Addison mentioned that she also wanted chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles for her birthday. I have made several chocolate cupcakes before on this blog but wanted to try something new. Again, I turned to my baking friend Sally for some ideas. She recently developed chocolate cupcakes with mint chocolate chip frosting that I had be ogling over for quite some time. Now was the time to make them. And don't you think that the mini chocolate chips look like dark sprinkles?
The result? No leftovers. Although the cupcake base was a bit drier than I had hoped, the frosting was what people were raving about. It was only slightly sweet with a burst of peppermint and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips. I brought 24 Funfetti cupcakes to the party plus 12 of these chocolate cupcakes with mint chocolate chip frosting, and this one easily won the head to head battle. I can't tell you how many times people complimented me on this cupcake, and it may have lead to a potential future cupcake order. Yup, they were a hit, all right.
When I make these again, I may use my tried and true chocolate cupcake base and make a batch of this divine mint chocolate chip frosting to go on top (and possibly inside the cupcakes too, because there is no such thing as too much mint chocolate chip).
Chocolate cupcakes
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder(I used Hershey's Dark)
- 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated (white) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mint chocolate chip frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 or 3 drops green food coloring
- A pinch of salt (optional)
- 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Chocolate cupcake directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a standard muffin tin with 12 liners.
In a small saucepan, boil the water over high heat.
In a separate medium bowl, add the cocoa powder. Once the water has come to a full boil, add it to the cocoa powder and mix until smooth and no lumps remain. Set in the refrigerator and allow to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, in a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla and continue to mix.
Turn the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
Evenly divide the batter and fill each liner so they are 3/4 full. Bake for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not over bake the cupcakes or they will be dry! Remove the cupcakes from the oven and place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before before frosting.
Mint chocolate chip frosting directions
In the (clean) bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about 30-60 seconds or until smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add 3 cups of powdered sugar, cream, peppermint extract, and food coloring.
Turn the mixer to high and beat for an additional 3 minutes. If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick, add more cream. If the frosting is too sweet, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Depending on your personal preferences, you can increase the amount of food coloring and peppermint extract as desired. Mix in the chocolate chips by hand.
Generously frost each cupcake with mint chocolate chip frosting and enjoy the extra frosting with a spoon!
Yield: 12 cupcakes and enough buttercream to generously frost 12 cupcakes, plus about 2/3 cup of extra frosting (for snacking)
Source: Sally's Baking Addiction
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