If you like Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, then you have come to the right place. Or if you are simply a fan of the deepest, richest, chocolate cupcake with creamy mint frosting, then you are also in the right place.  On the other hand, if chocolate just does not rock your world, please feel free to move on.  I will contemplate whether you are allowed to return.  Kidding…just kidding.

Thin Mints have a special place in many peoples’ hearts.  Are you one of those?  Do you have a freezer stocked full of Thin Mints yet?  As a Girl Scout leader for seven years, I have seen some pretty obsessed Thin Mint fans while selling cookies with my troop.

While the girls were “boothing”,  inoccently standing in front of the local Michael’s Craft store, hoping someone would buy A BOX, one super duper customer purchased a whole case of Thin Mints, handing over a cool $50 and telling them to keep the change ($2).  My girls did a happy dance that day whoever you are so thank you.

I’m beginning to think the Thin Mint should have its own Facebook page, PR person and possibly should tour on its own and have a solo career.  If you have been without Thin Mints your whole life and have no idea what all this nonsense is about, I am sorry.  Just go to Ebay, and you will find dozens of cookies being sold and you, too, can have Thin Mints at your disposal.

Anyhow, onto the cupcakes.  The cake recipe for these beautiful babies come from Death By Chocolate…only the best cookbook in history.  It is honestly the richest, most chocolaty cupcake you will ever try and as the book title dictates, you just may die from chocolate when you eat this and you know what, nothing else will matter.

If you think I am exaggerating here, just glance at the recipe; unsweetened chocolate, semisweet chocolate and TWO CUPS of CHOCOLATE CHIPS go into these life altering cupcakes. Then I added a cream cheese, mint flavored frosting and crushed Thin Mints to sprinkle over the top.

Hold your horses and anything else around you because this cupcake will most assuredly make the world spin faster.

—If you are not convinced, please make the cupcakes, take a big bite and hold on to nothing, nada.  When you are flat on the ground, I will laugh.  Yes, I have a fairly sick sense of humor.

“Granny Twitchell’s Secret Chocolate Cupcake Recipe“ adapted from Marcel Desaulnier’s life altering cookbook, Death By Chocolate
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken in 1/2 oz. pieces (just use good quality chocolate chips for ease)
1 c. heavy cream (yeah…this ain’t no diet recipe)
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into 1/2 oz. pieces
5 eggs
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
3/4 c. cake flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 c. chopped Thin Mint Cookies (not pulverized, just chopped about the size of a chocolate chip)

Creamy Mint Frosting (or leave out the mint and it’s delicious cream cheese frosting)
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 c. butter, slightly softened
1 box (16 oz) of confectioners sugar
1/2 t. natural mint extract
Just a drop or two of green food gel…just a bit to give it a tinge of green.
1/2 c. of Thin Mint Cookies pulverized  in the food processor or chopped finely.

The Wilton Frosting Tips which changed my life can be found by clicking on the link. The large star (#22) makes nice large swoops and are E-A-S-Y to make your cupcakes look all that. Don’t forget to buy the huge coupler as well.

Topping: Crushed Thin Mints or Oreos (if using crushed Oreos, you could leave out the mint extract and add vanilla extract instead and make a Cookies and Cream cupcake)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.

Heat water (only half way full) in the bottom of a double boiler or simply use two sauce pans; one pan that can sit on top of the other.  In the top pan, place 1o 0z. semisweet chocolate, heavy cream and unsweetened chocolate and cover tightly with plastic wrap for 8 minutes.

While the chocolate is melting, place eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream together on medium speed until it is a light yellow color and thickens up just a bit. See photo above. This will take about 4 minutes.  Add the melted chocolate while your beater is slowly mixing.  I pour just a little in at a time so that my eggs don’t scramble.  That would be very bad news this far into the recipe so please heed my warning, pour slowly with beater on slow speed.  Add the flour and baking soda.  Mix just barely until combined.  Then add your chopped Thin Mints.

Ladle your batter with an ice cream scoop, until 2/3 full, into each cupcake liner.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch and “set”.

Frosting: Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together on high speed the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar.  No need for sifting, just beat the heck out of it and it will smooth out.  Add the vanilla and beat together adequately.  In a large Ziploc bag, place a few Thin Mint cookies (about 6) , seal the bag shut and roll over it back and forth with your rolling pin.  This is a great time to get out your aggressions.

Frost your cupcakes and sprinkle cookie crumbs over the top and voila… you have the perfect chocolaty, minty cupcake.  Cheers!