Tender pecan flour chocolate cupcakes with sugar-free caramel frosting and toasted pecans. Heavenly low carb and grain-free dessert for pecan turtle lovers!
Chocolate, caramel, and pecans, oh my! I made these Keto Turtle Cupcakes back in December for my husband’s birthday and I swear I’ve been dreaming about them ever since.
His birthday comes right on the heels of Christmas, when everyone is rather sick of sweets and heavy meals. And usually at that point, I am sick of baking.
But because he’s spent a lifetime of being a birthday afterthought, I always try to do something special for him. And cupcakes make things easy on both of us, since they are less effort than a full cake.
So I presented him with a few options and he choose Turtle Cupcakes. Smart man, wouldn’t you agree?
Keto caramel recipes
I don’t try to hide the fact that I think my keto caramel sauce is by far the best out there. I really believe you won’t find a better, gooier, more delectable sugar-free sauce out there.
And I try to use it just about everything I can think of.
Some of my most loved keto recipes feature this sauce, including keto turtle candies, keto caramel cake, and keto caramel butter bars.
So you can see why I was so delighted that my husband chose the turtle cupcakes for his birthday.
How to make Keto Turtle Cupcakes
These delicious keto treats feature a chocolate cupcake, a creamy caramel frosting, and toasted pecans.
Keto Chocolate Cupcakes
I could have made these in many possible ways but this time, I chose to use pecan flour. Why? Because they are turtle cupcakes, which by their very definition contain pecans.
You don’t have to use the pecan flour, as I realize it’s yet another ingredient to buy. You can use almond flour or sunflower seed flour. And if you really want to, you can make coconut flour chocolate cupcakes instead.
Keto Caramel Frosting
This is a basic keto buttercream, with the caramel sauce beaten into it, and it’s heavenly. To be honest, I could have just eaten this with a spoon and skipped the cupcakes!
Make the caramel sauce ahead of time and let it cool to room temperature, otherwise it will melt the buttercream and the frosting will become soupy.
As with any buttercream, you need a powdered (confectioners style) sweetener. I love Swerve because it measures cup for cup like any powdered sugar.
The caramel extract isn’t required, but it will amp up the caramel flavor delightfully!
Toppings
You’ve got to have some toasted pecans if you want keto turtle cupcakes! But because children aren’t always fans of pecans, I did some with mini sugar-free chocolate chips as well.
And then I rewarmed another few tablespoons of caramel sauce and drizzled it over each cupcake.
Do I even need to tell you how good these were? And how special they made my husband feel? I think the photos speak for themselves!
Keto Turtle Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups pecan flour (or almond flour)
- ½ cup granulated Swerve Sweetener
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon unflavoured whey protein powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional, enhances chocolate flavor)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup hemp milk (or nut milk of choice)
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Frosting
- 6 tablespoon butter softened
- 1 ½ ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ½ teaspoon caramel extract (or vanilla extract)
Toppings
- ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans
- Additional caramel sauce for drizzling
- 2 tablespoon mini chocolate chips (optional… did this for the kids instead of the pecans!)
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line 9 muffin cups with parchment or silicone liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, whey protein, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
- Stir in the eggs, hemp milk, butter, and vanilla extract until well combined. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely.
Caramel Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Slow drizzle in the caramel sauce, beating on low.
- Add ½ cup of the powdered sweetener, beating until smooth. Add additional sweetener to taste. Beat in the caramel or vanilla extract.
- Pipe or spread the frosting onto the prepared cupcakes.
Topping
- Sprinkle with the chopped pecans, and drizzle with additional caramel sauce.
Lois Mass says
I’m pondering the caramel sauce for caramel pecan rolls I make and sell at farmers markets in the summer and indoors during the winter. They are a huge hit. There is no corn syrup in them. I substitute honey. Then, there is brown sugar, butter and cream. I put that sauce on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with pecans. Could your caramel sauce be used like that or poured on top after they are baked? Many of my customers don’t care for all that “sweetness”. This might be a solution for them.
Carolyn says
I honestly don’t know.
Sabrina says
My granddaughter has an egg allergy. Do you have any suggestions on what would work well to replace the eggs in this recipe? Normally I would use vinegar and baking soda but I wasn’t sure how well that would work using nut flour. Thank you
Carolyn says
Sadly, it does not work well. The egg replacers for vegans might work better but they typically have more carbs.
Jean says
These turtle cupcakes are unbelievably amazing! Carolyn you are a keto genius and I’m so happy I found your site!
Judy says
I made these for my daughter’s birthday. They were so delicious and no one could believe they were sugar free! I just want to thank you for your website! I go to it all of the time and save all of your emails. We’ve been Keto for 3 years and this is the first website that really has everything! And it’s all delicious! I do have one question. My caramel sauce from your recipe was more opaque…any idea what I did to make that happen? Thanks!
Carolyn says
What sweeteners did you use in the caramel sauce?
Judi says
What brand of Carmel sauce do you use?
Carolyn says
I don’t. Please read the recipe…it links to my homemade caramel sauce.
Erika says
Do you think peanut flour could be used? I bought a bag and made the truffles from your site that were amazing but now I’m wondering what else I can make with the bag of peanut flour that I have.
Carolyn says
Not in this recipe… peanut flour is powdery and fine, which means it requires a different treatment than nut flours. Here are a few other recipes that use it, though.
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/peanut-blossoms-low-carb-and-gluten-free/
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-peanut-butter-cookies-for-two/
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-no-bake-peanut-butter-bars/
Dianne says
What is the purpose of the whey protein powder? Can I just use more pecan flour? I notice you use it in a lot of your recipes. Thanks.
Carolyn says
Gluten is a protein and in its absence, another dry protein helps keto baked goods rise and hold their shape. More flour is not a good substitute.
Erin says
These are amazing. I think I ate way too many, but they were so good! Best keto ones I’ve tried.
alisha says
Thank you! So hard to find a sugar-free treat that I like
Lisalia says
You turn everything unhealthy into a healthy keto treat! You’re magic. These taste delicious. Love your recipes and this one especially!
Melody says
Does it need whey added? I can’t use whey. Thank you
Carolyn says
Yep, it need protein powder and your only other option is egg white protein.
Denise Cairns says
Do you think I could use “ cashew flour”…and what amount would I use for these delicious looking cupcakes???…I Gould cashew flour at my local Walmart…Thanks Carolyn for ALL your wonderful recipes ❤️❤️❤️
Carolyn says
Should be the same amount but it’s much higher in carbs.
Millican Pecan says
This recipe is fabulous! It has all the right ingredients for a dessert that is not over the top sweet. My favorite nut is the pecan, so this right up my alley! Thanks for sharing.
Judith Henriksen says
I did make my own pecan flour and I did need to be careful about turning the grind into pecan butter. It was a very moist/oily flour, but it was not a problem in the recipe. I had to grind many small batches and to keep the texture right, I would remove large pieces, collect the flour and repeat with more pecans. I liked the flavor of the cupcake and the topping is amazing. I would like the cupcake to be more like a denser brownie texture, but I don’t want it like fudge. Can you make a suggestion? This is a very good special dessert. Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
I have a few brownie cupcake recipes… use the search box on my blog and one of those, but with pecan flour instead of almond.
Tracy Andries says
How easy is it to grind my own pecans? I do my own raw peanuts for peanut butter and it really can’t be screwed up as I’m not doing it for a flour. I would hate to grind up expensive pecans if the at home person can’t get the same result of a purchased package of pecan flour.
I always like to follow your recipes and not make subs so just curious if you have any experience with making your own nut flours. Thank you for another delish recipe.
Carolyn says
Honestly, I wouldn’t. I have tried and you get much coarser pecan meal than what commercial companies can do. And you risk turning it into pecan butter…
Linda says
Can you use cream instead of nut milk?
Carolyn says
You’d want to thin it out with some water to the consistency of nut milk.