Shamrock Cupcakes

We had a St. Patty's Day dinner to go to and I didn't want to or have the time to spend hours on dessert, so I went with a basic vanilla cupcake from Hello Cupcake and just tweaked it a bit.  I added a mint "buttercream" to mimic the mint oreos and that was that!  (Asa LOVED helping out by adding/eating the oreos.)

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c + 1 T cake flour (I switched to cake flour they called for 2 1/2 c all purpose)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c milk (I used 1/4 milk 1/4 half/half since I had some that needed to be used up)

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 c sugar

3 large eggs

1 c chopped mint oreos

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 24 muffin cups

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Combine the milk, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

With an electric mixer on medium, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy - about 3min.

Add the eggs, one at a time.  Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the milk - beginning and ending with the flour.  Beat just till blended

Add the oreos.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.  15-20min.  (less on convection)

Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:

(this is an approximation since I didn't measure)

6 T butter softened

3-4 c pwd sugar

vanilla

milk or half/half

mint extract

green food coloring

Beat butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Add pwd sugar on low and slowly incorporate.  Add 1/2 tsp vanilla and a few drops of mint extract.  Add milk 1 T at a time until it reaches the right consistency.  Add food coloring and beat.  Frost and top with an oreo!

 Hello Cupcake is a great and easy book for kid's cupcakes!  (As is the sequel- What's New Cupcake?)