Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Patty Frosting and A Giveaway!
Now that December is here and Thanksgiving has passed, it’s time to start thinking about holiday goodies. My favorite winter flavor combo is chocolate and peppermint. They just go so well together.
I decided to make some chocolate cupcakes with these fun red tulip cupcake liners and some Peppermint Crunch (both were sent to me curtosy of King Arthur Flour). I love how bright the red color on the cupcake liners is! So festive.
I have to admit that this frosting recipe is quite tasty, but kind of a pain to work with. Amanda over at Fake Ginger used it in her peppermint brownies during the holiday bakeoff I attended. It was just sticky and messy to top the cupcakes. And if you were using regular cupcake liners, it might spill over the edges because it oozes as it sets. If I were using regular liners, I think I’d fill the cupcakes with this frosting and then dip them in ganache and sprinkle the pepperminte crunch on top of the ganache.
One of the most fun things about these cupcake liners is unwrapping your cupcake. It’s like opening a little holiday gift!
The best part of this all is that the awesome people at King Arthur Flour are offering up the same goodies they sent me to one lucky reader (to be chosen by Random.org)
Some Rules:
– Enter giveaway by midnight EST Thursday December 9
– US mailing addresses only
– Be sure to leave your email address or that your profile links to an email address
– To enter, leave a comment with your favorite holiday flavor (sweet or savory)
– For an extra entry, Tweet about this giveaway and come back here and leave another comment
One Year Ago: M&M Surprise Cookies
Two Years Ago: Lumberjack Cookies and Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes
Three Years Ago: Frito Candy
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Patty Frosting
Yield: 24
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
1 cup butter
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 cup hot water
2 cups Flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp espresso powder, optional
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt, or 1/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
For the Peppermint Patty Frosting
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp peppermint extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
For the Cupcakes
Line two muffin or cupcake pans with papers, and lightly grease the papers. If you only have one pan, you'll need to bake in shifts. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Melt the butter; stir in the cocoa and hot water.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
Blend the buttermilk or yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the cocoa mixture and the yogurt mixture over the dry ingredients, beating till smooth.
Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into each cup; a level muffin scoop works well here. Bake the cupcakes for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of one of the middle cupcakes comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack.
For the Peppermint Patty Frosting
Use a mixer to combine sweetened condensed milk and extract.
Mix in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until combined.
Scoop 1 Tbsp of frosting onto each cupcake. Using the back of a spoon, spread the frosting but not all the way to the edge of the cupcake. Place in fridge for frosting to set up.
Cupcake Recipe from King Arthur Flour
Frosting Recipe from Fake Ginger
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I NEED to make these. I might just start on them tonight!
These look amazing! I would go into a sugar coma because I would probably want to eat at least three of these gems…haha.
Oh wow these are my dream dessert! I hope you bring these ones to Cupcake Camp!!
I too have been meaning to make these cupcakes since I first saw them on the internet. I love that you combined several recipes from different bloggers. Awesome recipes, unite!
Like I said, it’s a multi-step process, so starting part of it tonight might be a good idea. If you make them, I definitely want one. These were so good.
Oh that’s a thought… I still haven’t decided what I’m baking for Cupcake Camp…
Definitely give it a shot. They take some time, but it’s SO worth it.
I’ve been wanting to make these for quite a while as well. My mother-in-law LOVES cookie dough and her birthday is coming up. From all the versions I’ve seen floating around on the internet, I really like yours since you have the LOTS of cookie dough in the middle of your cupcakes. So, you baked the cupcakes with the frozen cookie dough inside? No problems with it baking up? I’m definitely trying this!
Yep, just dropped the dough into the cupcake batter before baking it. The cupcakes did rise up quite a bit and then sank back down as they cooled. I was a little concerned I had underbaked them, but they were delicious. Definitely let me know how they turn out for you if you make them.
oh my Lord these look amazing! I’m having a girls night next weekend and I’m def going to try these! Thanks!
Once again Jen, you impress me with your creativity!
I want, no NEED, to make these. Does it matter what size your cookie scoop is? Mine is a medium size with about 1.5 tbsp volume. Want to make sure it won’t be too much that it prevents the cupcake from baking up (because honestly, it’s not possible for it to be too much cookie dough).
I’m honestly not sure what size my cookie scoop is. It doesn’t have any markings on it to give an indication! I think it’s the standard cookie scoop you’d get at the grocery store if that helps at all… I think 1.5 Tbsp sounds about right though.
I’m already trying to decide what occasion to make them for.
I’m still waiting to try these. Just sayin’. 😉
WOW! Talk about decadent!
Well I *might* be making these for Cupcake Camp. So, if you make the trip into Boston for that, you might be able to have one! Too bad they’re not appropriate for Passover.
Who needs dessert at 8am???
I’ll give you one hint.
Me.
😉
Bookmarking this! I’ve been meaning to make these cupcakes for a while now!
Will be making these soon. What a great twist.. the cookie is actually a cookie in the baking process. Yum!
OH. EM. GEE. I’m SO making these for euchre night on Saturday, just to have an excuse.
I found this recipeast summer and have made it several times for my oldest child, who has requested it again-for her sweet sixteen birthday. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
beantownbaker — April 16th, 2014 @ 6:01 pm
So glad you enjoy it! This is one of our favorite cupcake recipes of all time.