These Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes show off an easy homemade chocolate cupcake topped with peppermint frosting and cute little mini York Peppermint Patties. Cupcakes this good are perfect for any party or picnic at any time of year.
I realize that you must think I am bonkers for posting a peppermint recipe as we head into the summer season.
Let me plead my case before you pass dessert judgment upon me! You see, to me Peppermint Patties get a bad rep of being a winter treat. Peppermint = a holiday flavor in everyone's eyes.
I happen to absolutely love eating Peppermint Patties any time of year. They have that chilly refreshing taste that almost cools you off as you are eating them. Try freezing the peppermint patties and biting into one on a hot summer day. Instant chill factor for sure!
My second reason for making these cupcakes were these itty bitty Peppermint Patties I found.
A few weeks ago I was at Meijer grabbing a few items...ok, fine a cartload of baking stuff...when I saw this bag of unwrapped mini Peppermint Patties staring at me. Before I could even blink, two bags of candy jumped right into my cart. For realsies! I seriously don't even remember reaching out and grabbing them.
After a minute of just staring at these cute candies, I realized that I didn't need 2 bags. I know just how long they would last in my possession.
The smart thing to do was put one bag back on the shelf and buy one bag to bake something fun with, but for some reason my hands were frozen to the front of the cart. Finally after that inner dialogue between the good dessert angel and the bad dessert devil, I slowly removed one bag from the cart. I'm pretty sure I heard the candy pleading with me to buy it as I walked away.
What? You don't hear candy talking to you? Hhhhmmm...maybe that was just that inner dessert devil talking again. What?? You don't hear one of those either??? Ok, maybe I should keep these things to myself more often. You all are going to start thinking I'm a crazy lady. What's that? You already do??? It's ok, I can live with that 😉
Now for the fun stuff. I came home with that bag of candy anxious to start baking. The first thing that came to mind was this chocolate cupcake. But then all night long I kept debating whether that seemed too holiday-ish! Finally I just gave up debating the issue and made cupcakes.
Now if you want to simplify things a little bit, you can use a chocolate box mix. I usually do too! BUT...I do have a fantastic homemade chocolate cupcake recipe that I like to break out every once in a while. You can mix the batter up in almost the same amount of time as a box. Promise me you will give it a try some time.
Start by sifting all the dry ingredients into one bowl. I like to use the Hershey's dark cocoa powder for that rich, deep chocolate taste and look. You can use regular cocoa if that's all you have in your cupboard.
Then whisk the oil, eggs, and extract in another bowl. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk and hot water into the egg mixture. Beat for another minute and you are done. See how easy that is? Divide the batter into 24 cupcake liners and bake.
Beat together all the frosting ingredients while the cupcakes are baking. For this frosting, I used a little bit of peppermint extract. If you like a much stronger peppermint taste, go ahead and add more. Just be very careful to not add too much. Peppermint extract is very strong, and you can over do it quickly if you are not careful.
Then sit down and relax a bit while you wait for them to cool completely. Or go for a run or better yet, do some house work. It's totally up to you how you wait. Just don't let the mini Peppermint Patties talk you into opening the bag early. You will wish you had bought two bags! At least that's what I hear...
Are you convinced yet that chocolate peppermint cupcakes are totally an all year treat?
Recipe
Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes topped with a peppermint frosting is a delicious way to have dessert.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup hot water
For the Peppermint Butter Cream
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract*
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons whipping cream
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon shortening
- 24 mini York Peppermint Patties
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 24 cupcake liners in two muffin tins.
- Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Beat the oil, eggs, and vanilla until light and foamy. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk and hot water. Beat until everything is incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into 24 cupcake liners. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a tester comes out somewhat clean. Let cool completely.
- Beat the shortening, butter, and extracts until creamy. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar and whipping cream. Beat another minute until creamy.
- Use a piping bag and icing tip 1M to swirl on top of the cupcakes.
- Place the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute. Stir until creamy.
- Spoon into a ziplock baggie and cut one tip off. Drizzle quickly over the top of the frosting.
- Top with a mini Peppermint Pattie. Makes 24 cupcakes. Store in a sealed container.
Notes
*If you want a stronger peppermint taste, increase the peppermint extract to 1 teaspoon.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 317Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 195mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 3g
More Peppermint Pattie treats to chill your sweet tooth with:
White Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Popcorn
Jamie
This recipe looks amazing. Could I make a cake with this instead of cupcakes? If so, what would I need to change?
Jocelyn
I'm sure it can be made as a cake too. I just have never baked this particular recipe in anything but cupcake liners, so I'm not quite sure of the baking time. Here is a link to another homemade chocolate cake recipe that is very similar and I baked it in 8 inch cake pans. https://insidebrucrewlife.com/dark-chocolate-layer-cake/ . I hope that helps and you enjoy the cake.
Kristen
Jocelyn, I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but for the icing, should the butter be room temp? Thanks.
Jocelyn
There are never any dumb questions. Yes, you want it to be slightly softened, but not too much or your frosting will be too soft. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes!!!
Dawn
I would love to make these for Easter. Have you ever tried to put a york peppermint patty in the middle of the cupcake batter and then cook it?
Maddie
These were great! Huge hit! My only note would be that when I did the frosting, mine came out too thick to pipe, but I added a little water and that fixed it!
Tania Gialamas
Look amazing ...pepper mints all year favorite ...only wish could find those wonderful packets of mints here in Greece! Could I ask what you mean as shortening in the cupcakes ...alternative?thanx.
Jocelyn Brubaker
Any kind of soft mint candy would work...and there is always amazon. I'm just not sure how much shipping would be to Greece. The shortening is a solid oil...you can also use all butter. Just add the liquid slowly so the frosting doesn't get too soft.
Zainab @ Blahnik Baker
Your cupcakes are always so beautiful!! And I love these...mint in May!! You are my favorite 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Aww, you're so sweet!! 🙂 Thanks Zainab!
Kelly
I love chocolate and mint and can' have that combo all year long - especially in cupcakes 🙂 These are just so gorgeous!
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking
I have those inner dialogues ALL the time! "Amy, you really don't need 5 different bars of dark chocolate... And you already have 2 types of peanut butter at home... And why do you need another bag of candy that's just going to sit on your shelf tempting you for weeks?" Yup, grocery shopping with me is like a trip to the mental hospital sometimes! 😉 I had NO idea that they made mini peppermint patties -- that's awesome! They're my mom's favorite, so we always ate them all year round too. And they're so cute on top of your cupcakes!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha! Too funny! 😉 Thanks Amy!!
Chels R.
These are gorgeous! Love the colors. I'm not a big peppermint patty fan, but occasionally I'll reach for one over a twix or kitkat. But if I had one of these babies in front of, there would be no contest. Cupcakes always win!