First, gather up and measure out all of the cupcake ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Then, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the box of brownie mix and the flour.
In a separate medium-size bowl, combine the water, eggs, canola oil, and Peppermint extract together.
Next, pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients.
Mix all the ingredients together well with a blending whisk.
Then, line a 12-cup cupcake pan with the red foil liners.
Next, use a (1.5 oz) dough scoop to distribute the cupcake dough into the liners. Use 1 scoop per cupcake liner, filling the liner about ⅔ full.
Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
After baking, transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
Crushing Peppermint Candies
First, put 6 candy canes into a gallon ziploc bag. Flatten the bag to remove all the air and zip it to seal.
Next, put the bag of candy canes on a cutting board, or flat surface, and use a rolling pin to roll over the candies until they’re crushed into tiny little pieces.
Then, cut off a corner from the bottom of the bag.
Next, sift the candy pieces through the spider sifter into a bowl to separate the small and large pieces. The small pieces will go into the frosting.
Save the larger pieces for garnishing the finished cupcakes with.
You should end up with 2 separate bowls of crushed peppermint candies.
Whipping Up the Peppermint Frosting
First, gather up the frosting ingredients and the bowl of small peppermint candy pieces.
Then, empty 2 cans of vanilla frosting and add the peppermint extract into a large mixing bowl.
Next, whisk the frosting for 3-5 minutes using a hand mixer on high speed.If the frosting is too runny (soft): mix in powdered sugar 1 tbsp at a time until the desired consistency is reached. The frosting should form stiff peaks and be able to hold its shape. Check out my Store-Bought Buttercream Frosting Hacks to see how to get the perfect frosting consistency.
Then, pour in ¼ cup of the smallest candy cane pieces.
Fold the candy cane pieces into the frosting with a rubber spatula.
Next, cut about 1.5 inch from the tip of a piping bag, and insert a metal piping tip.
Lastly, fill the piping bag with the peppermint frosting and then close it off with a piping bag tie.
Decorating Perfect Peppermint Cupcakes
First, pipe the peppermint frosting on top of the cooled chocolate cupcakes.
Finally, garnish the cupcakes by sprinkling the large candy cane pieces on top. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Storing and Traveling with CupcakesStoring peppermint cupcakes: these peppermint cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days at room temperature, or covered and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. Always label the date on the outside of the container to keep up with freshness.