Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

If you’re a mint chocolate chip lover, you will want these mint chocolate chip cupcakes on rotation immediately.

Decadent chocolate cupcakes are topped with refreshingly sweet, minty buttercream frosting for the perfect minty, chocolatey treat.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream is one of my favorite ice cream flavors, so naturally, I had to make it into cupcakes for a sweet St. Patrick’s Day dessert! The cupcakes are moist, easy to make, and so decadent. They pair perfectly with the sweet, minty buttercream frosting.

How to make mint chocolate chip cupcakes

What you need

• Cupcake batter: You’ll use brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract to create the wet batter. You’ll use flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, baking powder, and salt for the dry ingredients.
• Mint buttercream frosting: You need powdered sugar, butter, green food coloring, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, shaved dark chocolate, and a bit of whole milk or heavy cream.
• For decorating: I save a bit of the shaved dark chocolate and sprinkle it on top with festive St. Patrick’s Day sprinkles!

How to make it

• Step 1: First, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder.
• Step 2: Make the wet batter. Start by beating the brown sugar and butter together. Beat in two eggs and then add the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.

• Step 3: Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t overwork the flour!

• Step 4: Bake the cupcakes. Line a cupcake tin and fill each liner about ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove and transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

• Step 5: Make the frosting. When the cupcakes have cooled completely, combine the powdered sugar, butter, green food coloring, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth, adding 4 to 5 tablespoons of whole milk to thin out the frosting as needed. Fold in finely chopped dark chocolate until combined.

You can pipe or spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes and garnish with the remaining dark chocolate and sprinkles.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

If you're a mint chocolate chip lover, you're going to want these mint chocolate chip cupcakes on rotation immediately.

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Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Inactive time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Calories: 354kcal

Equipment

• Muffin tin
• Electric hand mixer
• Cupcake liners
• Piping bag with star tip

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch-process cocoa powder)
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mint buttercream frosting:

• 3½ cups powdered sugar (sifted)
• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 drops green food coloring
• 4 to 5 tablespoons whole milk (plus more as needed)
• 2 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao, very finely chopped by hand or pulverized in a food processor, see Note 1)

For decoration (optional):

• Green and gold sprinkles

Instructions

Before beginning:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
• Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Prepare the dry ingredients:

• Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Prepare the wet ingredients:

• Combine the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until combined.
• Add the eggs and beat until combined. Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract and continue mixing until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to the batter:

• Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the batter and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined. Don’t overwork the flour!

Bake the cupcakes:

• Pour the batter into the liners, filling each one up about ⅔ of the way full. Transfer to the oven for 20 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.
• Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour.

Make the mint buttercream frosting:

• Add 3½ cups powdered sugar, butter, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and green food coloring to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, being careful not to overmix. Add the whole milk as needed to reach a smooth, creamy consistency.
• Add all but 1 tablespoon of the finely chopped dark chocolate. Fold it into the buttercream.

Frost the cupcakes:

• Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake.

To serve:

• Sprinkle the cupcakes with the reserved finely chopped dark chocolate and sprinkles. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: Make sure you pulverize the dark chocolate as much as possible otherwise it will get stuck in the tip of the piping bag when you frost the cupcakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Sodium: 172mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g

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