Mocha Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

Cupcakes
Chocolate cake mix (and ingredients it calls for on the box)
Strong brewed peppermint flavored coffee, room temperature (enough to replace the amount of water the box cake mix calls for)

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting 1 cup, 2 sticks of butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 tablespoons Peppermint Mocha Nestle Coffee-mate Creamer

1. Bake the cupcakes from the box cake, following directions except use room temperature coffee instead of water. Preferably very strong brewed to get the best taste.

2. Cool cupcakes to room temp.

3. Cream butter with hand mixer or in a stand mixer. Add in sugar, mixing well after each cup.

4. Add salt, peppermint extract and creamer, beat well.

5. Frost cupcakes when cool and enjoy! You can garnish with chopped candycane or grated chocolate which I meant to do. I used Heath baking chips because it's all I had on hand. Turned out pretty yummy anyway!

Peppermint Mocha Trifle

Around this time of year I tend to be peppermint obsessed. Peppermint hot chocolate, peppermint coffee, even peppermint candles will suddenly appear at my house. I love it! I saw some peppermint bark baking chips at the grocery store last week and just had to get them. I didn't have a plan for them but I knew I could come up with something. Yes it was an impulse buy I'm ashamed to say! I came up with this Peppermint Mocha Trifle and it was delish! Normally we eat very healthy, but sometimes the fat kid in me takes over haha!

Ingredients
1 box cake mix (or you can make a cake from scratch to be a bit healthier)
1 pack instant chocolat pudding
1 container cool whip
1 bag peppermint crunch baking chips
1 cup strong brewed coffee

1. Bake cake according to instructions. Set aside to cool. Mix up pudding according to package and put in fridge.

2. Cut cake into cubes and layer in trifle dish or a deep dish.

 

3. Drizzle about 1/2 cup of the coffee over the cubes.
4. Next spread about 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the cubes.

5. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of peppermint chips over mixture.

 

 6. Next top with 1/3 container of cool whip. If you wait for the cool whip to soften it will spread better. (Which I didn't do because I was in a hurry lol)

7. Repeat the layers, then chill in fridge until ready to serve.