It's St. Patrick's Day! I almost forgot about this fun holiday until K1's teacher sent a note home about it and asked if anyone was bringing treats. Heck to the yeah! Holidays during the school year give me the opportunity to create new cupcake ideas without having 2-3 dozen cupcakes lingering around my house for a week. This way, I get to send 2 dozen to her class, and I get to keep a few for us.
This time, I already had an idea of what I wanted to do, and it involved Oreos. I've always wanted to try putting a cookie at the bottom of a cupcake to see how it would affect it. Mint Oreos were the logical choice for today - uh, they're green? And ever since the Girl Scouts broke out their card tables in front of Smith's, I've been dying for a mint chocolate cookie. Problem solved.
The cupcakes turned out perfect and the cookie didn't get soggy. The cupcakes didn't fall (which I half way thought they might), they stayed light and fluffy. And 1/2 tsp. of mint in both the cake batter and the frosting was just right. I'm glad they made it through the night and into K1's classroom. Props to The Hubs for some serious self control.
Oreo Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 small box chocolate instant pudding
3/4 cup milk
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1 package mint Oreos
Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
4-5 cups powdered sugar
4-5 Tbs. milk
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
Green food coloring
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a stand mixer, combine cake and pudding mix. Turn mixer on to low and gradually add milk and oil. Add eggs, one at a time until combined. Add peppermint extract. Scrape sides of bowl and mix on low for a few more seconds.
3. Place one Oreo in each cupcake liner. Add about 2 Tbs. of cake batter on top of Oreo - liner should now be about 3/4 full. Lightly tap pan on counter to allow batter to settle around cookie.
4. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
5. While cupcakes are cooling, make frosting. In another large bowl, using a hand beater, beat butter and peppermint extract until smooth. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until combined. Add 1 Tbs. milk and beat again. Continue to add powdered sugar and milk, 1 cup and 1 Tbs. at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Add food coloring and beat on high until fluffy. Pipe onto cupcakes and top with green sprinkles, if desired.
Makes 24-30 cupcakes
