Creamy Chocolate Peppermint Cups

These Creamy Chocolate Peppermint Cups are dangerously delicious.  They have a chocolatey outside and a creamy sweet peppermint filling in the middle. {gluten free, vegan}

Hope your holiday season is off to a great start.  Eleven more days until Christmas! I had my Yankee Swap party this weekend and it was a blast.  I'm still recovering.  I'm too old for major cocktailing at this point.  There's nothing better than tipsy ladies fighting over great girlie gifts. We are not afraid to steal gifts from our dearest of friends.  That's what friends are for.

I'm always impressed with the creative gifts the girls bring and there are always a few that I want to steal.  Hot items this year were: a Vineyard Vines bracelet, a JCrew necklace, a Scout bag and Vineyard Vines wine glasses.

These Creamy Chocolate Peppermint Cups were a party hit.  It's like a peanut butter cup but filled with a creamy sweet peppermint filling.  They require a bit of time to make, but those extra steps are so worth it.  

This batch makes 24 mini cups, but they can also be made in a regular muffin tin for 12 larger cups. These are the perfect bite-sized treat for a cocktail party where you may have overindulged in Baked Brie with Fig Jam.  Sometimes all you need is a bite of something sweet to end the night.

I went a little crazy with my photos because these babies are so photogenic.  You may wonder how I got my candy canes cut in such perfect little squares.  It wasn't easy...I bought them at Home Goods.  You can also break up your own candy canes with the bottom of a glass, but they won't be as pretty as mine.

Basically, it boils down to three steps...

• Put melted chocolate in the bottom of sprayed muffin cups - be sure to push it up the sides of the muffin wrappers.  Freeze those.
• Put a small dollop of the creamy filling in the middle.  I put mine in a plastic bag and piped it in.
• Melt more chocolate and completely cover the creamy filling with that.  Top with chopped candy canes and freeze again.

Good luck stopping at just one of these.  Check out my Mini Peanut Butter Cups too.

Creamy Chocolate Peppermint Cups

These gluten-free Creamy Chocolate Peppermint Cups are dangerously delicious. They have a chocolatey outside and a creamy sweet peppermint filling in the middle

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: peppermint cups

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 426kcal

Ingredients

• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate gluten-free
• 1 cup vegetable shortening I like Spectrum Organic
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 tablespoon crushed candy canes

Instructions

• Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Put in mini muffin cups and spray those. This helps the papers stick to the pan.
• Melt 4 oz of chocolate on low heat.
• Put a small dollop of chocolate in each tin. Spread around with a straw and make sure to get up the sides. You only need a light covering. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
• Make filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix shortening, powdered sugar, peppermint extract and crushed candy canes.
• Put filling in a plastic bag and cut off the corner. Pipe a small dollop of filling in each muffin cup.
• Melt the remaining chocolate over low heat.
• Using a mini ice cream scooper, add chocolate to each muffin cup, completely covering the creamy filling.
• Top with candy cane crumbs and freeze for 30 minutes.
• Store in refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1.8mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @seasonal_cravings or tag #seasonal_cravings and I will repost on my stories.