Mint Chocolate Cupcakes (Mint Buttercream Frosting)

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes topped with mint buttercream frosting. The combination of mint and chocolate makes a refreshingly delicious dessert that starts with a chocolate cake mix, has bits of Andes mint pieces throughout, and topped with a homemade mint buttercream frosting. 

If you love mint + chocolate like we do then you need to try my Andes Mint Cookie Brownies. And also try my Oreo Cupcakes for another delicious cupcake recipe.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Mint + chocolate is a classic flavor combination for desserts! The rich, chocolate cupcake base dotted with chunks of Andes mint throughout and then topped with a cool mint buttercream frosting just can’t be beat. 

These mint chocolate cupcakes are easy to make because they start with a doctored up cake mix. You won’t even be able to tell that these cupcakes were not made from scratch. 

Ingredients Needed

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe for mint chocolate cupcakes + mint buttercream frosting!

• Chocolate Cupcakes with Andes Mints
  • Devil’s Food Cake Mix : You can really use any chocolate cake mix you want! We like the Devil’s Food. You will not prepare the cake according to the box instructions. Simply follow the recipe down below in the recipe card. 
  • Large Eggs
  • Melted Butter – The recipe calls for 1/3 cup butter, which is a little over 5 tablespoons. There is a handy marker on the butter wrapper that will guide you. 
  • Buttermilk
  • Vanilla Yogurt – You can use Greek yogurt or just regular yogurt. Feel free to use plain yogurt or Greek yogurt as well. 
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Andes Mints – Chop the mints and then measure 1/2 cup of chopped mints. 
• Mint Buttercream Frosting
  • Butter
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Heavy Whipping Cream – For best results and taste, please use heavy whipping cream in the frosting and don’t substitute it. 
  • Mint Extract
  • Green Food Coloring – This is optional but for that classic mint chocolate look, you need to add it. 

How to Make Easy Mint Chocolate Cupcakes with a Cake Mix

It’s pretty simple to make this recipe! Be sure and read below for the full recipe and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

Step One : Preheat oven and prepare a 12-cup cupcake pan by using cupcake liners. If you have two of these, then prepare both of them, as the recipe yields 24 cupcakes. 

Step Two : Mix together the cupcakes ingredients and stir together well. Add in the chopped Andes mints and stir to combine. 

Step Three : Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full of batter. Each one should be filled a little over halfway full of batter. Bake.

Step Four : Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, prepare the frosting according to recipe instructions. 

Step Five : Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag + 1M piping tip or you can use a icing spatula to spread the frosting on top of each one. 

Tips For Success

Here are my tips that will hopefully help make this recipe a hit in your own kitchen!

• Don’t Overfill The Cupcake Liners : It’s so important to not overfill the liners with batter. If there is too much batter it will not cook up into a nice dome shape, but rather fall off the sides while baking. Aim to fill each cupcake liner a little over halfway full of batter. About 2/3 of the way full only. Which is less than 3/4 of the way. 
• Andes Mints : Make sure you chop them first and then measure out 1/2 cup of chopped Andes mints. You can also just use Andes mint baking chips. They’re found by the chocolate chips but I can’t always find them at my grocery store, so I just chop them up. 
• Let Cupcakes Cool Completely : Before frosting, make sure the cupcakes are cooled completely. Otherwise, if the cupcakes are too warm the frosting will just slide right off. 
• Use a Toothpick : Make sure you use a toothpick to ensure that the cupcake are cooked. Stick a toothpick into the top of the cupcake. If it comes out with wet batter then you need to bake it longer. If it comes out dry or with moist crumbs, then they’re done!
• Butter : You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. I prefer to bake with salted butter so that’s what I use when I make this recipe. 
• Heavy Whipping Cream : Don’t substitute this in the frosting recipe. It provides a richness, thickness, and whipped like effect to the frosting. So good! If you do decide to use a different milk than you will need less of it because the fat percentage is lower. 

How To Store Leftover Cupcakes

Leftover cupcakes can be stored in the fridge, in a covered container, for about 3 days. 

Since the frosting does not have any cream cheese in it, these cupcakes can also be stored at room temperature as well. 

I prefer a cold cupcake so I store mine in the fridge. For a softer cupcake and frosting, leave them out at room temperature, in a covered container. 

Can I Freeze Cupcakes?

Yes you can freeze baked cupcakes. Prepare according to recipe instructions and let them cool completely to room temperature before freezing. 

When freezing cupcakes, I like to wrap each one up in tin foil before placing them inside a freezer-safe bag or container. This just helps give a little bit more protection.

Let the cupcake(s) thaw at room temperature or you can pop them in the fridge to thaw overnight. Prepare the frosting and then frost. 

Can I Make Cupcakes Ahead of Time?

Yes! I actually prefer to make cupcakes the day before I need them. I like to bake them and cool them the day before, and then store them at room temperature overnight, and then in the morning I prepare the frosting and pipe it on. 

For best results and moistness of the cupcake, I would not recommend making cupcakes several days in advance. For preparation ease, making them the day before works well. 

You can also frost the cupcakes and store them already frosted and ready to serve in the fridge. We love cold cupcakes so this is a great option too. 

Supplies Needed to Make Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Here are a couple supplies that you will need to make mint chocolate cupcakes. These are an affiliate link, meaning that if you purchase, I will make a very small percentage from the sale. As always, I appreciate the support for the free recipes I post. I will only recommend things that I personally own and love! Promise.

Cupcake/Muffin Pan : Here is the one that I love and own several of! They bake so evenly. 

Cupcake/Muffin Liners : I love these ones! They are parchment paper liners and they’re the best. I always have a stock of these in my kitchen. 

Measuring Cups : Just a simple, but pretty set of plastic measuring cups. Lightweight and they won’t rust like the stainless steel ones. 

Measuring Spoons : A simple, classic measuring spoons set that matches the cups above! I love a good matching set of kitchen utensils. 

Liquid Measuring Beakers : I love this cute set! Lots of different options and it makes measuring any liquid ingredient really easy. Plus it’s the color of the rainbow, how cute is that?!

Cupcake Frosting Spreader : If you are not piping the frosting on then this is a really easy tool that helps spread the frosting on cupcakes. 

Piping Bag/Piping Tip Set : This is an easy set to use for piping frosting on. I always use a 1M sized piping tip when frosting cupcakes. This set comes with a 1M tip and piping bags.

Rubber Mixing Spatula : I love this one and own several of them.