Junior Mint Cupcakes celebrate the combination of chocolate and mint. Complete happiness in one cupcake!
Mint and chocolate has to be one of my favorite flavor combinations of all time. Even as a kid, I favored mint over fruity flavors, and my toddler Lucy is the same.
Because Lucy loves mint and chocolate so much, I often pick up a box of Junior Mints for us to share. They’re small and soft, so they are safe (although a bit messy) for her to eat. And I get to share with her. I mean… I’m just making my kiddo happy. My duty as a parent, right?
There is nothing sweeter than seeing Lucy’s chubby face covered in chocolate and a giant smile. And because my kids are my biggest inspiration when it comes to baking, I knew that Junior Mint Cupcakes needed to happen.
I started with a dark chocolate cupcake that has a hint of mint. Trust me when I say that it is good enough on its own. I topped that with a creamy mint buttercream and a dip in a soft chocolate shell, because I’m regularly over the top like that.
These are the cupcakes dreams are made of. Unless your dreams aren’t made of cupcakes… in which case, what is wrong with you?
I made this recipe to yield a dozen cupcakes. With a family of four, that is enough for us to eat our fill and have plenty left to share. If you want your typical two dozen batch, the batter is easy enough to double!
As far as the frosting is concerned, a hefty amount was required for the gorgeous peppermint pillow you see on top of these cupcakes. If you plan on frosting your cupcakes less generously, half the frosting recipe and you’ll be just fine.
This is the kind of recipe that is perfect year-round and always received well by kids and adults alike. My Lucy Goose loved them!
Enjoy!
Are you tired of the dinner routine?
Stuck in a rut or looking for fun new recipes to try?
Our Facebook group is growing every day! If you haven’t joined yet, we invite you to come check it out and join the fun.
You can ask for recipe ideas, talk about cooking techniques, or get help figuring out the right new pan set for you. If you’ve already joined, invite a friend along!
Junior Mint Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Like Hershey Special Dark
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 large Egg
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Mint Extract
- 1/2 cup Boiling Water
- 12 tablespoons Salted Butter Slightly softened
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese Slightly softened
- 3 tablespoons Milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Mint Extract
- 5 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable Shortening
- 12 Junior Mint For garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tins with liners and set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and mint extract and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Slowly stir in boiling water. Fill muffin tins evenly with batter and bake for about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched in the center.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, milk and mint extract on medium speed until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add powdered sugar, beating until just combined. Increase speed to medium high and beat for one minute.
- Frost cooled cupcakes using a spatula, or a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip.
- Place cupcakes in the refrigerator to let the frosting chill for 30 minutes prior to dipping in the coating.
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and shortening, stopping every 30 seconds to stir until combined and smooth.
- Remove cupcakes from the refrigerator and hold upside down, dipping each in the chocolate mixture.
- Let the excess chocolate drip off for a moment before placing back on your plate and topping with a Junior Mint.