I got a request to make my "Better than Thin Mints - Grasshopper Poke Cake" again for Sunday dinner, but I was in the mood to make cupcakes! I took the basic concept of the cake, lightened it up (a little bit), and converted it into cupcake form.
Grasshopper Cupcakes
Makes 18-24
Ingredients
- 1 box devil's food cake mix,
- Eggs, oil, water according to cake box instruction
- 1 box thin mints
- 1 container cool whip
- 1 packet mint chocolate frosting flavoring
- 1/8 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/3C heavy cream
- 8oz chocolate chips
- 1/2C Andes mint pieces for topping (appx)
Instructions
Mix cake mix according to box directions. Place a thin mint cookie at the bottom of each cupcake liner, and cover with cake batter. Bake according to box directions. Let cool.
Combine cool whip and mint chocolate flavor packet. Add a few drops of green food dye (optional) and mix well. Place in refrigerator to keep cool until ready to frost.
Make ganache: in a double boiler, warm heavy cream until it begins to bubble at the edges (do not burn!). Remove from heat, and stir in chocolate chips until thoroughly melted. Stir in mint extract. Allow ganache to cool slightly; it should be thin enough to spread out over the top, but thick/creamy enough to hold in place without running off the cupcake.
Dip tops of cooled cupcakes into ganache. If tops are not high enough to dip, pour a little over top.
Cool until ganache is hardened. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Top with Andes bits.
Enjoy!
The Verdict
Another favorite! I think these were about as big of a hit as the poke cake! They are minty and sweet, without being too rich; the cool whip frosting helps keep it lighter. The worst calorie offender of the cupcake is probably the ganache, which could be optionally left off to lighten it up a little more.
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