Mint and chocolate are the flavors of the moment. And if you love thin mints, shamrock shakes and peppermint patties? Then these mint chocolate chip cupcakes are right up your alley. The fluffy chocolate cupcake is filled with a minty creamy ganache and topped with a minty vanilla chocolate chip buttercream.
For the cupcakes, I made a half batch of my Awesome Cake from a Mix recipe which makes about 18-20 cupcakes. Easy peasy! To add an extra punch to the chocolate flavor, add a tablespoon of instant coffee. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners, fill 2/3 full with batter and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cupcakes are baking, make the minty ganache filling. Start by heating 1/2 cup of heavy cream to just under boiling. Then pour the warm cream over 1 cup chocolate chips. Stir the chocolate and cream until completely smooth then flavor with a teaspoon of mint extract and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Allow to cool and thicken.
After baking and cooling the cupcakes, I used a paring knife to cut a small cone out of the middle of each cupcake to fill with the minty ganache. Keep the little cone of cake to put back after filling. Pour the cooled ganache into a piping bag or plastic storage bag to make it a little easier to fill. Pipe about a tablespoon or so of ganache into the hole then put the little cone of cake back in. Push it down just a little. And it’s okay if it doesn’t look perfect. The frosting will cover it up.
For the frosting, I whipped up a half batch of my vanilla buttercream. Then to make it mint chocolate chip, I added a teaspoon of mint extract and 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips. To give it some color as well, I added just a drop or two of green food coloring but this is optional. Fill a piping bag or plastic storage bag with the mint chocolate chip icing. Pipe a swirl of icing on each cupcake and top with a chocolate chip.
These cupcakes are a delightful springtime treat! Now go get your mint chocolate chip cupcake on!
Ingredients
For the chocolate cupcake
- 1/2 box chocolate cake mix
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup of water
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 tablespoon of instant coffee
For the minty ganache filling:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspooon mint extract
For the mint chocolate chip frosting:
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 teapoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- pinch of salt
- Optional: green food coloring
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Mix all of the cake ingredients together and fill the liners until 2/3 full.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
For the minty ganache filling:
- Heat the heavy cream over medium heat until just under boiling or in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Pour the warm cream over the chocolate chips and stir until smooth.
- Stir in the extracts and set aside to cool and thicken.
For the mint chocolate chip frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and then stir in the powdered sugar and whip until light and fluffy.
- Then stir in the extracts, salt and chocolate chips.
- Optional: Add a drop or two of the green food coloring to give it a light green color.
To assemble:
- After the cupcakes have cooled, cut a small cone from the middle of each cupcake using a paring knife. Save the cone of cake to put back after filling.
- Pour the minty ganache filling into a piping bag or plastic storage bag.
- Fill each cupcake by piping about a tablespoon or so of the filling into the hole.
- Place the little piece of cake back over the filling and push down a little. The frosting will cover it if it looks messy.
- Transfer the mint chocolate chip frosting to a piping bag or a plastic storage bag and pipe a swirl of icing over the top of each cupcake and top with a mini chocolate chip.
