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.”
My boyfriend’s mum made a similar cake this weekend but I had to pretend that I wasn’t the giant piggy that I am and only had one slice. Sad times. But now I’m going to make milk chocolate cupcakes and eat them all. The mint sounds intriguing…
Lock me up asap– I have all of these ingredients on hand :X
One part of this recipe looks better than the next. I don’t even know where to start!!!
The cupcakes themselves look amazingly moist and just…perfect
And then top them with the mint AND the milk chocolate buttercream, the sprinkles..wow, drool. And then some.
And the photography…you have outdone yourself!
The 1st pic,the angles and contrast
The 2nd pic with them all lined up in a row with mint sprigs
The closeups…wow…
AMAZING! :)
Ha..ha..I like that toothpaste taste for the mint..but I love the freshness it gives to drinks and cold desserts. And those cute little muffins are gorgeous..with the double layer of frosting!
mint + chocolate is in 2nd place for my heart ONLY bc peanut butter and chocolate is first. my bday is in 10 days. send these to me? thanks..
Fav combo ever, right after pb & choc! DELISH!
Haha toothpaste and dirt! I actually just had a chocolate mint protein shake! I love the combo too! These arw gorgeous
oh hello, giant, smushy thin mint cucpcake slash my new favorite snack.
My mom always made these awesome mint chocolate brownies when I was a kid. I still have the recipe!
Did she use fresh mint? I want the recipe!
My kids would freak out if they saw green on their cupcake (which is why I haven’t yet made the avocado frosting! However, I wonder if I stuffed the cupcake with the mint frosting, then they wouldn’t be so aware. Or frosted it with the mint first, then covered it in chocolate. We all love mint around here, they just don’t like to see “flakes.” Thanks for sharing, and your pictures are gorgeous!!!
Thanks! I think stuffing it is an awesome idea – that would probably be the perfect amount.
this was my question! i think stuffing them with mint sounds so yummy!
Haha I love that you found a way to put two different icings on top of a cupcake. Ridiculous!
I adore the chocolate/mint combination, (I posted individual mint chocolate cheesecakes on my blog a while back), and these cupcakes look great… toothpaste, dirt, and all ;).
Love! These look amazing and I am obsessed with those huge mounds of frosting!!
hahah I love that you say that mint tastes like really good dirt, it’s so true :)
mmmm thin mints. so yummy. love this combo. i like the idea Aimee had to stuff them with the mint! i was also thinking you could put them both in the same piping bag, kinda like this http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2011/03/kitchen-tip-multi-swirled-frosting.html but cut a smaller hole for the mint bag so you don’t get as much.
Oh my mouth is watering!!!! Mint + Chocolate = obsession!!!
If this is what being a single lady is about, maybe I’ll call those few short hours my husband away my single lady time and do alllllll of the things you listed! Including these cupcakes! I’m game!!!
Today is my bday and I’m browsing cake recipes… I want this….
Or just spoonfuls of the mint buttercream. Either sound pretty freaking good right now!
Happy birthday! :)
It seems like everyone is making mint-flavored desserts, I must get on that soon. This buttercream sounds so good!
They do look GOOD and moist. The fresh mint frosting is something i have never tried!!
oh goodness…face plant here i come!
Yummy looking….and my family loves yummy!
Chocolate + mint= happiness!! Plus, I’m the only one in the family who likes this combo, so I get to eat all of the cupcakes….right? hahaha :D
Oh wow, DOUBLE frosting!?! These are beautiful! Chocolate mint is one of my favourite flavour combinations. Definitely saving this one for the next time I need to make cupcakes… which might be tomorrow, not because anything special is going on, but just because. ;)
They look delish…but you are hysterical! Toothpaste and really good dirt? OMG – I’m doing that laugh-giggle-snort thing-y and my hubby thinks I’m nuts! He asks what’s so funny and the reply of “MINT” doesn’t strike him as funny!
WOW! Those are impressive!!!
This frosting sounds amazing! I am thinking of trying these but filling them with the mint buttercream to get a little bit in every bite! I cant wait!
(and I just read Aimee’s comment, so yes I agree!!)
I think that’s an awesome idea!
These look like the grasshopper cupcakes from Crumbs. Which are only my FAVORITE CUPCAKES EVER!
When my husband goes away (like he was last night) I drink wine and eat popcorn for dinner. Corn is a vegetable too, right? Even with butter and lots of salt on it? I need to make these cupcakes STAT. I love chocolate and mint together – like as in ice cream, but it has to be the green kind…just makes me feel healthier!
Um, corn is DEFINITELY a vegetable, especially when combined with bacon.
Mmm….fresh mint. I was just thinking last night that I needed to go cut some from the garden so that I could make my dessert pesto again!
Yum! Love the chocolate and mint combination. And I’m so with Liz above me that it is scary! I’m a popcorn/wine girl when hubs goes away too! Or vegetarian meals. But who am I kidding, it’s usually popcorn. ;)
Love the double layer of frosting! Frosting is my weakness!
Is your blog even real?! Your creations seriously look too good to be true. These look incredible! :)
LOL! Thanks.
I love how your photography just jumps off the page! It almost looks like I can reach out and grab a cupcake…too bad I can’t :P
That is not weird frosting. It’s excellent frosting. Fresh mint pairs so much better with chocolate than mint extract or mint alcohol, which is gross.
Haha – there is NOTHING really weird about these cupcakes. In fact, I think they’re nothing short of genius – how have I never thought of this flavor combo!? It’s like my favorite ice cream ever!
Yes! My boy loves mint and I shall bookmark this page for an upcoming birthday!
I love the double decker frosting!!!
You had me at chocolate! Wow….these really look incredible, Jessica, and your photography is stunning! STUNNING!
Aw, thanks Kim!
These looks great! Two questions-
Did you roll the cupcake in sprinkles or use some other technique?
For the milk chocolate buttercream, what kind of milk chocolate? Like straight up Hersheys or baking squares?
Yep I just rolled them in sprinkles! And I used Trader Joe’s “pound plus” milk chocolate – basically just a chocolate bar that I chopped!
I love minty anything. I could eat a package of Andes mints entirely by myself These look outstanding!
Oh so could I!
My kind of cupcake, two massive layers of frosting. I never understand those people that like wipe off part of their frosting. Are you kidding me? I feel like such a fangirl commenting so much, but I just love everything you make!!!
Hehehe well thank you! Annnnnd you might hate me… I am not a frosting person. I totally wipe it off very often.
Well, I guess that’s okay ;) JK…you make them look pretty, that’s all that really matters!
I have a smart daughter. She took one look at the computer screen and said, “I want those.” :-) I’ll bet the fresh mint is an amazing contrast to the chocolate.
Too bad I’m the only one in the house who loves the chocolate/mint combo(or really any chocolate combo). These look amazing ;)
I have an herb garden and I used to grow a variety of mint called chocolate mint. Really does taste like chocolate. Delish!
I’ve heard of it and am DYING to grow it! What did you use it for??
Great garnish for hot chocolate. I bet it would be interesting distilled in vodka for yummy drinks. Or crushed as part of a mojito, not with limes though, maybe with raspberries.
I also grew pineapple mint that year, which was also interesting.
Hmmmm – could not look more delicious girlfriend!
I think double buttercream frosted cupcakes is the best idea ever.
I get the dirt thing, fresh herbs definitely have a different taste from the synthetic version. Looks like too much frosting for my taste, but it seems you like all that sweet gooey stuff. Enjoy!
I totally love putting herbs in sweets. I’ve been thinking that I should use my mint with some kind of chocolate baked good. I’m so relieved you did it first – cause you have way more talent with this stuff :)
fresh mint in my downfall! these look incredible.
i had some fresh mint + chocolate chip ice cream at a restaurant last month that was in-sane. so, so good.
Faceplant! I want to do that! Seriously, that frosting looks insanely pillowy and delicious. And the cupcakes with the chocolate sprinkles…I want one so, so badly.
Soooo, you know what I’m thinking? You should do some videos to accompany these greedy baking posts of yours. You would skyrocket as a really rich YouTube partner and then you’d be able to send me money so I could buy baked goods from you. Ummm, yeah. xoxo
(but seriously, youtube video, yo!)