Ingredients

  • FOR THE CUPCAKES:
  • 6 ounces, fluid Vanilla Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 cups White Sugar
  • 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
  • 1 whole Egg
  • 1/2 teaspoons Salt
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1/2 cups Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 cups Milk (I Used Skim)
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 3/4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 teaspoons Mint Extract
  • 1/2 cups Boiling Water
  • FOR THE MINT CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
  • 1/4 cups Milk (I Used Skim)
  • 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1/8 teaspoons Mint Extract
  • FOR THE FUDGE FROSTING:
  • 1/2 cups Butter
  • 1/2 cups Cocoa Powder
  • 3-1/2 cups Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
  • 1/2 cups Boiling Water
  • OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
  • 10 whole Thin Mint Cookies, Broken In Half (God Bless The Girl Scouts)
  • 1/2 cups Chocolate Shavings Or As Desired For Optional Topping

Method

  • For the cupcakes:
  • 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine Greek yogurt, sugars and the egg. Beat until combined (you can use your stand mixer for this, although whisking it by hand works just as well).
  • 2. Add salt, flour and cocoa to the batter mixture and mix well.
  • 3. Stir apple cider vinegar and milk together in a measuring glass to make your own quick buttermilk. Add the baking soda to this mixture and stir until it begins to foam.
  • 4. Add buttermilk mixture a bit at a time into the cake mixture, mixing as you go to incorporate all of the liquid.
  • 5. Whisk in vanilla and mint extracts.
  • 6. Whisk in boiling water a little bit at a time so you don't splash/burn yourself.
  • 7. Fill two 12-count (recipe makes about 20) standard sized cupcake tins with paper liners and then fill the liners 2/3 of the way full with batter. Bake at 350 F for 15-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove pan from the oven and move cupcakes to a wire rack and let them cool.
  • For the ganache:
  • 1. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking occasionally so it doesn't burn, until it comes to a simmer.
  • 2. Place chocolate chips in a large, heat-resistant bowl (glass or ceramic are good choices). Remove milk from heat and pour it over chocolate, then stir gently until chocolate has melted and you've formed a smooth ganache.
  • 3. Stir in the mint extract and set ganache aside. Let this cool while you make the frosting.
  • For the frosting:
  • 1. In a medium bowl, melt the butter. I use the microwave-it's just easier. Just heat it for 30 seconds at a time and stop once melted.
  • 2. Stir cocoa and powdered sugar into melted butter.
  • 3. Stir boiling water into frosting a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Continue until frosting has reached a thick, buttercream-like consistency. The frosting will set and harden very quickly, so be prepared to frost the cupcakes as soon as it's ready! You don't need sky-high frosting on each cupcake. It's super rich so use it in moderation!
  • To assemble the cupcakes:
  • 1. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes (I use a Wilton #1M or a ziploc bag with a corner cut off). You could also spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a knife.
  • 2. Give the ganache a stir, then drizzle a spoonful of it over each cupcake once they're frosted. If you're feeling ambitious, you could also dig a little hole in each cupcake before you frost them and pour some ganache into the center, then frost and decorate normally. Me, I'm too lazy to do that 90% of the time. But it does taste good!
  • 3. Top the cupcakes with a thin mint cookie and some chocolate shavings or eat them as is!