Minty weather

One of the only things I really enjoy about winter (other than layering) is the abundance of mint. It reminds me of the good times as a kid when I'd stuff a handful of peppermints in my mouth and, after eating them all, drink a tall glass of cold water because I liked the numbing, minty sensations in my mouth.

Then I discovered mint chocolate chip ice cream after reading that it was one of the Olsen twins' favorite flavors. And they were my idols, after all. So the first chance I got, I bought myself a cone of light-green, chocolate-speckled goodness and found that it was actually really tasty.

Fast forward to today. I don't indulge in mint-eating/water-drinking anymore. But I still like mint chocolate... anything. So I decided, in the spirit of the holidays, I'd make these mint chocolate cupcakes.



I realized I never post the recipes I use, mostly because I'm lazy. Also, I end up tweaking them a bit anyways, so I didn't think there was a point. But I'll start doing this. For the sake of archiving. And for the sake of being a better baking blogger. Or whatever.

Mint Chocolate cupcakes (adapted from Love and Olive Oil, & makes ~14)

Here are all the ingredients. Except I didn't use the nestle chocolate chunks.


1 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup canola oil
1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cup sugar
1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Box of Andes candies
Peppermint extract (Creme de menthe or peppermint extract is preferred. The one I got, just plain ol' MINT, was reminiscent of toothpaste. It was all I could find, so I get went with it.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line yo' pan.

In one bowl, whisk the coconut milk, sugar, oil and vanilla until it gets "foamy." That's what the original recipe says. But I stopped once I began to notice a "foamy" consistency. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, beating until no (or very few) lumps remain.

Pour into liners, filling each with 1/3 cup of batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool.



Since this is my first eggless recipe (!!!) and my first time backing with coconut milk (???), I was nervous about how they'd turn out. They did deflate a bit, but since I was frosting them, that didn't bother me too much. Speaking of frosting, making it was a such a complete disaster. As I am not a fan of overly sweet, thick frosting, I tried to make a whipped-cream-esque frosting using only heavy cream, powdered sugar, and mint extract. After about three FAILED batches of those (I think I was overbeating), I looked online and found a recipe that the Pioneer Woman claimed to be the absolute "best" frosting ever. And fyi, PW is legit. So I tried it.

Not disappointed. However, mine was less thick because I used more milk and added mint extract and a few drops of green food coloring.

After piping them, I placed a halved Andes chocolate on top. Ta-da.



I'm glad to say they were a big hit at work! My co-worker, David, who isn't exactly the sweetest gentleman I've ever met, said they may be the best cupcakes he's ever had. And then asked if it was okay if he could get seconds. Psh, duh.

Reflections: The coconut milk isn't very noticeable at all in the final product. In fact, I think it enriches the chocolate flavor. And! Never using a mint extract ever again. I also want to try using a mint chocolate ganache if I don't find the mint flavor in the frosting to be strong enough. What can I say? I like mint. But I already said that.