Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

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I’m just going to come right out and say it: I suck at Mario Cart. My two brothers, younger sister and I embarked on a bit of a Mario Cart Battle yesterday and it did not go well. My daughter thought I did great {which is what I kept telling her} because I used Princess Peach but every time I came in 12th {which is dead last}.

Princess in her mind=winner. Always.

It used to be so easy and then I stopped playing for 10 years and things got all new and strange. OR, I was never good and have always sucked. Either way I lost. However, once the rest of my siblings get here, I’m sure there will be another throw down of sorts….which I will ‘win’. —>which basically means lose. My husband is looking forward to it, I’m sure.

Moving on…

These cupcakes are the bomb. Light, moist, cold, creamy and pepperminty! They are fabulous! And they taste like the cake version of hot chocolate which is kind of a miracle in and of itself. I’m down with cake versions of beverages, let me tell you. Oh, and the peppermint whipped cream on top? Ahh-mazeballs. Whipped cream and I go waaay back. We’re bff’s.

Anyways, here’s how you make them:

Start by combining some dry ingredients in a large bowl. A fork or whisk will do the job.

Then, you’re going to want to melt some butter and stir in a few hot chocolate packets into it and stir. In a separate bowl, you’ll mix buttermilk, egg, vanilla, baking soda and baking powder together until incorporated and set that aside. Two simple steps right there.

Oh, and to the egg mixture, stir in some peppermint extract.

Then boil some water and add it to the hot chocolate/butter mixture and give it a stir.

Dump that into the dry ingredients and stir.

Next comes the pepperminty egg mixture. Stir until smooth.

Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. I used this cool Wilton square pan with matching liners.

Fill these up 2/3rds of the way full and bake. Set aside to cool.

For our frosting {which is just glorified whipped cream} measure out heavy cream, vanilla, peppermint extract and powdered sugar into a blender. You can whisk this normally, but my kitchen was a disaster and this was probably the only clean thing I had.

Give it a good whip and voila! Cream!

Load this goodness up into a disposable piping bag and get frosting!

I used the Wilton 1M tip. It’s just a big open star that gives me the professional frosting look. It’s my go-to frosting tip.

Top them off with a few crushed candy canes and that’s it! Store these in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Perfect for the holidays and tasty as a dessert or afternoon treat!

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Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes taste just like hot chocolate. They are fabulously light, moist, cold, creamy, and pepperminty!

servings 12 cupcakes

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 13 minutes mins

Total Time 28 minutes mins

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Ingredients

for the cake-

• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup buttermilk
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• ▢ 1/2 pound butter
• ▢ 3 packets hot chocolate mix
• ▢ 1 cup hot water

for the cream-

• ▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• ▢ 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ▢ broken candy cane pieces {optional}

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
• In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar and salt together to combine. Set aside. In another bowl, stir buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and peppermint extract together. Whisk with a fork and set aside.
• Melt butter in microwave and stir in hot chocolate packets. Stir in hot water and pour into dry mixture. Stir and then add in the egg mixture. Once smooth and combined, divide evenly between muffin cavities {about 2/3rds of the way full}. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean once inserted. Cool to room temperature.
• For the cream, pour all ingredients into a bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Spoon into piping bag and top each cupcake. Sprinkle with broken candy cane pieces and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.Adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 825IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Hot Chocolate Cupcakes