Ali Bakes: Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

This post was supposed to be published yesterday...whoops!  Yesterday was one of those days where all of my lofty goals and to-do's just didn't get accomplished.  But that's ok, I guess because today is Saturday.

When these lovely cupcakes were put on my recipe list, I had visions of using up the many candy canes that seem to have been collected after the holidays and left uneaten.  I did manage to do some damage on the stockpile, though a couple are still lingering...  I think I'll leave Brian to tackle those!

The ganache on these chocolate treats is intended to be thick, but I decided that I was too good to go out and buy coconut milk, so I went with my regular almond milk.  The chocolate drizzled all over the pan that I placed the cupcakes in post-baking, which turns out just fine since I stored them in the fridge.  The chocolate hardened up, and I can scrape extra ganache from the bottom of the pan anytime I choose!

Oh--and did I mention that there's plenty of peppermint flavor?  Because there is!  So get baking and enjoy some chocolate soon!

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

*adapted from KatysKitchen.ca

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 Tbs vanilla

¼ tsp peppermint extract
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
½ cup melted butter
1 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
⅓ cup full-fat coconut milk (or other milk for a thinner ganache)
4 candy canes, crushed

 

Instructions:

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk to combine, and make a well in the center.  Add the vanilla, peppermint extract, cider vinegar, and melted butter to the well. Gradually add the water, whisking to combine.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling about ⅔ full.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then move them to a wire rack.

For the ganache, add the chocolate chips and the coconut milk in a small saucepan and heat over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally until the chips are melted and mixed with the milk.
Spoon the ganache over the top of the cupcakes.  Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top and serve.

 

 Don't forget to wipe the chocolate that will inevitably remain on your mouth after each bite!