Mini Chocolate Mint Cuppycakes

Simple Fun

While I'm very happy for my husband that he gets to teach the boys all about responsible hunting and it brings him great joy to take them to the mountains and spend time in the woods. Serena and I are getting to the point where the hunting season is beginning to infringe on what we call normal life. And you're beginning to wonder what all that has to do with mini mint cupcakes?! Well to pass the time, we do some shopping, which to be honest, gets boring after a while, (gasp) we go for walks, we sit and sing, we read, play games, watch movies, etc, etc, etc. We also usually do some baking. Something she really enjoys if it doesn't take too long and isn't too detailed. So this weekend to satisfy her desire and to avoid a huge mess in the kitchen we took the easy way out and just made these tiny cupcakes with a little surprise under the icing that she thought was kinda cool.☺ A while ago I bought a tiny decorator kit that she uses occasionally and it fits perfectly in her hand. She loves it! And she can manage it quite well.

For the cupcakes:

¾ cup all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

1 Tablespoon +

1 teaspoon dark cocoa

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 large egg, white only*

¼ cup milk¼ cup oil

¼ cup water

¼ teaspoon vanilla

*I made a double batch and used the whole egg.

Preheat oven to 325°. Line mini cupcake pan with paper baking cups.

In a mixing bowl, (Kitchen Aid with whip attachment) combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add the egg, milk, oil, water, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spoon batter into cups, ¾ full. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Here's the part where I cheated. Instead of making my own icing I used bought Butter Cream icing and added green food coloring and mint extract and let Serena use her little gadget to do the icing. The surprise under the icing is a little pile of chopped creme' de menthe candies.

She was quite pleased to share her treat with Aunt Bev, Uncle Loren, and her cousins Bryant and Baby Kyra as her dessert contribution to the meal I prepared for them last evening.

Be Blessed!