From the Kitchen of Angie St. John
I love to take my favorite chocolate cupcake base recipe every holiday season and turn it into a flavored theme. This recipe gets you in the mood for December when everything turns peppermint. The softness that goes along with the cupcake and that sweet frosting flavor will kick off your hot chocolate season. So turn on the holiday music, make some warm drinks and get baking.
Yields 24 cupcakes
For the cupcakes, you will need:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk (any type)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
For the peppermint frosting, you will need:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
4 peppermint candies or 4 candy canes (crushed)
Baking Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350, line muffin tray with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl or your stand mixer, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water (your batter will be thin). Pour batter halfway into each cupcake liner.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
1. Cream softened butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar, a half a cup at a time. Keep mixing. Add milk and peppermint extract, continue to beat to combine.
3. Once cupcakes are cooled, pipe or spread peppermint frosting. Then top with crushed peppermint candies/canes. You can also stir in the crushed peppermint candy into the frosting!