About a month or so ago, my hubby and I decided that we wanted to start our garden. I was raised on a farm. I was into gardening, riding horses, feeding goats, you know, the usual. Since I have been an adult, and my grandparents have gotten older, I haven't done much of that, and I want my boys to have those experiences as well. So, we decided, and we got a greenhouse.
Now let me tell you, this greenhouse took us TWO DAYS to put together. It was the worst thing EVER!! The instructions were awful and it was overall a poor design. Nonetheless, we got it together and I immediately fell in love. I planted tomatoes (of course), cucumbers, squash, strawberries, lettuce and some herbs! Everything is growing so fast in there!!! Yesterday I went out and I harvested some lettuce and mint! I was so excited to grow food for my family. Then I thought, "what am I going to do with all of this mint"?! So, I came up with these yummy mint chocolate chip cupcakes!
I will admit, I am not a huge mint chocolate fan. I love the Andies mints, but that is about it for me. My husband however, he loves it! So, I figured why not!! Plus I get to share with you guys of course!
The secret to this recipe is the cake.. My chocolate cake is AMAZING. I always get rave reviews on it and it is one of my most popular flavors! It is delicious, moist, and so chocolatey. If you are interested in more chocolate recipes, I made a German chocolate not too long ago! Check it out here!
Some important things to note. ALWAYS use a good cocoa powder. I use Hershey's, it is amazing and it gives the cake an awesome flavor!! It really does make a difference!
Another thing, is to make sure you are using a good quality vanilla extract! I have actually started making my own! It is cheaper AND I think it tastes a lot better. I will be doing a recipe for that in the near future.
To get started, we need to make the cake. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a stand mixer. I use this one, BUT you can use a hand mixer for this as well 🙂
Add in your eggs, milk, and oil. Mix until combined and then add in your boiling water. (Be very careful!)
Next, add your cupcake wrappers in your pan, and fill each cup about halfway with batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
Now for the best part, the frosting. Like I said above, I have never been a huge mint chocolate fan, BUT I do love these cupcakes. I did not add a ton of mint in, but just enough where it gives it that nice minty fresh flavor. You can add as little or as much as you want in this recipe!
To make the buttercream, add your butter to your stand mixer and mix on high speed until light and fluffy. Add in your powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add in your whipping cream and your vanilla, and then add in 3-4 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh mint leaves. It will smell heavenly! Stir slightly until combined and fluffy!
**Just a little side note, I actually removed the stems from my mint leaves.**
I added on the dark chocolate chips to the frosting after I piped it. You can use whatever chocolate you wish, and if you want to add it directly into the frosting that is fine too!
...and that is about it!! Decorate as desired and enjoy!!! You can keep these in the fridge for about 3-4 days in an air tight container.
Comment below and let me know how these turned out for you!!
PrintRecipe
Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 Dozen 1x
Description
The perfect mix of mint and chocolate all wrapped up into one delicious dessert treat!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 Cup (235 ml)All-purpose Flour
- 1 Cup (235 ml) Sugar
- ½ Cup (118 ml) Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp (5 ml) Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp (5 ml) Baking Soda
- ½ (2 ml) teaspoon salt
- 1 Egg
- ½ Cup (120 ml) Vegatable Oil
- ½ Cup (120ml) Milk
- ½ Cup (120 ml) Boiling Water
- 1 Tsp (5 ml) Vanilla Extract
For the Buttercream
- 3 Sticks Butter (room temp)
- 5 Cups Powdered Sugar
- ¼ Cup (60 ml) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tsp (5 ml) Vanilla
- 3-4 tablespoon (45 ml) Finely Chopped Mint Leaves (plus more for topping )
Instructions
- 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine all of your dry ingredients into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until all clumps are removed.
3. Add in your eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until all combined. Mix in your boiling water last, start on slow until the water is combined and then mix on a high speed for 1-2 minutes.
4. Fill your cupcake pan with liners and fill each liner about half way.
5. Bake your cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
6. To make your buttercream, add your softened butter to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream your butter until soft and fluffy.
7. Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time, mix until each cup is combined.
8. Add in your vanilla and cream, mix on a high speed for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
9. Add in your fresh mint leaves and mix until combined.
After your cakes have completely cooled...
10. Add your frosting into a piping bag, and pip a generous amount of frosting onto each cake. If you wish, add some chocolate chips to the top of your frosting, you may even add them straight into the batter OR the frosting, OR both (I won't tell :P)
11. Decorate as you wish and enjoy!!
You can store this in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
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