If you’re all in for a yummy Christmas dessert, this Peppermint Bark Cupcakes Recipe will really ring your peppermint bell. So good and so rich, you might want to consider making these for Christmas dinner, even. Don’t forget our other cupcake recipes!
Oh, you want more than one decadent cupcake to put on your dessert table? Don’t worry, I have these 20+ Candy Bar Cupcake Recipes that will blow your mind.
But back to the amazingness that is this brownie cupcake recipe. If you can find a more simple peppermint bark cupcake, I challenge you to drop it in the comments, because I tell you, this is so simple!
Be sure to check out the rest of my peppermint recipes!
How to Make Peppermint Bark Cupcakes
Seriously, these brownie bottom peppermint cupcakes are so easy, but so very decadent, you’re going to love making them–and eating them.
Don’t believe me? Well…there’s no need for melting chocolate chips, finding your sour cream, peppermint extract or other random ingredients are necessary for these brownie cupcakes. Honestly, they’re made with a cake mix and homemade buttercream frosting, which–how can you say “no” to that?!
All you do is preheat oven for 350 degrees. Then, in a mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, oil, and milk, mixing until smooth. Pop that into your cupcake liners.
Then mix together the vanilla cake mix, eggs, oil and heavy cream. Cut the peppermint bark and drop that into the cake mix. Add a little red food coloring, swirling it into the batter, but not mixing the color completely. Pop that on top of the brownie batter, and bake for 22 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven to cool. In a small bowl, combine the room temperature butter (little trick for this: if you heat a microwave safe bowl in the microwave with some water for 30 seconds, then pour out the water and turn the bowl over on top of the butter, it’ll come to room temperature so much faster), Crisco, vanilla extract, and 1 Tablespoon of the heavy cream. Beat the butter mixture until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and refrigerate the frosting until cupcakes are cool.
When the cupcakes have cooled completely, get ready to frost them and top with some more chopped peppermint bark.
So good. And perfect if you love peppermint.
Specialty Ingredients:
The following ingredients are affiliate links on Amazon because they may be a bit hard to find in your normal store. I wanted you to be able to see exactly which things we are using.
Reminder, not all ingredients in the Peppermint Bark Cupcakes Recipe are linked above, just the ones that may be a bit difficult to find or that you might be unsure of what to look for.
Must Have Resources:
When making Peppermint Bark Cupcakes at home, you really need to have the following Amazon affiliate tools on hand.
Make it a Meal:
Main Dish: Hawaiian Pork Tenderloin
Vegetable Side: Broccoli Braid
Starch Side: Parmesan Ranch Oven Steak Fries
Refreshing Drink: Cranberry Kiss Mocktail
Best Cupcake Recipes:
Once you make this Peppermint Bark Cupcakes Recipe, you’re going to fall in love with cupcakes again. You’ll need some tasty cupcakes on for pretty much every holiday, mini-party or just afternoon snack. Good news for you, I have the best cupcake recipes you’ll ever find.
- Champagne Cupcakes
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes
- Cosmopolitan Cupcake Recipe
- Unicorn Cupcakes
- Apple Pie Cupcake Recipe
- Pumpkin Eggnog Cupcakes
More Mint Recipes:
Oh, you were just here for the mint?! No judging–me too. That brownie bottom is great and all, but the truth is that mint will forever be my favorite tasty treat. If you’re anything like me, you have to check out these awesome mint recipes.
Peppermint Bark Cupcakes
These easy peppermint bark cupcakes are so decadent and delicious, You can have them ready and devoured in no time flat!
Ingredients
Brownie Bottom
- 1 box of Brownie mix (Betty Crocker)
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 1 cup of milk
Cupcake Tops
- 1 Vanilla Cake Mix
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon of red food coloring gel
- 1/2 cup of crushed Ghirardelli peppermint bark
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup of butter - softened
- 1 cup of Crisco
- 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream
- 5 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of red food coloring gel
- Ghirardelli peppermint bark pieces for topping the cupcakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, oil, and milk, mixing until smooth.
- Place cupcake liners into your muffin tin, and fill about halfway full of the brownie batter, and set aside.
- Clean the mixing bowl, then combine vanilla cake mix, eggs, oil and heavy cream.
- Blend on high for 2 minutes, scrape down the sides and mix again for 2 more minutes.
- Cut the peppermint bark with the sharp knife on the cutting mat until it's in small pieces.
- Drop in the crushed peppermint bark and mix well.
- Add red food coloring, swirling it into the batter, but not mixing the color completely.
- Fill the cupcake liners completely with the cake batter, right on top of the brownie batter, and bake for 22 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting:
- In the mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, Crisco, Vanilla, and 1 Tablespoon of the heavy cream, and blend until light and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar in 1/3 increments, blending between each increment, and a few drops of the remaining cream until all the powdered sugar has been added.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and blend for two additional minutes.
- Refrigerate the frosting until cupcakes are cool, and frosting is chilled.
- When the cupcakes have cooled completely, remove the frosting from the refrigerator, and place in a large pastry bag with a fluted tip.
- Starting at the outer edge, swirl the icing onto the cupcakes, swirling up to a peak in the center.
- When each of the cupcakes have been frosted, cut some of the Ghirardelli peppermint bark into pieces, then place them on top of the frosting of each cupcake, along with a couple of whole pieces of peppermint bark.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
You'll also need:
- Mixer
- 1-24 or 2-12 count muffin tins
- Cupcake liners
- Spatula
- Cutting mat
- Sharp knife
If not serving immediately, place cupcakes in a single layer airtight container, and place in the refrigerator until time to serve. Cupcakes can be kept up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 833Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 532mgCarbohydrates: 98gFiber: 2gSugar: 75gProtein: 8g