These Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes are delicious at any time of the year, but they're dressed to impress for the holiday season! The combination of a fluffy, rich chocolate cupcake base, peppermint buttercream frosting, and crushed candy canes make this recipe one of our favorites.
I like to use my favorite Chocolate Cupcake recipe for the base, but you can use any cupcake recipe that you love. (You could even use a box cupcake mix if you're really in a hurry.) If you want to add some peppermint flavor to the cake batter, start with 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract, so you don't overpower the chocolate flavor.
– Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with 12 liners. – Gather your dry ingredients and place sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and Dutched cocoa powder in small bowl. Stir until fully mixed. Set aside. – Place chocolate chips in small bowl. Bring one cup of water to boil and pour 3 fl. oz. over the chips. Whisk to combine. – Whisk egg, buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar, and oil together in medium bowl. – Pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture on top of the egg mixture. Whisk until combined.
– Pour dry mixture into wet mixture and stir until fully mixed. – Use ¼ cup scoop, measuring cup, or size 16 disher to fill your liners with batter. – Bake for 24 minutes or until tops bounce back slightly when touched. – Remove and let cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. – Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them cool completely on the cooling rack.
1. Attach the paddle to your electric mixer, place the room temperature butter in the mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, and cover bowl unless you like your kitchen covered in powdered sugar. 2. Turn mixing speed to medium and mix until mixture resembles pebbles. Then reduce the speed and add 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract and milk to the mixing bowl. (I prefer milk to heavy cream for this frosting.)
3. Turn speed to high. Keep the bowl covered! 4. Adjust consistency of frosting as needed, then add ¼ cup crushed candy canes. 5. When the cupcakes have cooled completely, transfer the frosting to a piping bag and decorate them using an open star tip.