Originally from my Jogging Concierge blog; posted in February of 2016. Enjoy!

There are two types of people in this world:

Those that love coconut…

…and those that despise it.

There really is no gray area when it comes to coconut. Thankfully I surround myself with only the best people. And those people love coconut. 😉

So when I was trying to think of what to bake for work as we enjoy watching the Super Bowl, my mind wandered to cupcakes…coconut cupcakes. No wait! Almond Joy-inspired cupcakes! Whenever I am presented the choice of a candy bar, I always go to for the Almond Joys. The combination of chocolate, coconut, and almonds is perfection.

And thankfully, everyone was on board.

It’s not a complete “homemade” dish as I did use a yellow cake mix from Aldi, but the add-ins made it special. 🙂

Almond Joy-Inspired Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix from Bakers Corner (Aldi brand). You’ll need 3 eggs, 1 cup water and 1/3 cup vegetable oil to add.
1 tbsp. almond extract
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whipped Cream for topping (I used Reddi-wip)
Slivered almonds for garnish

Directions
1) Follow instructions on the yellow cake mix box to make the cupcakes.
2) Add in the extract, coconut and chocolate chips to the batter
3) Mix until well combined
4) Fill the cupcake pan, or liners, about 1/3 full
5) Box indicated 15-20 minutes at 375* (I baked in a dark-lined pan)
6) Make sure cupcakes are fully cooked; wait until cooled and top with whipped cream and almonds.

And a little touch of pink for Valentine’s Day! I’m still getting used to all that my camera can do. Hopefully I can find a spot in my house where the sun is optimal or maybe set up a light box. Any tips??

What’s your favorite cupcake flavor?