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White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes Recipe

Vanilla peppermint cupcakes with white chocolate frosting swirled on top. Sparkling sugar and crushed candy canes finish these festive Christmas cupcakes!

I’m running on fragments of sleep. My baby girl is almost 3 months old, I talk and sing in a high pitched baby voice/dog voice all day long, and can’t find one of my left shoes. Is this what it’s like to be a mom?

Let me walk you through one of my recent mornings.

Put baby down for a nap. I had plans to bake beautifully red and white swirly peppermint cupcakes. Like peppermint swirl candies, but in a cupcake wrapper.. (Always a bonus.)

I took everything out to bake them. Noelle’s binky fell out, so let me fix that.

I’ll use my vanilla cupcakes as the base. Peppermint extract for a festive flavor and white chocolate frosting to top it all off. Cake flour, check! Sour cream, check! Egg whites, check! (Anyone remember how Monica Geller packs a suitcase? Check!)

Cupcakes are cooling, frosting is made, UPS man is here, and the pups are going bananas. Break time to tend to baby girl and herd these dogs.

Now let’s D-E-C-O-R-A-T-E cupcakes!

Oh wait, where’s the red food coloring? How can I make adorably swirled frosting in shades of red, pinkish, and white? I have virtually nothing in my cupboards to make red frosting. But I have green. An entire bottle of green. Can the frosting be swirled white and green? Or will it look like spearmint frosting? Will anyone even care? Why am I being weird about frosting right now? Is that my left shoe under the Christmas tree?

This was the day after I baked a chocolate cake and forgot to add the sugar.

I piped the green and white swirled frosting on and LOVED how it all turned out. They still remind me more of spearmint than peppermint, but I’m definitely the only one who cares. Red swirly, green swirly, or plain white frosting… these white chocolate peppermint cupcakes taste like Christmas no matter how you decorate them. (By the way… I have since made them with red and white swirled and they’re so fun!)

And if you can’t get enough of mint during the holiday season, also keep this mint chocolate cake in mind for your holiday parties and get togethers. The single layer cake makes it perfectly manageable during this incredibly busy time of year! These Andes mint chocolate cookies are also a wonderful addition to cookie platters.

The cupcake starts with my vanilla cupcakes. We’ll take out the vanilla bean and add peppermint extract. We’re topping the cupcakes with white chocolate frosting. We’ll add a little peppermint extract to the frosting as well. I promise it’s not overpowering!

For the frosting we are adding peppermint extract to white chocolate buttercream frosting. You’ll start with real white chocolate that is melted down and beaten into a vanilla buttercream base. It produces the smoothest, silkiest frosting I’ve ever had. It’s not fluffy in the slightest—it’s like pure and dense white chocolate.

For the swirling, use my two-toned frosting rose tutorial as a jumping off point. (Read/watch that if you’re confused about how to make the two-toned look.)

Tint half of the frosting green (or red!!!!) and spoon both of the frostings into one piping bag. I usually line the piping bag with one color and spoon the other color inside of it. I sloppily did that with these:

What I love most about swirling two frosting colors together is that no two cupcakes look alike. Some cupcakes have more green, others have more white, and some are covered with a pretty pastel green. And same goes with the red. You end up with lots of pastel pink that way. Never a bad thing!

New mom life is pure chaos, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. ♥

Prefer chocolate cupcakes instead? Try these peppermint mocha cupcakes—another wonderfully festive option!

Prep Time 35 mins
Cook Time 22 mins
Total Time 57 mins
Cuisine:
Courses:
Servings: 14
Description

White chocolate peppermint cupcakes are soft and fluffy, topped with incredible white chocolate frosting!

Ingredients You’ll Need
  • 1 and 1 3/4 cups (207g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g)
  • 1 cup (200g)
  • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1/2 cup (120g)
  • 1/2 cup (120ml)
  • 6 ounces (170g)
  • 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g)
  • 2 cups (240g)
  • 1/4 cup (60ml)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (reduce to 1/4 teaspoon for less intense flavor)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • optional: green or red food coloring, crushed candy canes, coarse sugar sprinkles for topping
Instructions
  1. 1
    Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
  2. 2
    Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
  3. 3
    In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
  4. 4
    Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides when they rise. Bake for 19–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
  5. 5
    When the cupcakes are nearly cool, melt the white chocolate for the frosting: Place chopped white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (I usually use a glass liquid measuring cup), and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after every 20 seconds until completely smooth. Set it aside to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. (Be sure the melted white chocolate has cooled for 20 minutes, so it’s still melted but not scorching hot, which would melt the butter.)
  6. 6
    In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Switch the mixer to low speed and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Stir the cooled white chocolate so that it is smooth, and then add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until combined and creamy. Add the cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Beat for 1 minute until combined. Taste. Add 1 more Tablespoon of heavy cream/milk if needed to thin out, if desired. Add another pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
  7. 7
    Frost cooled cupcakes. See Note for the swirled frosting. Top with crushed candy canes and coarse sugar sprinkles, if desired.
  8. 8
    Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
Keywords: butter, cake flour, confectioners-sugar, egg whites, eggs, granulated sugar, heavy cream, milk, peppermint extract, sour cream, vanilla extract, white chocolate
Read it online: https://recipetweets.com/recipe/white-chocolate-peppermint-cupcakes-recipe/
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