Our The Best Chocolate Mint Buttercream Frosting is the perfect blend of chocolate and mint. Two great tastes that go great together in one easy-to-make homemade frosting!

Closeup on three cupcakes sitting on a white table topped with The Best Chocolate Mint Buttercream Frosting next to a glass bowl filled with cocoa powder.

Do you love Thin Mints?  Are Junior Mints your favorite candy?  Is your go-time ice cream flavor Mint Chip?  Well, have we got a frosting for you!  Our The Best Chocolate Mint Buttercream Frosting is the perfect blend of chocolate and mint in one creamy and delicious frosting.  Perfected in the Two Sisters kitchen and family-approved, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

How to Make

Collage image showing the steps for creaming the butter with the Peppermint Extract to create the perfect mint flavor for the frosting.

Step 1: Add “slightly softened” butter (somewhere in between straight out of the refrigerator and room temperature) to the mixing bowl along with the Peppermint Extract. After much testing in the Two Sisters Test Kitchen, we determined that a small amount of Peppermint Extract actually gave this frosting a more Mint-y flavor than the Mint Extract did (which really can go towards toothpaste flavor very quickly.)
Step 2: Mix the butter and Peppermint Extract together until they are fully combined (about 2 minutes on medium speed.) You want the extract to fully meld with the butter to get the best-flavored frosting possible. Scrape the sides of the bowl down before moving on to the next step of the recipe.

Collage image showing the steps for adding the cocoa powder to the powdered sugar.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, use a food scale to measure 1 Pound of Powdered Sugar.  If you don’t have a food scale, measure 4 cups instead. 
Step 4: Add 1/2 cup of Unsweetened Cocoa Power to the bowl.
Step 5: Use a fork to whisk together the Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar. We highly recommend that you do not skip this step because you need to fully incorporate the dry ingredients to maximize the chocolate flavor in your frosting and avoid pockets of pure cocoa powder in the frosting.

Collage image showing the steps for adding the powdered sugar to the butter mixture to make the frosting.

Step 6: Pour the Cocoa Powder/Powdered Sugar mixture into the mixing bowl with the butter/peppermint mixture.
Step 7: Two Sisters Tip – cover the mixer with a towel during this part of the mixing process to keep the powdered sugar from flying out of the mixer. Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting gets light and fluffy.
Step 8: If the frosting is too dry, add 1 teaspoon of milk, mix, and check again.
Step 9: Always taste your frosting.  You want to determine two things a) is the flavor correct and b) is the frosting the correct consistency? Do you need to add a little more Peppermint Extract?  Another tablespoon of cocoa power?  If the taste is great, decide if the frosting is too thick or too thin.  If you need to add a little bit more liquid you can add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. You can check out our FAQ section below to see some other advice on making the perfect batch of homemade icing.

How to Serve

Closeup on a decorating bag filled with The Best Chocolate Mint Buttercream Frosting sitting on a white table in front of a batch of unfrosted cupcakes.

How much frosting will you need?  That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough Chocolate Mint Frosting to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake.  If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife.  If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl.

Expert Tips and FAQ’s

Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?

No, the frosting does not need to be refrigerated. For example, brownies frosted with this Chocolate Mint Icing would be fine left out on the counter for 2-3 days if the pan was tightly covered with aluminum foil. That said, we usually refrigerate our frosted desserts to keep the baked good from going stale even if the frosting would be fine. We think frosting tastes best at room temperature so we will then remove the item from the refrigerator a couple of hours before we will serve them.

How do I store any leftover frosting?

Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be good for up to a week. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 months.

What should I do if my frosting turned out too thick?

Add another teaspoon of milk and mix again. Continue to add the milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency that you like it

What should I do if my frosting turned out too thin?

Temperature plays a big part in the consistency of frosting. A thin frosting could mean that the butter has gotten overworked and is too melted. The first thing to do is refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has set back up again. If not, the next step is to add more powdered sugar or cornstarch. Start with either 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar or 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.

Closeup on a chocolate cupcake topped with The Best Chocolate Mint Buttercream Frosting sitting next to a glass bowl filled with cocoa powder.

Other Frosting Recipes You Will Love

The Best Chocolate Mint Buttercream Frosting

Yield 2 1/2 cups
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

The Best Chocolate Mint Buttercream Frosting is the perfect blend of chocolate and mint. Two great tastes that go great together in one easy to make homemade frosting!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Butter, slighltly softened (We use Salted Sweet Cream Butter)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pure Peppermint Extract
  • 1 pound (4 cups) of Powdered Sugar
  • 1 /2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons Milk (if needed)

Instructions

  1. Add “slightly softened” butter (somewhere in between straight out of the refrigerator and room temperature) to the mixing bowl along with the Peppermint Extract. 
  2. Mix the butter and Peppermint Extract together until they are fully combined (about 2 minutes on medium speed.) You want the extract to fully meld with the butter to get the best-flavored frosting possible. Scrape the sides of the bowl down before moving on to the next step of the recipe.
  3. In a separate bowl, use a food scale to measure 1 Pound of Powdered Sugar.  If you don’t have a food scale, measure 4 cups instead. 
  4. Add 1/2 cup of Unsweetened Cocoa Power to the bowl.
  5. Use a fork to whisk together the Cocoa Powder and Powdered Sugar. 
  6. Pour the Cocoa Powder/Powdered Sugar mixture into the mixing bowl with the butter/peppermint mixture.
  7. Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds). Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting gets light and fluffy.
  8. If the frosting is too dry, add 1 teaspoon of milk, mix, and check again.
  9. Always taste your frosting.  You want to determine two things a) is the flavor correct and b) is the frosting the correct consistency? Do you need to add a little more Peppermint Extract?  Another tablespoon of cocoa power?  If the taste is great, decide if the frosting is too thick or too thin.  If you need to add a little bit more liquid you can add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. 

Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!

If you are looking for more tips and tricks for making that perfect batch of homemade frosting we have a few other posts you might want to check out: