Dark chocolate and peppermint is one of my favorite flavor combinations of all time; the crisp refreshing hint of peppermint against smooth, rich, and slightly bitter dark chocolate is heavenly.
Now that it is Christmas time, all of the peppermint and chocolate recipes are showing up once again and I couldn’t be happier. In the spirit of Christmas baking and giving, I decided to make mini cupcakes because they are super cute and make perfect gifts for neighbors.
Cake:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Frosting:
Two 8 oz packages of cream cheese softened
2 sticks unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins cupcake papers.
For the cake – combine dry ingredients, in a separate bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, add the egss, alternate adding the flour mixture, sour cream, and vanilla until combined and smooth. Stir in chocolate chips
Pour batter into cupcake pans and bake 18-20 minutes.
Frosting:
Use an electric mixer with whisk attachment to combine butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Let your cupcakes cool completely and pipe frosting on top.
Top with chopped peppermint candy.
What a yummy-looking recipe! Thank you for posting this; dark chocolate/peppermint is a favorite combination for me too.
I couldn’t see in my browser what the yield is. How many mini-cupcakes does the recipe make?
Also, since the mini-cupcakes are so small I wondered if it would be better to use mini-morsel size chocolate chips instead of the regular size. What do you thnk? My local store now carries a gourmet brand of the minis, not just the Nestle Toll House ones.
Hi Marcia! Three trays of the minis would be the yield so 36. AND YES – def go for the mini chocolate chips – they would be perfect! What brand? let me know if it is good!