Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Currently listening to: Christmas jams on XM radio!

What I should be doing instead of this: Nothing!

Yummm

      So this recipe is my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe when I'm in a rush and need to pound out some cupcakes. It's a very easy recipe and produces a nice moist cupcake.



Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
(Recipe adapted from Hershey's)
Yield: about 2 dozen regular cupcakes

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs (room temp)
1 cup buttermilk (room temp) **
1 cup strong black coffee (freshly brewed and warm)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp peppermint extract (this can be vanilla extract if you want a regular cupcake)
Chocolate chips


Step 1
    Preheat that oven to 350 degrees! And then maybe line your cupcake pan with some liners, it makes life easy.



Step 2
    Now, add together all the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Yes, there is no creaming of butter and sugar in this recipe, you just need to mix up these dry guys.


Step 3
    Ok, now we add all the wet ingredients to the dry. Beat for a couple of minutes on medium speed. I find that my spatula-mixer-paddle works wonders with this recipe...and I really need to find out the proper name of my mixer paddle.


Step 4
    The batter will be very thin, so the best way to distribute the batter into the liners would be to put it in an liquid measuring cup with the lip on it for pouring. After you have evenly distributed the batter into the liners, add about 4-5 chocolate chips to each cupcake (these will sink to the bottom and be a nice surprise!). Then put those puppies into the oven for 15 minutes! And BAM easy cupcakes. Now for the frosting after they cool down...




Peppermint Frosting
2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 cup milk
A couple of crushed candy canes for garnish


Step 1
    Whip up the room temperature butter until it is light and fluffly (~2mins). Then slowllllyyyyyyy add the powdered sugar until desired sweetness.


Step 2
    Add in the extracts and milk and continue to beat the frosting until it is a lovely fluffy cloud of sugary goodness.


Step 3
    Put the frosting in to a piping bag (or a zip lock bag with the corner cut off) and pipe onto your cupcakes. Then garnish with the crushed candy canes!

There, we've got our cupcakes that are perfect for the holidays :) Chocolatey, pepperminty, and incredibly easy. Yum!

**Note: If you don't have buttermilk chillin' in your fridge, or you're just feeling downright lazy, or don't wanna run to the store, you can just take some regular milk and add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar to it. Let it set for a couple minutes and BAM homemade "buttermilk"**