Coconut Nutella Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites and ¼ teaspoon salt until firm. Set aside for later.

Mix the flour, shredded coconut, baking powder, and remaining salt in a bowl. Set aside.

With the mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl and add the egg yolks one at a time, until they are all well blended.

Then alternate adding the dry mixture and the coconut milk until the mixture is smooth. Scrape the bowl and mix again.

Gently fold in the egg whites, taking care not to overwork the batter.

Line muffin tins with paper liners. Fill the liners 2/3 full and bake 10–12 minutes for minis, and 18–22 minutes for regular cupcakes.

Check the cupcakes to make sure a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Then pop them out of the muffin tins immediately.

Use a piping bag (or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off) pipe a dollop of Nutella in the center of each cupcake. It’s okay if they are still a little warm. It helps the Nutella spread over the top a bit.

To toast the coconut, spread the coconut over a baking sheet. Place under the broiler for 1–2 minutes, until golden brown. DO NOT take your eyes off the coconut—it burns FAST!

Sprinkle the cooled coconut over each cupcake.

Makes 8 dozen minis or 2 dozen regular cupcakes.