Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
My mint chocolate cupcakes were inspired by Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. Dark Chocolate cupcakes piled high with a swirl of creamy mint buttercream and chocolate buttercream topped with a thin mint cookie.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup hot coffee (or substitute hot water)
Mint Buttercream
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks or ½ pound), softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
- ¼ cup heavy cream or milk
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- pinch salt
- 1 drop green food coloring
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks for ½ pound), softened
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 16 cupcakes.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the oil and the sugar.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat just until combined.
- Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk.
- Add the hot coffee and mix on low just until incorporated.
- Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon fill the cupcake liners about ¾ of the way full. One scoop from an ice cream scoop is the perfect amount.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes. Move to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Mint Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar one cup and a time. **see notes below
- Add the heavy cream and peppermint extract and beat until smooth. Add a pinch of salt (to taste) and mix.
- Lastly, mix in the green food coloring.
Chocolate Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar a cup at a time. In a separate bowl melt the chocolate chips and set aside to cool. I start with 3 cups and then you can add more after the rest of the ingredients to adjust the consistency.
- Add the cocoa, salt and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add the melted chocolate and mix to combine. Add the cream and beat on medium for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thin to pipe add additional powdered sugar. If it's too stiff, add more cream.
Decorating
- Spread a sheet of plastic wrap about 1 ft long on your counter or surface. First, pipe a long of the mint frosting, down the center lengthwise. Pipe a line of the chocolate frosting alongside that one so they are touching.
- Fold the plastic wrap over from bottom to top to form a log. Twist the ends to seal the buttercream inside. Cut one end and place the cut side down into a piping bag with about an inch cut off (no piping tip necessary). To see how I pips swirled buttercream check out this story highlight: http://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17868979693703108/?hl=en
- Pipe tall swirls of frosting on each cupcake. Top with a Thin Mint cookie or a mint Oreo cookie and enjoy!
Notes
Buttercream Notes:
To make the buttercream you will need your butter to be soft. You can leave it out at room temperature about an hour before you need to use it, or microwave it for about 15 seconds to soften.
If you are using organic powdered sugar, you will want to sift it first to get out any large lumps.
Nutrition
Calories: 642kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 270mg | Potassium: 19mg | Sugar: 67g
This information comes from online calculators and these figures are only estimates.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!