Semi-Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes – Nothing beats the dynamic flavor duo of mint and chocolate, and this yummy, festive cupcake recipe with a to-die-for chocolate frosting is determined to prove it!
With St. Patty’s Day this week I had to make something special and green for the kids. After all, I made Dairy-Free Irish Cream Mousse for mommy and daddy last week and the kids weren’t allowed to have any… “Not even one taste!” My eldest thought this was a gross injustice. I suppose he had a point. It was a little mean to eat chocolate mousse in front of him!
My family loves, loves, loves chocolate-mint desserts, so I was thinking that this favorite flavor combination would be a big hit as a cupcake in my home. That’s where I came up with the idea for these Semi-Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes.
Last week I had planned time in my schedule to develop this recipe and then the Philly area got dumped on with a snow storm. Snow days are pretty much equivalent to utter chaos in my home. Normally I hesitate when it comes to working on my blog on such days, but this recipe is semi-homemade, plus it’s cupcakes, so I thought I’d give it a go!
I got my 6-year-old to take the job of cupcake sous chef extraordinaire. We ended up having a fun morning together baking these tasty Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes while the snow outside frosted the world in a coating of white. As for us, we frosted these scrumptious cupcakes with a coating of chocolate!
- 1 box Pillsbury Purely Simple White Cake and Cupcake Mix*
- 1 stick softened butter
- 1 C milk
- 3 eggs
- ¾ tsp mint extract (not peppermint)
- 15 drops green food coloring (optional)
- ¾ C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 C whole milk
- 5 Tbsp flour
- 1 C melted butter (1 stick)
- ⅔ C cocoa powder
- 1¼ C granulated sugar
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Place 24 cupcake liners into muffin tins.
- Using a hand mixer combine the cake mix and softened butter until they are completely combined and smooth. Next mix in the milk, eggs, mint extract, and green food coloring and beat for 2 minutes.
- Using a spatula fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Using an ice-cream scoop fill each cupcake liner until it’s half full with batter and then bake in the center of a 350ºF oven for for 17-20 minutes. The cupcakes are done cooking when they are just beginning to turn a golden color on the tops and a toothpick comes out clean when poked through the center. Repeat for for a second pan if you don’t have two muffin tins.
- Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
- Combine the milk and flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly and scraping along the bottom of the saucepan to prevent burning. The mixture will begin to bubble. Cook until it becomes thick and paste-like, then immediately remove it from the heat. Cover the thickened milk with plastic wrap touching it’s surface to prevent it from drying out and allow it to cool completely for an hour.
- Meanwhile melt a stick of butter and using and using an electric mixer combine it with the cocoa powder until there are no lumps. Add granulated sugar, 2 pinches of salt, and vanilla to the mixture and beat for about 5 minutes.
- Once the cooked milk has come to room temperature, add it to the bowl and beat until the icing becomes fluffy like whipped cream. This will take 4-5 minutes.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes and serve. Store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
You May Also Enjoy…
Baked Reuben Egg Rolls
Mini Rainbow Fruit Pizzas
Dairy-Free and Vegan Irish Cream Mousse
These cupcakes would be perfect for St. Patrick’s day!! We love everything mint and chocolate! Such a great combination!
We love this combination in my family too. I have to be careful not to invite my sisters over to share them because they’ll eat them all up!
Love the color of these! They are perfectly festive for St. Patrick’s Day and sound delish. Mint and chocolate taste so great together. 🙂
Thanks!
I’m feeling the luck of the Irish looking at these 🙂 Going to having friends over for St Paddy’s day so will bake up a batch to share! thanks so much
I hope your St. Patty’s get together went well!
So sorry to hear about the snow but these are so perfect. That frosting looks amazing on them. Pinning this for later.
Thanks for pinning Tanya! Enjoy!
Mmm! Mint chip is one of my favorite flavor combos. I love how easy this is.
I love having so easy go-to recipes!
I love mint and chocolate! And these look so beautiful. Not sure if my kids would like the mint, but I’ll definitely give it a try.
The mint flavor is definitely there, but it’s not strong. You never know, they might like it!
Oh man, I love the mint and chocolate combination! I’ve never tried it in a cupcake, and these look to die for. Pinning this recipe for sure
Thanks for pinning!
I really hope your kid used the phrase ‘gross injustice’ lol. Really though, these look like some tasty cupcakes that I would definitely eat on the regular.
lol… I’ll have to teach him that one! It sounds like something he’d say.
Love love love these! Such a delicious and creative idea. Love the mint chocolate chip flavor!
Thanks Christine!
Oh my yum! I can’t wait to try your recipe! I love chocolate and mint together!
It’s one of my favorites!
I love that you made this with your 6 year old! My daughter is 3 and she always wants to be my “ big helper” in the kitchen! It’s so much fun! These cupcakes look a perfect treat for anytime of year!
It’s always fun and a little interesting cooking with kids… I remember when my son was 3 I had to make sure that he didn’t try to put his Matchbox cars into the dry ingredients. I think he was pretending that the flour was dirt. Now he’s really great a measuring, but he always want to try and crack the eggs himself. I dare say we’ve all encountered an occasional eggshell in our baked goods!
I love that your child enjoys baking with you. The cupcakes look great, especially the frosting.
Thanks Katie! I’m partial to the frosting too. 😉
How cute they are! My kids love baking too, maybe we should try these cupcakes together!
There’s something about sweets that gets kids interested in helping out in the kitchen!