was wondering how you got those berries in there … great idea, thanks ^_^
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
Oh my gosh, these look adorable!! I would love to eat berry cupcakes for breakfast!!
JC says
Not related to this post but what vegan coco powders so you prefer/use? Thank you. Enjoy the blog BTW and I am much more of a salt girl! 😉
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I used to use plain Hershey’s, and I still have a lot of containers left. But I’ve recently switched to buying Dagoba since I’ve been learning more and more about slave labor. It’s more expensive, but I guess that’s because they actually PAY their workers :-?.
JC says
Thanks Katie. I absolutely appreciate the fair trade/ethical aspects too! Have a great weekend.
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
I love the festiveness of these cupcakes! (is festiveness a word?)
Samantha says
loving the variety of recipes! Although..I must say, I cannot wait for your next chocolatey rich baked recipe…!!! I had an awesome vegan grasshopper brownie from this coop by my house the other day and it made me really want to make something as delicious myself!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Ok, consider your comment bookmarked.
You said the magic words… I think a vegan grasshopper brownie sounds insanely good!
Erin says
When you say “white flour,” do you mean all-purpose? Would whole wheat pastry flour work?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yes, AP. Sorry I haven’t tried these cupcakes with ww pastry. I’m sure it will “work” but I can’t vouch for the taste since I haven’t tried.
Erin says
I made your Banana Polka Dot Bread yesterday with ww pastry and it is delcious!!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Hi Katie, love the recipe. I usually forget about all holidays and such when I’m planning recipes. Already this year I’ve missed Valentines, Pi Day, and even Canada Day! Fail. These cupcakes look great and so do the pancakes… but the link isn’t working…
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yikes, thanks for letting me know, Leanne!
Fixed! 🙂
Jen says
Hi Katie, thanks for your blog and your recipes! One question: I buy stevia in a little jar rather than in packets. Any idea how much I would use as the equivalent to a packet? It comes with a teeny spoon but I’m not sure if one spoonful would be the same as what’s in a packet. Thank you!
Lauren says
I know that if you are using the Nu-Naturals brand 1 packet is half a teaspoon, unless it’s pure extract and then it is a lot less…1/64th teaspoon.
Katie says
We used to play a game called ghosts in the graveyard that was like hide and seek. I don’t really remember all the rules except that it involved the people who got tagged looked for other people in a team.
I would make pumpkin bread in July. In fact, I have made pumpkin bread in July. I love pumpkin.
Caroline @ After Dinner Dance says
Oh gosh those look so good! And I really need a calendar that tells me all the food holidays! I should have had blueberry pancakes for breakfast!
Suzie says
Oh yummy, love the idea of putting fruit in baked goods, let alone fresh fruit, great recipe idea!
Anna @ The Guiltless Life says
You’re always so on it with the themed posts! I am terrible at thinking up foods that match themes. I couldn’t think of anything red and white to post for Canada Day (and my birthday!) this Sunday…so if you throw blue in there too I think my head would explode lol. These look fab 🙂
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
those are such a good idea! I’m so impressed that you’re making a cookbook AND coming up with even more recipes for your blog!
sarah@thesweetlife says
There is not much better than a cupcake for breakfast! I will have to try this.
Lauren says
Loved hide & seek….still do! :o) I definitely preferred to hide than seek. I felt lonely being the seeker. I recently tried your blueberry pie pancakes, and they were scrumptious! Should’ve made them this morning…had I known what day it is.
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I just played a TON of hide and seek this past weekend, while my nieces were in town. It’s so funny how bad little kids are at hiding, though! The 4 year old just cannot stand still haha!
Kelly says
How cute are these?! And so festive for the 4th!! Love this! 🙂
Crafty lil vegan says
These look scrumptious! I’m in charge of the food for a fairy-butterfly themed hen-do-tea-party, and these look perfect!
I used to LOVE playing hide and seek! At college, we had a trip to madrid, and all decided to play hide-n-seek on the floor we were staying on.. I won, as I’d hidden in a place no-one had thought to look.. – A washing machine! Being short comes in handy when squishing into tiny hiding places!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yikes, that sounds like a really (really!) great hiding spot… But not too comfortable! 😉
Kale Crusaders says
Love sneaky recipes like this, especially when they involve sneaky berries!
It is the worst having to wait an entire year to post a seasonal, holiday, or event-themed entry.
Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says
These are so adorable, katie! they would be a perfect fresh, summer treat for the 4th!
Ashley H (@SouthnPurpleVeg) says
These cupcakes look like a perfect reason for me to get up early in the morning and use up my fresh blueberries.
Ashley H (@SouthnPurpleVeg) says
These cupcakes look like a perfect reason for me to get up early in the morning and use up my fresh blueberries. As for hid n seek I loved being the seeker cause it was always fun trying to find where my cousins would hid themselves.
Emily says
I’d like to try these for some 4th of July BBQs I have coming up, and also just to have to eat on the way to work in the morning – I get bored with PB & Whole wheat English muffins. However – living in Iowa, it can be hard to get fresh fruit like berries at a decent price (we’ve got tons of corn at good prices, though). So I may try it with flash frozen berries. I know those tend to weep a lot, but it’s all good.
Working Girl @ Caffeinated Contentment says
Cupcakes for breakfast? Umm, yes please.
This is dorky, but growing up we always liked to play “Sardines”, which is like reverse hide-n-seek – one person hides and everyone looks and hides with the person when they find them. This game got intense though – it messed with your head! People would start to disappear when they found the person until you were all alone…not gonna lie, I would happily still play it now at age 22. It took strategy!
Linsey says
I LOVED Sardines…totally forgot about that game.
When I was a pre-teen, my church youth group used to play a game called Man Hunt. It was like hide and seek combined with tag with teams. We played in the church yard…at night. Each team would dedicate a person to hide and the other team would have to find them in enemy territory…and I think some sort of tag game was also involved. Don’t remember the details but I remember having a BLAST playing it.
Mary says
These looks amazing! We are going to a potlock on the 4th of July and these look like they would be perfect to bring.
Lisa @ The Raw Serenity says
This is such a great idea; stuffing fresh blueberries in the center!
After the holidays you could do it with any fruit I guess. Mashed banana and coconut in the center is in my head for this 🙂
Thanks Katie x
Moni Meals says
These are adorable and you’re right…perfect for the fourth! I have a recipe very similar too, looks great Katie 🙂
Lexi @ You, Me, & A World to See says
Mmmm I love berries AND cupcakes! Fourth of July or not, here I come 😎
B @ Crags and Veggies says
Ahhh, I love sweets for breakfast! I’ve been eating blackberry pie for breakfast recently! With chocolate blackberry mousse! YUMMY!
tiffany says
katie i know this is random and not really related to this awesome recipe but i thought you might be interested in another cauliflower dessert. i found this recipe http://fresh4five.blogspot.ca/2012/02/paleo-meyer-lemon-dreamcake.html for cheesecake using it and it looks really good. i know you cant have the lemon part on top but i thought you could find something else to use ontop or even change the filling around as well to make it different. i just thought you’d like the idea of using cauliflower as a way to thicken other kinds of desserts like this. apparently its also used in sauces to thicken them up instead of other options. I’d love you to find more ways to use cauliflower 😀
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Wow this is crazy… I actually made a cauliflower-based lemon cheesecake a few weeks ago, (adapting my Strawberry Truffle Pie recipe). I haven’t posted it yet and am debating whether to post it on the blog or save it for the cookbook. Might go with blog… I’m not sure people outside of the blogworld are quite ready for cauliflower cheesecake ;).
But I definitely am working on more ideas with cauliflower. I have an Alfredo sauce recipe I need to post soon as well.
MissChris says
Katie,
Hello! I am fairly new to your blog and am very excited to start trying your recipes. I have an insane sweet tooth and I’m trying to be more mindful of what I’m eating. For these cupcakes, I see the recipe references chia or flax egg…is there more information on that somewhere on your site? I tried a search for it but didn’t seem to get an exact match. Thought I’d check. I may try to make these to bring to work on Tuesday!
-Chris
Caroline says
A flax egg is basically one tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water, left to sit aside for a few minutes until it gets gelatinous. A chia egg would be the same proportions, but with chia seeds instead of ground flax. 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thanks, Caroline!
And I am embarrassed… it says “see how to make eggs” in my post and I forgot to link it!!
Here’s the link, and I’ve also edited the post. Sorry for the confusion!
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/vanilla-cupcakes-nutrition-facts/
Anonymous says
whatever happened to the vitamix giveaway!????
The Blissful Baker says
I loved hide and seek! (Still do!!!) Hiding was definitely my strong point!
Check out my latest recipe @ bakingblissful.blogspot.com
Sophie says
I love eating “dessert” for breakfast so these cupcakes seem like they’re actually meant for me! I think I’ll try them soon (maybe with jam).
And I totally understand what you mean with the out-of-season recipes. A couple weeks ago I was photographing star-shaped chips to post in time for the fourth of July. It’s always so hard to plan everything right!
Danielle @ Itsaharleyyylife says
looks delicious. pinned!
Erica @ Cult of Kale says
Oh these look delicious! Extra delicious now that I’ve gotten over my strawberrry allergy. We will be on the East Coast for the 4th, maybe my in-laws will be willing to pick up the ingredients for these!
Jenny$1983 says
Ooh, I love those blueberry pie pancakes! And the strawberry version, and the apple version, and the … well, you get the point! 😀
I think I played hide and seek at some birthday parties; I remember it being very exciting because of the “will I/won’t I be found” tension xP
Kaitlyn says
It’s also Vegan Pizza Day!
The Healthy Apple says
These look beautiful, Katie! So perfect for Wednesday.
Thank you!
xox
Alessandra says
This is lovely, and I am pinning the first image 🙂
Ciao
Alessandra
Katrina says
I can’t wait to make the, however I couldn’t find flax seed anywhere!!!
Kathleen @ KatsHealthCorner says
Those are SO cute!!!! What a great Fourth of July treat! 🙂
Emily M. says
katie, i wanted to let you know that i made these today for 4th of july dessert and they were AMAZING and a such a hit! i made them with the vegan cool whip and everything (i was SO excited when the coconut oil worked!!!!), and they were absolutely perfect. thank you for the awesome recipe!
Eco Chic says
Made these today for my family and friends and they loved them! I am a vegetarian not a vegan so I used Chobani Greek yogurt and store bought cool whip and they were amazing! Such a delishious healthy treat! Loved that it matched the holiday too. I personally thought they tasted more like a muffin and most agreed with me but it was still lovely.
I loved playing hide and go seek and still do! I like hiding because I can get creative trying to find spots and I also discover what tiny spaces I can cram myself into. I dont like seeking much because I feel so lonely. My friends and I still play sardines (I am 14) which I think I like better.
Thank you so much for all of your great recipes! Keep posting!!!
Ursika says
Hi Katie!
I just baked those cupcakes with flax seed option but they are at least a half smaller than yours (don’t know where to hide blueberries ;)). But it’s true that I used a ww spelt flour, maybe that’s the reason…
Anyways, reaaally tasty :)))
Eilish says
Could I just mix the berries in with the batter?
Janet Garten says
I’m going to try making this even though it’s past the 4th.:) I think I like the version of hide and seek I learned as a kid better than yours. We’d pick a spot (kind of like home base) for the seeker to count from and begin his search. We’d listen for the seeker and when the time was right, make a run for the Base. If we got there without being caught by the seeker, we were home free and didn’t have to be seeker. Not to mention, the first one there was the winner of that round!
Kristina says
When you use coconut oil, does it have to be in its liquid state or solid? Do any of your breakfast muffins freeze well? I would love to make large batches of healthy muffins and then freeze them!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
These freeze well. Melt the coconut oil first.
Sanja Zaric says
Hi Katie and anyone else who has made these muffins…. I just wanted to clarify that 1/4 cup of milk is correct?? seems so small esp if subtract three tablespoons…im left with like zero milk. So i’m thinking was this suppose to say 1 and 1/4 cup milk?
HELP !!
xx
Diana says
This is about a year too late, but 1/4 cup of milk is correct. Since you’re using a full cup of yogurt, you really don’t need much milk at all or any additional liquids in order to have a great taste and texture. I used 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk and 1 cup of plain yogurt, and the cupcakes turned out great.
Diana says
These were super yummy and had a nice texture as well! They seemed a bit underdone after 20 minutes, so I stuck them back in the oven for around 4 more minutes after turning it off, and I think that may have helped a bit. I’ll probably be making these for the upcoming holiday weekend! Thanks for a great recipe!
Ioana says
I love the pictures you took! I bet they are delicious!! definitely going to try them