Milk Chocolate Cupcakes with Fresh Mint Frosting.
You know things are really getting bad if I make frosting with… technically… a vegetable in it. Don’t even try to fight me on this. Mint is green, and it grows in dirt. It is a freaking vegetable.
Hmmpf. Now that we got that out of the away.
I had really high hopes for this weirdo frosting. I love chocolate and mint together – I can easy down a bag of bite-sized peppermint patties – and I knew I could make a mint chocolate cupcake with some crazy extracts I’ve seen at the store. I’m just soooo incredibly fond of fresh mint that I was dying to make it into something sweet. And I was also playing single lady, which really just means that I eat a. wine, b. ice cream, c. peanut butter out of the jar, d. hummus and e. all of the above for dinner while my husband travels. Time was on my side.
Except fresh mint sort of tastes like toothpaste. And dirt. Really, really good dirt.
Don’t even look at me like that. You know it does! Sure, it’s delicious in things like boozy salsa and watermelon salads and tall icy drinks, but… it also tastes like toothpaste. I cannot tell a lie. And yes, I will eat it by itself (which I guess means I will eat raw vegetables but whatever) and while I find it chewy and crazy, I also sort of love it. Like, a lot.
So I present to you chocolate toothpaste and dirt cupcakes. Preferably served after an extra garlicky dish of shrimp scampi swimming in butter. Kiss away! Can I make a date night meal or what?
Really, the milk chocolate cupcakes were the bees knees. Those were fab. So was the milk chocolate frosting which I may gladly finish off for dinner tonight, albeit this time I may go a bit buck wild and dip some pretzel sticks in it. I actually really enjoyed the fresh mint frosting, but in a super small amount, like plopped on top of that sprinkle-covered icing blob. Which I know you’re thinking probably means I should now slather it on every single dessert I make for the rest of my life in order to exhibit portion control, but STOP YELLING AT ME. Man, you are really on my case today.
If you were here, I’d totally wish that you’d faceplant into this.
Milk Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes
1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoon vanillas extract
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 ounces of high-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain. Add milk, butter and vanilla, and mix until combined. Sift dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Mix until batter is smooth. Fold in milk chocolate. Line a muffin tin with liners and using a heaping 1/4 cup measure, add batter to each cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
Milk Chocolate Buttercream
2 sticks of butter (1 cup), softened to room temperature
3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
3 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled for about 5-10 minutes (still in liquid form)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk, if needed
Beat butter in the bowl of your electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in powdered sugar gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time) with the mixer on low speed, slowly increasing the speed and it combines. Add in milk chocolate and vanilla and continue to mix. I scrape down the sides and bottom of my bowl about 4-5 times, and mix for about 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed. Add in milk one tablespoons at a time if you need it or find that the frosting is not creamy enough.
Fresh Mint Buttercream
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped very fine
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed
Beat butter in the bowl of your electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in powdered sugar gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time) with the mixer on low speed, slowly increasing the speed and it combines. Add in fresh mint and vanilla and continue to mix. I scrape down the sides and bottom of my bowl about 4-5 times, and mix for about 4-5 minutes on medium-high speed. Add in milk one tablespoons at a time if you need it or find that the frosting is not creamy enough.
Note: this can easily be multiplied, and you can also add some green food coloring if you wish. I’m thinking a possibility may be to process the mint leaves with vanilla extract in a food processor to make a “liquid” of sorts, then add it to the frosting.
Oh P.S.: I love your guts.
185 Comments on “Milk Chocolate Cupcakes with Fresh Mint Frosting.”
They are so pretty! It would be hard to eat them…but not too hard, of course. :)
I feel like you’ve made these just for me, as it’s my birthday and I *love* mint chocolate chip!
Happy birthday girl! :)
I need to make these. Now!
Yum! Nothing like chocolate and mint.
These look like heaven in a cupcake wrapper! I wonder if you could steep chocolate mint leaves in like 1/4 cup of water with a wee bit of sugar to make a concentrated simple syrup mint style? (I didn’t even know there WERE chocolate mint plants but I’ll be danged if they’re aren’t out there! Lovely little yummy freaks of nature!)
You definitely could because I mad a mint simply syrup for mojitos, and that would totally work!
you know there is a chocolate mint plant too. I just bought one and it does have a bit of a chocolate taste to it. Not sure why I bought it, I thought it was cool!
I think I just gained 10 pounds looking at those pictures! =D That looks soooo yummy!
Mint frosting. Always reminds me of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXE9pfjSoTE
These are in my oven right now!!!! I can’t wait to try them! I put pureed some chocolate mint and put it in the batter. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!!! YOU ROCK!!!! (and so does James Taylor :)))))))
I love the layered frosting idea! It’s a great way to balance out a crazy frosting flavor with a classic staple. Besides you can never have too much chocolate… or frosting :)
I’m in total awe. I don’t even know where to begin….except for saying, ‘Please pass the toothpaste and dirt cupcakes’.
As if there were any doubt, I now have confirmation that you and I would be real life BFF’s if we lived closer. My short list:
1. Bacon (obvious, I know)
2. Chocolate (see #1)
3. I love vegetables – don’t stop reading, friends should balance each other out.
4. The sign = the last line of your post. I once had the lead singer of my favorite band tell me that he “loved my guts”. Best. day. ever.
Now to figure out more ways to use this double layer frosting idea…
I’m pretty much in love with your dirty cupcakes and I mean dirty in the best possible way! Dirty as in 2 flavors of icing mounded on top of that chocolate cake that even had jimmies er I mean sprinkles that can give you good breath. I may never brush my teeth again haha!
OHhhh I love this! I love how the cupcakes look a little bit rustic-ish.
wow. just wow. I’ve been tired all morning and that just woke me up. fantastic!
Mint chocolate is right up there with strawberry banana, as far as dessert combos go. That was always my ice cream of choice!! I’ve only used fresh mint once or twice….eep!
I never thought I would hear the phrase ‘really good dirt.’ These look yummy and I adore the presentation, it’s so grown up and sophisticated for a cupcake.
oh wow…like a thin mint on crack!
Why do you torture me so..!
OMG. Can you please open up your own cupcake shop??? Your cupcakes always look so freaking amazing–these especially! Love the addition of fresh mint in the butter cream. Wonderful recipe!
my favorite chocolate and mint combination is definitely thin mints.
I looooove fresh mint! I had Fresh Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream once and it changed my world. So much better than that fake bright green stuff.
Wow, this looks delicious, and anything minty and chocolatey makes me weak in the knees! I was so excited to see that I actually have all the necessary ingredients to make these RIGHT NOW!!!! I have one question though, I have never made homemade buttercream icing, but am dying to try. Which beater attachment do you use for that? The regular mixer one that I use for the cupcake mix, or the whisk? Thanks for the fantastic recipe, I can’t wait to taste them!
I use the regular one!
Yum what ‘refreshing’ cupcakes!!
How would a hint of mint extract work if mint leaves aren’t available?
I think perfectly! I would do about a teaspoon. :)
It looks really beautiful and fresh. I love fresh mint and I’m always on the look out for more recipes with it :)
Mint buttercream sounds amazing! And I actually have some chocolate mint growing out back. That stuff takes over EVERYTHING (which is totally not a bad thing).
I’m a fan. Mint is so refreshing and I neeeeed that right now. Yum!
*sigh*
Oh man, these look amazing. I love mint and chocolate.
I needed a chocolate cupcake recipe for my stepson’s birthday. I’m making these later this week. They sound fantastic!
The chocolate cupcake is really one of my favorites! Enjoy!
Completely needless to say… your blog makes me hungry.
These are NOT weird. These are perfect for mint lovers = me!
Nothing is better than a double layer of frosting. Nothing!
My friend would go CRAZY for these cupcakes!
I’ve been trying to figure out what on earth am I going to make with all the mint growing like crazy in my herb garden. I think I finally found something :)
I love the two kinds of frosting on the top. Chocolate & mint are one of my favorite combinations!
So I love the cupcake recipe, and I do plan to make these for my sister’s b-day since mint chocolate anything is completely up her alley; but I love the post even more. You had me completely laughing out loud. Literally. Not just the “lol” type. And if our paths ever cross, I kind of think that the face plant wish just totally opened up a food fight invitation. I’m just sayin’.
not a fresh mint fan…you’ve nailed the reason, but these cupcakes do look like something mint that I could go for in a big way. thanks for sharing!
These look incredible. Like the idea of seperating the icing and piling them on top of one another. The photos are so pretty too!
Hey Jessica –
Sorry didn’t know how else to send this….although these cupcakes look fab-u-lous, do know of any great recipes that you have run across/you have tried that work great to bring to a family that either just had a baby or are sick? Between that and what to serve as a killer “company recipe”, I’m totally stuck. Not that I would want to literally kill my company with dinner of course.:) Any ideas, let me know, but I know you are a busy girl! Kerri
what about this pasta? http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/05/creamy-caprese-pasta/
I took that to my BFF right after she had her baby!
we can vouch that this pasta is delicious! we’ve made it a hand full of times and love it!
not to mention it makes delicious as leftovers. :)
this sounds insanely amazing!! wow! i am on a sugar high right now.
These look CRAZY good. Crazy in a good way, of course. I make cupcakes for a living (literally), so I tend to be on cupcake-overload most days, but not with these. I’m even tempted to crank on the oven after many, many hours at the bakery this morning :)
I don’t even need any other words but YUM!!!!!!
Ohhh, I have a big ole’ patch of mint just crying out for me to make these cupcakes. Can’t wait – thanks for the recipe!
I love your intro…”Mint is green and it grows in dirt. It is a freaking vegetable.” Totally sounds like something my mom would say and made me laugh! I love anything mint and chocolate!
mint chocolate frosting, hubby’s favorite!!
The cupcakes look amazing!!
This post made me crazy happy. Your cupcakes make me happy. YOU make me happy.
OMG YUM- I made a mint cake for by bf;s borthday, I do think cupcakes add a certain cuteness
Wow, you make such amazing cupcakes! They always look so delicious. These pictures are so great I can practically taste the cupcakes.