These festive and charming Holly Berry Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes are sure to be a hit with your family and friends this holiday season!
Surprise!! Not only are these Holly Berry Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes delicious and easy to make, but they also have a surprise center (yes, you may call it a gift) that adds a fun and unexpected touch, that everyone will enjoy!
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The ingredient list for the cupcakes:
Or, feel free to use your favorite box mix...
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- cocoa powder
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- espresso powder
- vegetable oil
- egg
- vanilla extract
- hot coffee
- crushed peppermint candy
- cinnamon red-hot candy
The ingredient list for the peppermint buttercream frosting:
- butter
- confectioners sugar
- peppermint extract
- milk
- green gel food color
Other equipment you'll need:
- large piping bags (disposable or washable)
- Wilton large leaf decorating tip #366
- Wilton large star tip #1M
- small melon baller or tiny spoon (for hollowing cupcakes)
- large zip lock and rolling pin or hammer (for crushing candy)
- cupcake tin
- cupcake liners
- baking spray
- bowls of various sizes
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- measuring cups and spoons
- wooden spoon and spatula
Additional holiday recipes
- Buttermilk Honey Santa Bread
- Whole Wheat Rudolph the BREAD Nosed Reindeer
- Christmas Morning Apple Croissant Breakfast Bake
- Grinch Guacamole
- Snow Covered Gingerbread Forest Cake
Additional peppermint recipes
These Peppermint Shortbread Cookies will be the star of any cookie platter. They're all dressed up and ready to party!
This delicious Peppermint Schnapps Ice Cream is fast and easy to make. It's a no-churn recipe that's smooth, creamy, and loaded with big, bold, peppermint flavor.
No-Bake Peppermint Buttercream Wafer Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie. Homemade peppermint buttercream is sandwiched between two crispy wafer sheets, sliced, and then dipped into white chocolate and festive sprinkles.
When you make this recipe, and I hope you do, I'd appreciate it if you'd take a moment to leave a star rating on the recipe card and briefly comment on why you rated it as you did. FYI - Google appreciates recipe ratings and, in turn, will share my recipes with more people. Thank you so much!!
Oh, and since it's the holidays, calories don't count...so don't even look! LOL
Printable Recipe Card
Festive Holly Berry Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
To make the cupcakes;
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup hot brewed coffee
- ¼ cup crushed peppermint candy
- ¼ cup red-hot candy
To make the peppermint buttercream frosting;
- 1 cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk more if needed
- green gel food color
Instructions
To make the cupcakes;
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Prepare a cupcake tin with cupcake liners which have been lightly sprayed with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla.
- Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Slowly add the hot coffee to the batter and blend until just combined.
- Fill the prepared cupcake liners ½ full of batter and bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out a small well in the center of each baked cupcake. Fill each well with the crushed peppermint candy.
To make the peppermint buttercream frosting;
- In a large bowl, blend the softened butter, confectioners sugar, and peppermint extract on low. As needed add milk, a little at a time, until you achieve your desired consistency for piping. Soft, but still holds shape when piping.
- Reserve approximately ½ cup of the peppermint buttercream frosting and color it green with a few drops of the gel food color.
- Fit a large piping bag with the large star decorating tip and fill with the white peppermint buttercream.
- Starting in the center of each peppermint filled cupcake, pipe the frosting in a circular motion working outwards to cover the top of each cupcake.
- Add the green peppermint buttercream to a small piping bag which has been fitted with the large leaf decorating tip. Pipe two leaves onto each frosted white cupcake and finish by adding 3 red-hot candies to complete the holly berry design.
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's recipe for Festive Holly Berry Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!
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Lindsay Cotter says
These cupcakes are so fun and festive for Christmas! Chocolate and mint are such a great flavor combination too!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
These are so fun for the holidays!! Love them!
Elizabeth says
Mint and chocolate is my favorite holiday baking combination! I can NOT wait to make these cupcakes. They look amazing!!
Renée says
Thank you, Elizabeth! I know you'll love these! Thanks for commenting!
Krissy Allori says
Chocolate peppermint cupcakes are the best! These are so festive and cute!!!
Renée says
Thank you so much, Krissy!! I'm glad you think so 🙂
Sandra Shaffer says
So pretty! These will be perfect for any holiday event and I love that nice surprise in the middle just waiting to be discovered. I'm with you....not looking at the calories! lol
Renée says
Why ruin a good thing, right? LOL
sara says
Not only are they adorable, but they are scrumptious. The peppermint buttercream is amazing!
Renée says
Thanks, Sara! So happy that you think so!!
Linda says
These are perfect for the holiday season and what kid (big or little) wouldn't love some peppermint candy in the center! They look so festive and pretty too!
Renée says
Thank you so much, Linda!
Jessica says
These are so pretty and so simple. Even me, the worst cupcake decorator in the world, we able to make them look pretty!
Renée says
You would knock them out of the park!