Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes that don’t skimp on the chocolate! Impossibly rich chocolate cupcakes are topped with a cool mint chip buttercream. Fold a handful of chocolate chips into the frosting and more on top.
Do you love mint and chocolate too? These Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches are an all time favorite–and so easy to make! We also love this delicious mint chocolate chip cake recipe!
Why this Recipe Works
I’ve been making my fail-proof Chocolate Cupcake Recipe for years. The deep cocoa flavor and light crumb make the cupcakes delicious every which way you can frost them.
From M&M’s Frosting to a simple Vanilla Buttercream, I’ve loved every variation we’ve tried.
Today’s Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcake twist is the latest cupcake to steal my heart.
Using mint extract and mini chocolate chips, these cupcakes are at once cool and sweet, rich and light–and easy to make!
Ingredient Notes
- Two kinds of chocolate. Bittersweet baking squares chopped up into small pieces work best. Anything over 60% cocoa is a great choice. Here’s the brand of unsweetened cocoa powder I like most.
- Hot brewed coffee. Bring out more flavor in the chocolate by using freshly brewed coffee or reheating a cup leftover from the morning. Use hot water if you prefer (just know that the coffee flavor does not come out in the cupcake, it just enhances the chocolate).
- Buttermilk. You can use store bought or make my Homemade Buttermilk Substitute for this cupcake recipe.
- Peppermint Extract. Use real peppermint not imitation flavoring to get the best minty taste.
- Green food gel. Food coloring gives the frosting its familiar mint green color.
Easy Instructions
Bloom the chocolate.
Place the chopped chocolate squares and cocoa in a large bowl. Pour hot coffee on top and stir to melt the chocolate.
The hot liquid “blooms” the chocolate flavor, along with melting the cocoa solids.
Make the cupcake batter. Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Then add the wet ingredients and beat to form a thin batter.
Bake. Divide the batter into a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes and let cool completely.
Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting.
Beat the butter on its own until pale in color. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth and fluffy. Fold in mini chocolate chips.
Pipe mint frosting onto the cooled chocolate cupcakes. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- This cupcake batter is very thin. Do not add more dry ingredients to thicken the batter.
- Coffee must be hot! If using leftover brewed coffee, reheat it in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Store frosted cupcakes at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Love chocolate and mint? Be sure to try our Mint Brownies for another fudgy treat.
Recipe FAQs
Press your finger gently into the top of the cupcake. If the top springs back when you remove your finger, the cupcakes are done. If your finger leaves a soft indentation, the cupcakes need a bit more time.
Food gel coloring is the only way I’ve found to get the frosting light green. If you don’t have food coloring, the frosting won’t be green but it’ll still be minty and delicious!
In this recipe, we use unsweetened cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate squares. Bittersweet has some added sugar but still a very high cocoa content making it an ideal choice for cupcakes.
More Cupcake & Frosting Recipes
- Almond Wedding Cake Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling: probably my favorite cupcake recipe I’ve ever made, and my most requested!
- Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream: a luscious lemon zested white cake topped with a creamy lemon buttercream frosting!
- Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue Frosting: this recipe is all about the frosting. Buttery, caramel frosting!
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Biscoff Frosting
Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 4 ounce bittersweet chocolate squares chopped
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups hot brewed coffee
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup buttermilk
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 – 2 drops gel green food coloring
- ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Prepare cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add chopped chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour hot coffee over both, then stir until chocolate is melted.
- Add sugar, flour, kosher salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add in vanilla extract, eggs, vegetable oil, and buttermilk. Beat for about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl several times (and the bottom too to make sure the chocolate doesn’t settle).
- The batter will be thin, that’s okay! Using a large cookie scoop, spoon batter into prepared cupcake tins, about ⅔ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean, or the cupcake springs back from a touch of your finger.
- Remove and cool completely on wire rack.
For the Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter for 3-4 minutes. Do this until the butter becomes pale in color.
- Add in milk, sugar, peppermint and food coloring. Beat an additional 3-5 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy (add more milk if needed).
- Fold in chocolate chips.
Notes
- Use hot coffee. The warmth of the coffee helps melt the chocolate, making it easier to incorporate info the batter. If you use leftover brewed coffee, reheat it in the microwave for 1 minute before adding to the cocoa.
- Scrape the bowl: As you mix the dry ingredients into the wet, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the chocolate doesn’t settle.
- Buttermilk: Don’t have any on hand? Use my buttermilk substitute instead!
- Use good quality chocolate. The better the cocoa and chocolate squares you use, the better the finished cupcakes will taste.
- How to tell when cupcakes are done. Some people swear by the toothpick test. I prefer to touch the tops of the cupcakes. If it bounces right back, the cupcakes are done. If it stays indented, they need a little longer.
- STORAGE: Store cupcakes at room temperature in covered container for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Peppermint meets cocoa in these Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes. No one can resist the pretty green frosting with cooling mint and chocolate!
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Made these tonight in preparation for my 30th birthday tomorrow. The cake is moist and light and very yummy and tastes very rich. Now, if only I could have taken the time to portion out the batter better my little cakes would be as pretty as yours (but an 11 month old and a 2.5 year old prevent much concentration beyond getting them in the pan!). And the icing is well matched to the cake. Thanks for sharing your recipe! Can’t wait to try more!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Elisabeth. We love that chocolate cupcake recipe in our house!!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
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check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you.
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All I can say is Wow! These look amazing. I can’t wait to try them out for myself. I recently just started blogging, but I think I will be spending more time looking at your recipes than my own! 🙂
Thanks Anne!! Good luck blogging, it’s such a fun outlet!!
Beautiful cupcakes!
Thanks Jen, they are quite delicious too 🙂
I am a huge mint and chocolate fan. These cupcakes sound amazing! What a perfect treat for a baby shower too!
Thanks Erin, I love all these chocolate and mint fans coming out of the woodwork 🙂
These are so pretty! Love that you incorporated the mint flavor too!
I love minct chocolate chip cupcakes! they are one of my favorites! Your are so adorable!!! Congrats to Mandy!!
Yum! I love mint chocolate chip! And, I have those exact same cupcake liners : ) I’m obsessed with the polka dots lol
I love the polka dots too! I also have other colors with those polka dots! You know, in my collection of about 500 liners (obsessed?)
Love this combination! I could definitely eat just a bowl of this frosting too! Congrats to Mandy!
Thanks Jennifer!
These are gorgeous cupcakes Aimee! I love mint, and I’m with you natural all the way. But I can see why the kids would be confused, lol.
Isn’t that funny that food has to be a certain color for kids? Weirdos.
Love chocolate and mint together. Almost as much as chocolate and peanut butter. These cupcakes are right up my alley!
Thanks so much, glad you found me over here!!! Chocolate and peanut butter is definitely a popular choice too!
Wonderful cupcakes! They look really cute!
Great minds think alike with the mint chocolate theme 🙂 These cupcakes look lovely 🙂
Mint and chocolate are always a great idea! Off to check out your cookies Joy!
Annnnnd, now I want cake!! Love this cupcake and your little cupcake stand – too cute!
Aimee you are the cupcake queen. Seriously. I am ALWAYS so impressed! And i love mint and chocolate (almost) as much as peanut butter and chocolate. 🙂 What a fun virtual shower!!!
Oh you’re so sweet Sally!