Mint chocolate chip ice cream… but make it frosting. And instead of a cone, let’s put a very sizable scoop on top of a perfectly moist chocolate cupcake. These chocolate cupcakes with mint chip frosting are always a massive crowd pleaser, and you might regret not making a double batch!
Inspired by one of my favorite summertime treats, this recipe gives “cake and ice cream” a whole new meaning.
Tell Me About These Chocolate Cupcakes With Mint Chip Frosting
- Taste: There’s just something so refreshing and decadent about the marriage of mint and chocolate. The deep chocolate cupcakes balance out a perfectly sweet and minty (but not overpowering) frosting on top. If you’ve tried this mint chocolate cake or these mint chocolate chip cheesecake brownies before, you’ll adore today’s cupcakes.
- Texture: The cupcakes themselves are soft and moist, and the frosting is ultra-creamy with a little crunch from the mini chocolate chips. Talk about a perfect bite!
- Ease: While there are a few steps required to make the different elements of this recipe, it’s rather straightforward. Since the frosting is so thick, just pile it right on top—no fancy piping tips needed. Decorating beginners, this recipe is for you!
3 Options for Chocolate Cupcakes
I have a few chocolate cupcake recipes on my website, and you can use any of them as the base. Let me walk you through some of the differences, so you can find the best cupcake for you.
You can’t go wrong with any of these cupcake options. When it comes to cupcakes, it’s always nice to have choices, isn’t it?
Ingredients for Mint Chip Frosting
When testing this frosting, I started with my trusty vanilla buttercream. But I knew I wanted the consistency to be a bit thicker, almost like this cookie dough frosting recipe. After some testing (and lots of tasting—perks of the job), I landed on a careful combination of the following ingredients:
- Butter: Room-temperature butter is the base of the frosting, and supplies the structure and creamy consistency.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: To thicken and sweeten the frosting.
- Salt: A pinch (to taste) of salt helps cut the sweetness.
- Heavy Cream: For the creamiest, dreamiest frosting around. Use a little less cream than you would when making vanilla buttercream, so the frosting stays thick. Half-and-half or milk (dairy or nondairy) will work in a pinch, but the frosting won’t be quite as creamy.
- Peppermint Extract: You may be thinking… just a 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract? Yes. A little bit goes a long way here. I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon, tasting, then adding more if you wish. You can’t undo mint flavor, but you can always increase it. As with most of my mint recipes, I prefer using peppermint extract over mint extract. To me, mint extract can taste like toothpaste—but feel free to use mint extract if you prefer. (And don’t worry about putting the rest of the bottle use.. Feel free to add more (or less) as you see fit. You can, of course, skip the food coloring if desired. (I don’t use any when making mint chocolate cake.)
- Mini Chocolate Chips: The indisputable necessity for any mint chocolate ice cream-inspired treat! Like with cookie ice cream sandwiches, using mini chocolate chips guarantees more morsels in each bite. Of course you can use regular chocolate chips if needed, but you’re better off grabbing a bag of minis and saving the big ones for your chocolate chip cookies.
Remember, this frosting recipe is pretty forgiving. Too thick? Add an extra splash of heavy cream. Too thin? Add another Tablespoon or two of confectioners’ sugar. Not minty enough? Feel free to increase the extract.
To decorate, simply spread the frosting onto the cupcakes with a knife or small icing spatula.. The mini chocolate chips will get stuck in a smaller tip.
Other ways to enjoy this mint chip frosting:
- On top of this small chocolate cake
- Between the layers of chocolate cake
- Dolloped on flourless chocolate cake
- Sandwiched between two double chocolate chip cookies (like chocolate chip cookie dough sandwiches)
- Paired with the cupcakes from my white chocolate peppermint cupcakes recipe (for the most intense peppermint lovers only!)
- With a spoon. LOL.
A Few Tips for These Chocolate Cupcakes With Mint Chip Frosting
Before I leave you to the recipe, here are a few tips to guarantee the best batch of cupcakes:
- Don’t over-bake. Since chocolate cupcakes are naturally dark, it can be hard to tell when they’re done just by looks alone. Use a toothpick to test for doneness; when you have a few moist (not wet) crumbs, they’re done.
- Don’t over-mix. Mix your ingredients until just combined. Over-mixing can result in squat, dense cupcakes.
- Use room-temperature ingredients. And this goes for all recipes… if the ingredients are specified at room temperature, take the extra step and set your ingredients out ahead of time. Room-temperature ingredients can really make a difference in the final outcome of your cupcakes.
Review my 10 best cupcake baking tips before beginning!
