Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes last week and they were so yummy. I made 12 regular and then used up the rest of the batter with mini ones. I think I got 12 mini also. The only part that was hard for me was the frosting but I finally fixed it and they still tasted great.

Chocolate Mint Chip Cupcakes

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped, melted
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup chocolate milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (6 ounces) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat the melted chocolate into the butter mixture. Add the eggs, peppermint extract, and chocolate milk. Beat until creamy.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.

Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and beat until blended - do not over beat. With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 - 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan.

I didn't bother with the unsalted butter (who buys that? so unflavorful!). I also didn't have unsweetened chocolate so I just used semi-sweet. And I used my eggs right out of the fridge. I hate things that need room temperature because then you have to plan ahead. Which I never do!

Mint Swiss Meringue Buttercream

3 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put egg whites and sugar in a double boiler over simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).

Pour heated egg mixture into a clean bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes. (It's very important to beat it for the whole 6 minutes.)
Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-low, add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If frosting appears soupy or separated after all butter has been added, beat on medium high speed until smooth again, 3-5 minutes more.)

Beat in all extracts. Reduce speed to low; beat 2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Okay, this frosting was a whole other story. I don't have a stand mixer so I just used my beaters. Apparently it doesn't come out right with beaters. Plus my arm got tired trying to beat it for 6 minutes. Anyway, mine was kind of runny so I ended up using powdered sugar and stiffen it up a little bit. It still tasted great and seemed to work just fine. Oh, and the recipe doesn't say this but put a little green dye in to get it minty looking.