Nuclear Cupcakes... a.k.a Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Today I went a little bit nuts in the kitchen. It was definitely a day of firsts for me. I don’t know if it’s because I felt guilty for not blogging for the last couple weeks, or if it was due to complete kitchen withdrawal, but I was whipping things up right and left. Well, not exactly whipping. More like slowly trying to figure out and running back and forth between my computer and counter. Haha.

Sorry I haven’t been keeping this up for the last little bit. My life has just had a chance to calm down from the hectic frenzy of college midterms. I don’t know if any of you have taken any business courses, but they leave precious little time for anything else. Have you ever gone into an exam, trying to remember all the little details from studying the days before, but just know you won’t remember it all? – I’m sure some of you can relate. I already know I got one long answer calculation wrong because I forgot the stupid half-year tax rule. Yes, I said it, it’s STUPID. The only reason it’s probably there is so that I can be tested on it and NOT remember to include it in my calculation. Okay, maybe there’s actually a good reason for it, but I’m just bitter now.

Okay, enough of my rant. This week I’m posting these awesome lil’ things:




Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Dipped in Dark Chocolate Ganache, cute huh?

I a-little-bit cheated on these. I had a package of white cake mix left over from a watermelon cake that I made and I figured this would be a fun way to use it up!

What you’ll need:

Cupcakes
One package of white cake mix and whatever it calls for (mine needed to mix with 1 ¼ cup of cold water and 2 egg whites)
Peppermint extract
Green food colouring
Mini chocolate chips (semisweet)
Cupcake papers (I bought cute green ones!)




Ganache
175ml whipping cream
170g 70% dark chocolate

To Do (Cupcakes):
1. Mix the cake mix as per directions on the package.


2. Add peppermint extract to taste (I put in about 1 ¼ tsp – this tastes pretty good!)
3. Add a few drops of green food colouring to make it look minty!

Okay, maybe it doesn't look that minty in the picture, but i swear it is! For some reason my camera doesn't want to pick up green :(

4. Stir in chocolate chips.


I put in about a cup of ‘em. I feel like maybe a half to ¾ of a cup might’ve been good though, with the ganache and all.


5. Line the pan with the cupcake papers and pour the batter in. Don’t fill them more than ¾ of the way up. The lil’ cakes will grow!


(This is me peaking into the oven before the guys are done. I'm a little impatient like that.)

(P.S. Look how GREEN they are! hehe)

And... TA DA!! Naked cupcakes!


This is why I called them nuclear! They look like something from a comic book with those green glowing crevices. hehe

To Do (Ganache):
1. Chop up the chocolate.


Try to avoid touching it, or it will melt on you! Then put the pieces in a mixing bowl – metal ones are the best


2. Heat the cream in a saucepan till it’s hot
3. Slowly pour the hot cream over the chocolate pieces and stir. Incorporate all the cream and keep stirring until the mixture is smooth. I used a whisk to do this.


4. Let the ganache cool for a bit (but make sure it’s still liquid – maybe for like a few minutes)
5. Dip the cupcakes into the ganache and let stand to cool and set


P.S. Check out the insides:

I went a lil' savage on this one :)

These turned out pretty yum. I thought all the chocolate might’ve been too much but they turned out pretty decent. Next time I wouldn’t add as many chocolate chips though (like I mentioned above). The 70% cocoa dark chocolate is pretty rich.

One question though, if any of you turn out to be baking pros – my ganache cooled with a few tiny bubbles in it. The cupcakes still look cute, but does anyone know a way to get rid of ‘em? (I’m a little bit of a perfectionist type) Suggestions anybody?