These Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes are perfect for your holiday dessert table. Everyone loves cupcakes.
While I love Christmas I will admit it is less fun as an adult.
Especially, adults with no little kids.
Since the step-kiddos were teens when they came to live with me part time I missed out on the joy of little kid Christmas excitement.
Teen excitement really isn’t there. 🙂
It’s drag them out of bed and blast Christmas music until they do kind of excitement.
For the most part even teens know what they are getting.
There was one Christmas that we surprised the kids but that mustered a “cool”.
Not quite the running and screaming through the house while I held up a Cabbage Patch Doll screaming so much the neighbors checked on us.
FYI- those dolls were hard to find.
There was even camping out to get one involved…so I did not think I was getting one.
My dogs are fun at Christmas in that they get excited over almost anything.
Crinkle some paper and they think it’s a pile of chips. 😀
But most adults don’t wait for Christmas anymore.
If there is something we need we usually just go out and get it.
There is no wait for two months until Christmas.
With the new fixer upper house I have a feeling that most of our gifts are going to be gift cards to Lowes and Home Depot. 🙂
Nothing quite as exciting as a trim paint.
What is still exciting at holiday time is the food.
I love feeding my husband’s co-workers.
They are always appreciative and usually send back a clean container with a note saying please send more. 🙂
So I do.
Tomorrow they will get these cupcakes.
While they look a little complicated they really aren’t.
Just a base chocolate cupcake.
Some frosting.
And some chocolate coating for dipping.
Oh sure, some of those things, like the frosting take some time but these are so worth the trouble.
By the way, it’s a great day to buy my cookbook !
Want more Peppermint Recipes?
Peppermint Mocha Latte Sweet Rolls
Spiked Peppermint Marshmallow Chocolate Fudge
Peppermint Bark Red Velvet Cupcakes
Milk Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
Peppermint Mocha Latte Cupcakes
Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Ingredients
- For the Chocolate Cupcake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- For the Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 1 cup (about 9) egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
- 1 TBSP peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 10 oz. white chocolate melted and cooled slightly
- pink food coloring if desired
- For the Chocolate Coating:
- 12 oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- crushed candy cane pieces as garnish
Instructions
- For the Cupcakes:
- To melt the chocolate, place in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for 5-10 minutes (about; stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces remain; remove from heat and let cool 5-15 minutes or until lukewarm.
- Line two 12-cup muffin tins with baking spray; set aside.
- In a bowl, sift the flour and baking soda together; set aside.
- In a big mixing bowl, cream the butter, using an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth.
- Add the sugars and beat for about 3 minutes or until fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition.
- Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients, in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla.
- With each addition, beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overmix.
- Scrape down the batter from the sides of the bowl, using a rubber spatula, to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
- Carefully spoon batter into cupcake pans; filling each one 3/4 full.
- Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes or until pick comes out clean.
- Cool in tins for 15 minutes.
- Remove from tins and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Ice when completely cool.
- For the Buttercream:
- Place the egg whites and sugar in the metal bowl of a stand mixer and set over a small pot of simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water).
- Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is 160F or hot to the touch.
- Transfer bowl to stand mixer and beat on high speed with a whisk attachment to medium stiff peaks, about 8 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium low and add butter a tablespoon at a time, letting it incorporate into the meringue for few moments before adding more.
- Add peppermint extract, melted white chocolate, and salt and beat on high for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- If you want the frosting to be pink add some food coloring and mix. I divided the frosting so half was white and half was pink.
- Frost the cupcakes.
- Prepare the chocolate coating:
- Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until melted and smooth.
- Transfer to a small bowl, and let cool about 15 minutes.
- Holding each cupcake by its bottom, dip cupcake in the chocolate to coat frosting, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack.
- Spoon more coating around edge of cupcake and any exposed frosting.
- Sprinkle with candy cane pieces.
- Let cupcakes stand at room temperature 15 minutes.
- Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours more.
- Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
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