St. Patty's Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Just in case you're wondering, I did not forget pi day.  Girls that like pie as much as I do don't just forget pi day.

Continuing my quest for the perfect coconut cream pie I made two different coconut cream pie recipes for pi day.  Yes, I know this is a little bit ridiculous when there are only four people in your house and two of them are under the age of 4.

Unfortunately neither of them was the pie.

I'm going out of my mind here people!!  If you have a great coconut cream pie recipe please send it my way!  I can't keep making coconut cream pies every other weekend.


Anyway, since pi day got kicked out the window this year I figured at least I'd better post a St Patty's recipe before tomorrow.  You can make these for St Patrick's Day and put a gold coin in them, or you can make them any other day of the year and put a Thin Mint or Keebler Grasshopper in them.  (Crushed Thin Mints in the cake batter certainly wouldn't hurt either.)

Have a very happy St. Patty's!

St. Patty's Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

 Bake up some chocolate cupcakes.  If you ask me, a box mix is fine.

Feel free to add a sleeve or so of crushed/chopped Thin Mints to the batter before baking.  This will give you a chocolate-mint cupcake instead of just chocolate.

Mint Buttercream Frosting

Recipe adapted from Baked Bree 

-1 cup softened *unsalted* butter (2 sticks)  I almost always use salted butter, but for mint buttercream you definitely want to use unsalted.  You can always add a pinch of salt later if you need it.

-1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme

-2 cups powdered sugar

-1 teaspoon peppermint extract  (3/4 tsp is probably enough if you put Thin Mints in your cake batter)

-6 drops green liquid food coloring

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add marshmallow creme. Whip for 2 minutes.

Add powdered sugar and mix for 30 seconds at low speed, then continue to beat on medium/high for 2 minutes longer.

Add peppermint extract and food coloring and mix until combined.

Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.  Add sprinkles and a coin or Thin Mint if desired.