Hey, you! Yes, YOU!

Over here!

Come here often?

For Lloyd’s birthday he I wanted cupcakes.  He may not want attention, gifts, or celebrations on his birthday (although he was a willing recipient of all three!) but homeboy does not say no to “special birthday cupcakes.”

These were dubbed “special birthday cupcakes” because the flavor was based on Lloyd’s favorite combo: mint and chocolate.  (His favorite candy is Junior Mints).  I searched high and low to find a mint frosting that wasn’t butter cream, because that’s my our preference.

These were lights out, to steal a term from Lindsay. 

The moist, rich chocolate,

paired with the light, airy, cool mint frosting,

and sprinkled with the (adorable!) tiny chocolate chips

were totally delicious, indulgent, and refreshing!

And they looked pretty, to boot.

Plus, they were photogenic.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes with Minty Cream Frosting

Based on this recipe

Ingredients:

• 1.5 Cups of Minty Cream Frosting
• 1.5 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 teaspoon mint extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I subbed with 1/4 cup chocolate chips and )1/4 cup Nestlé mint and dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of milk

Minty Cream Frosting

• 1 cup of cooking cream
• 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract
• 3 drops of green food coloring
• 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F or 180C.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl. Set aside for later.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and add the eggs, one at a time.
4. Alternately, add the flour and milk and mix well — half way through the flour and milk, add your chocolate chips, vanilla extract and mint extract in. Combine well and continue mixing flour and milk until it is all used up.
5. Spoon the cake mixture into cupcake mould, three quarter way full.
6. Bake in the oven for 23 minutes.
7. For frosting: combine the cream, mint extract, food coloring and powdered sugar together and whip until it creates stiff peaks.
8. Spread over cupcakes.

I halved this recipe because I don’t trust myself around chocolate and mint anything. 

Lloyd fell in love with me all over again when he bit into it.  Ok, so these words didn’t actually come out of his mouth, but his expression gave it away. 

Of course, I served these to him today, 2 days after his actual birthday, due to the fact that I kept forgetting to get whipping cream for the frosting. 

I shoved this last reminder of his birthday in his face right before we left to go steal his niece and nephews’ Halloween candy see his niece and nephews in their Halloween costumes, and raid his parents’ candy bowl.  I ate my weight in Reeses, and then balanced it out with a Snickers or Kit Kat or two ten.

Variety is the spice of life, after all. 

But, at least I acknowledge that I have a terrible addiction.  It begins with “s” and rhymes with “booger.”

A sugar high immediately followed my chocolate dinner.