Ande's Mint Chcolate Cupcakes ~

I am not a professed baker, but love a good cupcake.  I love the richness of good chocolate too.  Cupcakes are just the right size to eat and these cupcakes are delicious.  My oldest son's birthday is coming and his favorite dessert's include chocolate mint anything.  This cupcake tastes like a cross between mint chocolate chip ice cream and a thin mint cookie.

Try them, you'll really like them.  Heck, you may even fall in love..... I did.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients
 3 ounces (1 cup) cocoa powder
 5 ounces (1 cup) all purpose flour
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
 10 ounces (2 1/4 cups) sugar
 4 eggs, at room temp.
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
 3/4 cup buttermilk
 4 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped

 
Cupcake Instructions 
  1. Preheat an oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper cups.
 2. Sift together the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt.
    Set aside
 3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy,
    about 5 minutes.
 5. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated well.
 6. Add both extracts and mix in well.
 7. Add half of the dry mixture into the egg mixture and mix until
    combined. Add the chopped chocolate to the other half of the dry
    mixture and set aside.
 8. Mix in the buttermilk and mix until combined.
 9. Add the remaining dry mixture with the chopped chocolate into
    the batter and mix until just combined.
 10. Take an ice cream scoop and fill the cupcake batter into a cupcake pan

about half way.

11. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out just barely clean.

Mint Buttercream:

8 oz cream cheese

6 tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

green food coloring

Cream together butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer on medium.  Turn down to a slow speed and add sugar, in half cup intervals.  Once mixed, add milk and peppermint extract.  Turn off mixer and fold in 2 drops of green food coloring.  Put into a piping bag and frost cupcakes.  Add an Ande's Mint candy to each cupcake.

Yum ~