mint chocolate chip icebox cupcakes
I guess you figured this out before my husband called me out for this deceived notion me. Err, I did just admit that melted marshmallows stirred into cereal blows my mind, but it’s taken me a while to realize that this — my superior love of cooking — is the crux of my problem after days of pondering how to expand what I know and diversify what I crank out of the kitchen. I seem to go through trends. Determinations each year of the things I want to accomplish, things I would like to learn more about, practice, or do more of. Last year, when I wasn’t MIA from zapped energy and drinking bottles of vinegar — symptoms of being a human oven to a certain little blue eyed boy — I was trying to defeat my biggest cooking fears. Things like dismantling a whole chicken, whipping up poofy souffles, or finding the four key parts to perfect pancakes. What I noticed was missing? Pastries, cakes, cookies, things that generally involve sugar. This year, or at least for the remaining half of it, I want to beef up the sweets. The sugary concoctions I know all you bakers are wishing were here. I thought the best start, they best way to say I’m sorry for neglecting you, is not by admitting my inner baker somehow strikes lucky with my lazy scoop-flour-shake-off-excess-until-relatively-even method of measuring — that is an abomination I will share with you at another time, in another place — but with cupcakes, something this site has yet to see.
We’ve seen plenty of brownies, and almost as many crispy treats, but not a single recipe for personal sized cakes. Especially not ones that you will dub your faithful go-to party trick. Not ones that look like you had to slave yourself to the chiropractor for the next sixteen weeks to make. Not ones that exude audible gasps and wows and it’s so pretty comments. Not ones that involve the infamous one-bowl policy I like to invoke around here, or the revolutionary oven-less method. But now we are. We are going to experience the best thing that could possibly become your favorite spur of the moment hostess entertainment epiphany: mint chocolate chip icebox cupcakes. There is no flour, no butter, no fancy machines or expensive, pretentious ingredients. Broken down, this is simply whipped cream with a little sugar, extract and chocolate chips smooshed between chocolate wafers. It’s almost absurd that people will gawk and shower you with praises over how incredible your baking abilities are — just soak it up. We’ve arrived, bakers and non-bakers alike.
Mint Chocolate Chip Icebox Cupcakes
Notes: Bakers — if this seems like a cop out, I’ve seen several good and reliable recipes for chocolate wafers that will satisfy your need for playing around with butter, flour, sugar, and chocolate alike. And oh how I long to join you in the not so near future. But for those of you raising your hand sheepishly that you are not a baker (me) or you want/need an alternate and quicker method feel free to pick up a few boxes of chocolate wafers. It’s inevitable that some of your cookies will probably be broken, but there is no need to buy an extra box as back up. About half the cookies in one of my three boxes were broken, but it was still more than enough to use up all the cream. I also added a few drops of green food coloring to let people know they were mint. I’m never a fan of biting into something to find out it’s not at all what I expected. This, however, is up to you. The fluffy white cream against the dark brown chocolate wafers is very stunning itself as well. Lastly, I think the possibilities with these cupcakes are endless. It could easily be changed into a raspberry chocolate combination, swapping the extract for raspberry and the food coloring for red, nixing the chips and topping it all with a raspberry and a drizzle of chocolate or chocolate shavings. Of course a chocolate peanut butter variation based off of this icebox cake would be divine. And I think my husband would go crazy if I auditioned a banana version with some butterscotch chips or drizzled some caramel over it all. Even the plain version with vanilla extract and sans chips making a delicate cream and chocolate take is excellent as well.
Makes 30 cupcakes, or one large cake
3 boxes chocolate wafer cookies or roughly 180 cookies if making homemade
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon mint extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for garnish
Green food coloring, optional
Mint leaves, as garnish, optional
In a large bowl combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, extract and food coloring if using. I added about 3 drops of green for a pale green tint. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer whip the cream on high until fluffy and holding soft peaks. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
To assemble, spread about 1 – 2 teaspoons of the whipped cream mixture on top of a chocolate wafer. Place another wafer on top of the cream to make a sandwich. The top cookie should stick right to the cream, if it falls off add a little more cream and stick it back on. Spread more cream over the wafer on top repeating this process until you have a cupcake sized stack. I did a stack of four, which make about a 2-inch high cupcake. Spread cream over the highest cookie, sprinkle with extra chips and garnish with a mint leaf if using.
Place cupcakes in cupcake liners or on a plate and stick in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours. The cream will begin to soften the crisp wafers making them soft like cake. About an hour before you are ready to serve, remove them from the refrigerator and set them out or aside letting them come to room temperature. Serve.
Cake Directions:
Dab the bottom of 8 cookies with a very small amount of cream mixture and arrange in a circle on a serving plate, with one cookie in the middle. Top with 2/3 cup cream mixture, spreading outward to cover all but the out edges of the cookies. Repeat process, staggering the cookie layers and ending with cream. Notes: with this much cream and cookies, I would imagine you could get 12 or so layers, perhaps more. Just keep alternating cookie and cream layers until everything is used up, but making sure you end with cream on top. Garnish top of cake with extra chocolate chips and mint leaves.
Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or over night before serving.
Conversions & Equivalents
Volume | Baking | Metric | Pan Size | Temperature | Oven | Other
1/2 teaspoon
=
30 drops
1 teaspoon
=
1/3 tablespoon OR 60 drops
3 teaspoon
=
1 tablespoon or 1/2 fluid ounce
1/2 tablespoon
=
1 1/2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon
=
3 teaspoons or 1/2 fluid ounce
2 tablespoons
=
1/8 cup or 1 fluid ounce
3 tablespoons
=
1 1/2 fluid ounces
4 tablespoons
=
1 1/4 cup or 2 fluid ounces
5 1/3 tablespoons
=
1/3 cup or 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
8 tablespoons
=
1/2 cup or 4 fluid ounces
10 2/3 tablespoons
=
2/3 cup or 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
12 tablespoons
=
3/4 cup or 6 fluid ounces
16 tablespoons
=
1 cup or 8 fluid ounces or 1/2 pint
1/8 cup
=
2 tablespoons or 1 fluid ounce
1/4 cup
=
4 tablespoons or 2 fluid ounces
1/3 cup
=
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
3/8 cup
=
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup
=
8 tablespoons or 4 fluid ounces
2/3 cup
=
10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
5/8 cup
=
1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons
3/4 cup
=
12 tablespoons or 6 fluid ounces
7/8 cup
=
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
1 cup
=
16 tablespoons or 1/2 pint or 8 fluid ounces
2 cups
=
1 pint or 16 fluid ounces
1 pint
=
2 cups or 16 fluid ounces
1 quart
=
2 pints or 4 cups or 32 fluid ounces
1 gallon
=
4 quarts or 8 pints or 16 cups or 128 fluid ounces
FLOUR
1 cup all-purpose flour
=
5 ounces or 142 grams
1 cup cake flour
=
4 ounces or 113 grams
1 cup whole wheat flour
=
5 1/2 ounces or 156 grams
SUGAR
1 cup granulated white sugar
=
7 ounces or 198 grams
1 cup packed brown sugar
=
7 ounces or 198 grams
1 cup confectioners sugar
=
4 ounces or 113 grams
COCOA POWDER
1 cup cocoa powder
=
3 ounces or 85 grams
BUTTER
4 tablespoons
=
1/2 stick or 1/4 cup or 2 ounces
8 tablespoons
=
1 stick or 1/2 cup or 4 ounces
16 tablespoons
=
2 sticks or 1 cup or 8 ounces
32 tablespoons
=
4 sticks or 2 cups or 1 pound
1/4 teaspoon
=
1.23 milliliters
1/2 teaspoon
=
2.46 milliliters
3/4 teaspoon
=
3.7 milliliters
1 teaspoon
=
4.93 milliliters
1 1/4 teaspoon
=
6.16 milliliters
1 1/2 teaspoon
=
7.39 milliliters
1 3/4 teaspoon
=
8.63 milliliters
2 teaspoon
=
9.86 milliliters
1 tablespoon
=
14.79 milliliters
2 tablespoons
=
29.57 milliliters
1/4 cup
=
59.15 milliliters
1/2 cup
=
118.3 milliliters
1 cup
=
236.59 milliliters
2 cups or 1 pint
=
473.18 milliliters
3 cups
=
709.77 milliliters
4 cups or 1 quart
=
946.36 milliliters
1/4 teaspoon
=
1.23 milliliters
4 quarts or 1 gallon
=
3.785 liters
PAN SIZE
VOLUME
CAN SUBSTITUTE WITH
1 8-inch round cake pan
4 cups
1 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 9-inch round cake pan
1 9-inch pie plate
2 8-inch round cake pans
8 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
1 10-inch springform pan
1 9-inch round cake pan
6 cups
1 8-inch round cake pan
1 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
2 9-inch round cake pans
12 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 8-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 11x7-inch baking dish
1 10-inch springform pan
1 10-inch round cake pan
11 cups
2 8-inch round cake pan
1 9-inch tube pan
1 10-inch springform pan
2 10-inch round cake pans
22 cups
5 8-inch round cake pans
3 or 4 9-inch round cake pans
2 10-inch spring form pan
9-inch tube pan
12 cups
2 8-inch round cake pans
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
10-inch tube pans
16 cups
3 9-inch round cake pans
2 10-inch pie plates
4 8-inch pie plates
2 9x5-inch loaf pans
2 8-inch square baking dishes
2 9-inch square baking dishes
10-inch bundt pan
12 cups
1 9x13-inch baking dish
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 11x7-inch baking dishes
1 10-inch springform pan
11x7x2-inch baking dish
6 cups
1 8-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch round cake pan
9x13x2-inch baking dish
15 cups
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
3 8-inch round cake pans
1 10x15-inch jellyroll pan
10x15x1-inch jellyroll pan
15 cups
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
2 8-inch round cake pan
1 9x13-inch baking dish
9x5-inch loaf pan
8 cups
1 10-inch pie plate pan
1 8-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch square baking dish
8x4-inch loaf pan
6 cups
1 8-inch round cake pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
9-inch springform pan
10 cups
1 10-inch round cake pan
1 10-inch spring form pan
2 8-inch round cake pans
2 9-inch round cake pans
10-inch springform pan
12 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 9-inch tube pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 11x7-inch baking dishes
2 8-inch round cake pans
8-inch square baking dish
8 cups
1 9x5-inch loaf pan
2 8-inch pie plates
9-inch square baking dish
8 cups
1 11x7-inch baking dish
1 9x5-inch loaf pan
2 8-inch pie plate
Water Freezes
32°F
0°C
40°F
4.4°C
50°F
10°C
60°F
15.6°C
70°F
21.1°C
80°F
26.7°C
90°F
32.2°C
100°F
37.8°C
110°F
43.3°C
120°F
48.9°C
130°F
54.4°C
140°F
60°C
150°F
65.6°C
160°F
71.1°C
170°F
76.7°C
180°F
82.2°C
190°F
87.8°C
200°F
93.3°C
Water Boils
212°F
100°C
250°F
121°C
300°F
149°C
350°F
177°C
400°F
205°C
450°F
233°C
500°F
260°C
275°F
=
140°C or Gas Mark 1
300°F
=
150°C or Gas Mark 2
325°F
=
165°C or Gas Mark 3
350°F
=
180°C or Gas Mark 4
375°F
=
190°C or Gas Mark 5
400°F
=
200°C or Gas Mark 6
425°F
=
220°C or Gas Mark 7
450°F
=
230°C or Gas Mark 9
475°F
=
240°C or Gas Mark 10
And for conversions that are not listed I found a great conversion calculator here!
Comment Guidelines
Most of the comments and emails I receive are positive, conversational, and very welcome as part of the dialogue that I love about the food blogging community. Unfortunately, there is still a minority of comments that are offensive, irrelevant, and sometimes simply rude. Of course, the misfortune about creating comment guidelines is that the people leaving the former kind of comments are already following the guidelines, and the people leaving the latter kind of comments probably won't bother to read the guidelines or will simply ignore them. Still, please follow the guidelines. It will make the online world a better place for all of us.
The Good Kind of Comments:
- Conversational. If you're starting or continuing a conversation about your life, your experiences in the kitchen, or stories about your family, then I love and welcome your comments. The ability to genuinely connect with other people with similar interests whom I may never otherwise meet is one of the things I most love about the food blogging community, and I encourage people to participate as much as they'd like in these sometimes spontaneous conversations.
- Feedback. If you tried a recipe that you found on The Red Spoon, I would love to hear about it. Whether it was a success or a flop, whether you added ingredients or adjusted cooking times, whatever you did, I am always interested in hearing how things went in another kitchen with the same recipe.
- Questions. If something in a recipe is confusing or obviously wrong, please feel free to ask a question. Or, if you're just really curious about where we bought the cutest outfit on the latest Henry cameo, don't be shy at all about asking.
The Bad Kind of Comments:
- Irrelevant. I'm pretty open minded about the kinds of conversations that might happen in the comments section, but the ones I'm referring to here are things like permission requests, recipe requests, advertising requests, etc. that would be more appropriate in an email. A good rule of thumb is that if the comment will alienate everyone else reading the post, try putting in an email directly to me instead.
- Linking. As part of the comment in-take form, there is a field where you can enter your website or blog and it will appear as a hyperlink embedded in your name in the text of the comment. This kind of linking is perfectly acceptable. When linking is not acceptable is if the corresponding comment is completely irrelevant, i.e. an excuse to market your website on my website, in which case your comment will be deleted for irrelevance, or if you leave a link in the body of the comment. The rule of thumb is don't try to market your website on my website. I know all the tricks and I will delete your comment if I think this is what you're doing.
- Nastygrams. Every once in a while I find one of these in my inbox or in a comment on a post. People sending me nastygrams: don't do it. You're wasting your time. I really don't care if you think my blog "looks like" another blog, of if you think talking about my kid and putting pictures of him in posts is "copying" another blog. Seriously. The blog you're rushing to defend probably didn't come up with that one either, and even if they did there is nothing illegal, unethical, or unfair about doing the same thing. If you're genuinely concerned that plagiarism has taken place on The Red Spoon, just send me a polite email asking if I forgot to credit someone somewhere. But when you leave an anonymous comment saying that my website is ugly, you have become that annoying kid on the playground that wants to correct everyone but that no one else likes, except you're not a kid so what's your excuse? Your comment will be deleted, your email won't be responded to, and thank you for the page views and corresponding advertising revenue.
- Parenting Advice. Josh and I love being parents, and we definitely need all the help we can get, but from the people that are actually involved in our daily lives and know what help we need. Please don't leave parenting advice in the comments sections. Such comments will be deleted.
Beautiful!
Beautiful photographs! This is simplicity at its best :)