SANDRA'S MOIST MINT BUTTERCREAM CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

How festive are these??
A perfect cupcake to serve any day of the year,
although they're extra special on St. Patrick's Day...

Yields: (30 cupcakes)
Prep: 20 Mins. |
Bake: 20 Mins.

Posted: by Sandra

***Milk Chocolate Cupcakes
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup hershey’s cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

***Mint Buttercream
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter, at room temp.
1 teaspoon mint extract
A few drops of organic green food coloring
--(enough to achieve your desired green hue)
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

***Garnish
15 peppermint patties, cut in half

Method for cupcakes:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, adding the milk, oil and vanilla. Sift together through a sieve the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, add the wet ingredients from the small bowl; continue whisking for 2 minutes, add 1 cup boiling water and mix to combine (batter will be thin). Line medium-size muffin cups with paper baking cups, and fill each 2/3 full of batter. Bake 20 to 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Move cupcakes to wire racks and cool completely.

Method for buttercream:

Meanwhile, sift the confectioners’ sugar through the clean sieve into a large bowl (do not skip this step as it makes for a creamier frosting). With a hand mixer, begin by adding the butter and mix with sugar on low speed until well blended, and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add mint extract, a few drops of green food coloring, and cream. Continue to beat on medium speed for 1 more minute, adding additional cream a bit at a time if needed for your desired consistency. Slightly snip bottom corner of a large ziploc bag and place a “star-decorating tip into snipped-hole,” then fill bag with frosting, and close up bag. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, topping each cupcake off with a half slice of peppermint patty.

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