Healthy Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
These cupcakes remind me of Thin Mint cookies! They’re full of rich chocolate and bright mint flavors, and they’re supremely tender. The chocolate frosting is such an irresistible finishing touch! The cupcakes will keep for at least three days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 1 ¼ cups (100g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp peppermint extract
- 2 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) nonfat milk, divided
FOR THE FROSTING
- 2 cups (480g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt (see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 2 servings (16g) sugar-free, fat-free instant chocolate pudding mix (see Notes!)
- ⅝ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
Instructions
- To prepare the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, and coat the liners with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and liquid stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners. Bake at 350°F for 21-24 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting. Add the Greek yogurt, cocoa powder, instant pudding, and liquid stevia to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe the chocolate frosting on top just before serving.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Be very careful and measure the cocoa powder and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Do NOT scoop either directly from the container. Too much of either one will make your cupcakes dry. Too much cocoa powder can also make your cupcakes and frosting taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty.
COCOA POWDER NOTES: I like using Hershey’s regular unsweetened cocoa powder because it’s affordable, easy to find, and has a good chocolate flavor. I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level, which affects the taste and texture of your cupcakes.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
PEPPERMINT EXTRACT NOTE: If you prefer plain chocolate cupcakes, then substitute additional vanilla extract for the peppermint extract.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: For the best results, I recommend using the same liquid stevia that I do. (Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for one another!) I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found, and you’ll use it all of these recipes of mine too.
If you prefer not to use stevia in the cupcakes, substitute ¾ cup (180mL) of agave, honey, or pure maple syrup for the liquid stevia. Reduce the milk to ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (90mL) if using any of those liquid sweeteners. (The batter should be fairly thick, similar to muffin batter.)
If you prefer not to use the liquid stevia in the frosting, then substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of this powdered stevia –OR– ¼ cup of granulated sucralose, Truvia, or regular powdered sugar.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
GREEK YOGURT NOTE: I’ve found that FAGE plain nonfat Greek yogurt works the best when making frosting because it’s thicker than many other brands, which really helps with the frosting’s consistency. (It also has less of a yogurt “tang” to its flavor!)
INSTANT PUDDING MIX NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: You just need the dry instant pudding mix (like this!) — do not prepare it according to the package directions!
Instant pudding mix is special because its thickening properties are activated when it’s cold or at room temperature — not when heated (like with cornstarch and regular “cook-and-serve” pudding mix).
If you can’t find sugar-free, fat-free chocolate instant pudding mix, then substitute sugar-free, fat-free vanilla instant pudding mix instead, and add an additional 2-3 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a great substitute for the instant pudding mix. I’ve tried using xanthan gum, and while it does thicken the frosting, it also adds a weird texture. Regular “cook-and-serve” pudding mix and cornstarch won’t work because those require heat to activate their thickening properties, and heating the Greek yogurt is not a good idea.
So if you can’t find or don’t want to use instant pudding mix, I recommend using one of my other chocolate frosting recipes (← see "Frosting #2 and #3") instead.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten free flour, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) should work as well, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Leftover cupcakes should keep for at least three days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
{gluten free, clean eating option, low fat, lower sugar, higher protein}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.