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Perfect chocolate cupcakes topped with the festive flavor of peppermint cream cheese frosting create these Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes!
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I can come out of hiding and play my Christmas music all I want without getting evil looks. I’m seriously the lady who will listen to Christmas music all through the year. No one is playing the Pandora Christmas station in July….except THIS GIRL.
If loving the holidays is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
I made these cupcakes for Thanksgiving along with my Mom’s pumpkin pie to celebrate the seasons changing. Pepperminty things don’t necessarily ‘belong’ at Thanksgiving, but I made a special place for them because chocolate and peppermint are meant to be together. Especially in chilly weather. One month away from Christmas. Holla!
These chocolate cupcakes are just my Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe cut in half and baked as cupcakes. Then I topped them with my favorite cream cheese frosting that I spiked with a little peppermint extract. Super simple to do and perfect for the holidays.
Here’s how you make them:
Start by getting out a large bowl. I used my KitchenAid mixer because it makes my life approximately 14 times easier.
Measure out one cup of milk into a measuring cup and stir in 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Stir this up and set aside.
I also like to get all my dry ingredients together too. This is a bowl full of flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Stir this together with a fork or whisk and set aside.
Now we can actually get started on the recipe. Whip granulated sugar and canola oil together in the bottom of a mixer or in a large bowl
Add in two teaspoons of vanilla and stir a little more.
Alternate adding in the vinegar milk with the dry ingredients until everything is incorporated into the batter.
Pour into some cute little cupcake liners and bake. 
Rinse out your bowl {or lick it out because we didn’t use any eggs!!} and get started on the frosting. This is just softened butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, a little vanilla and a splash of heavy cream. Whip it 3-4 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally until it’s light, fluffy and smooth. Once your cupcakes are cooled, pipe this onto your cupcakes. 
Top with a little crushed candy cane and serve! 
This is my favorite way to make chocolate cake. It always comes out perfectly moist and tender, plus the frosting is a nice balance of tang and mint. It’s strangely delicious and I think you all are going to love these!
AND, don’t forget!!!—>Be sure to check out my co-hosts recipes as well!
- Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies from The Novice Chef
- Snickers Cheesecake Fudge Brownies from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
- Peanut Butter Banana Apple Smoothie from Kevin and Amanda
- Salty Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cookies and Cups.
Now, here’s my recipe for these amazing cupcakes:
Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Ingredients
for the cupcakes-
- 1 cup almond milk {or regular milk} + 1 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
for the frosting-
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- heavy cream
- crushed candy cane pieces for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whip oil and sugar together. Stir in vanilla. In a measuring cup, stir almond milk and vinegar together. Set aside to curdle. In a different bowl, stir all dry ingredients together until evenly mixed. Alternate mixing in wet and dry ingredients to the batter starting and ending with dry.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs after being inserted. Cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting, whip all ingredients together in a large bowl 3-5 minutes or until smooth and fluffy. Frost cupcakes and top with crushed candy canes, if desired.
How much heavy cream?
[…] Perfect chocolate cupcakes with peppermint cream cheese frosting (Recipe from Lauren's Latest) […]
How much Heavy Cream??
The presentation for the cupcakes are soooo cute! Thanks!!
[…] recipe is adapted from Lauren’s Latest and Our Best […]
[…] from:https://laurenslatest.com/perfect-chocolate-cupcakes-with-peppermint-cream-cheese-frosting-kitche… and http://www.bakersroyale.com/cupcakes/eggnog-cupcakes-with-spiced-rum/ and […]
I will tell you these work equally well with andes peppermint crunch baking chips instead of candy cane pieces on top.
Decided to make these for my work’s christmas party and so far two people have told me these are the best cupcakes they have ever had…and the party hasn’t even started yet!