Christmas Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
Rich chocolate cupcakes topped with a fluffy peppermint buttercream make a dessert that is perfect for your Christmas dessert table!
Chocolate and peppermint is such a popular combination in the winter. While you can serve it anytime of year I really think that it screams winter and especially Christmas. That’s why when I went to look for a recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes I was shocked I didn’t have one!
I have a chocolate cupcake with peppermint swirl recipe but not a plain Chocolate Peppermint Cupcake recipe. I knew I needed to correct that immediately so I got busy.
I whipped up a simply chocolate cake recipe and added just a bit of peppermint extract. Peppermint is a very strong flavor so you have to watch how much you use. Chocolate is also a strong flavor so you can add a little more to the cupcake than the frosting.
The cupcakes came out amazing. The crumb was perfect and while you could taste the peppermint it did not overwhelm the chocolate which is how you want these cupcakes to taste. Now on to the frosting.
After thinking about it I made a fluffy buttercream and added peppermint extract. Since I think of the color red when I think of peppermint I added in red food coloring. Then I piped it onto the chocolate cupcakes.
I finished it off with candy Christmas trees and red and green sprinkles. I actually had several different types of holiday sprinkles so I put a few different ones on top.
I thought they turned out really cute and they tasted great. Definitely a treat that I’ll be serving up for the holidays this year.
Christmas Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 c. flour
- 1/4 c. cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 stick butter
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 t. peppermint extract
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1/3 c. milk
For the frosting:
- 2 sticks butter
- 3 c. powdered sugar
- 1 t. peppermint extract
- 2-3 T. milk
- red food coloring
- sprinkles
- Candy Christmas Trees
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In another large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well.
- Add in the vanilla and peppermitn extract and mix well.
- Add half the flour and cocoa powder mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.
- Add the milk and stir until well combined.
- Add remaining flour mixture and stir until everything is just combined.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups filling each 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting put the butter in a large bowl and mix with mixer on medium high speed.
- Add the powdered sugar a half cup at a time until combined.
- Stir in the peppermint extract, milk, and a few drops of red food coloring. Mix on medium speed until fluffy.
- Pipe the frosting on to the cupcakes. Top with a candy Christmas tree and sprinkles!
Notes
Nutrition
