Months ago I found this on the wonderful Pinterest. If you read past the link and didn’t click it, go back and click the link! It was the most brilliant idea for frosting EVER! My sister-in-law Laynie loves mint chocolate chip ice cream and I knew that someday I would make this for her birthday. Poor, poor Laynie her birthday fell on VBS week and that cake wasn’t happening. I even took a day off to recoup mid-week, but I still didn’t have enough motivation to make that cake. So I thought, “What should I do?” And I answered, “Make cupcakes!”
While I was inspired by that initial cake by raspberri cupcakes the frosting transformed into something that is mostly mine, including the way I never make frosting the same way twice! Sorry, but there is not a perfect recipe. When I make this again, and I know I will, I’ll add tweaks to the recipe. But for now here’s a rough estimate because it’s too good to wait!
Happy 21st Birthday! We celebrate good "ole" Southern Baptist style around here.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 t vanilla extract (more or less to taste)
1 1/2 t peppermint extract (more or less to taste)
3 T milk
5 cups powdered sugar, give or take
2 dark chocolate bars (chopped)
In mixer with a whisk attachment, add the butter, shortening, vanilla, peppermint, milk and 2 cups of sugar. Start the mixer on low (trust me, if you start on high you will have powdered sugar everywhere). Slowly turn the mixer up to medium. Turn mixer off and add the remaining sugar. If you’re making the icing for cupcakes or cookies, a little less sugar will work. If you would like to layer cakes, add a bit more sugar so the frosting is stiffer. My recipes are more of a guideline, remember? Once it’s blended, and to the desired consistency for your project, add in 8 drops of green food coloring, 4 drops of blue and 4 drops of yellow. Last, stir in the chocolate pieces.
To get the “scoop” look, use an ice cream scoop to top each cupcake. The chocolate is magic shell ice cream topping. You could take it further by topping with whipped topping and a cherry. But, again it’s VBS week and I just thought of that now! Sorry Laynie.
