She looked so pretty that I almost started to cry!  Now, I know that the white on white counter tops is not ideal.  HOWEVER, one day I will have my dream kitchen with marble countertops and this beauty will just POP! 

 

So, what was the occasion?  A holiday themed Whoopie Pie for my work party!

 

I must say, I was amazed with how easy baking could be where the mixer does all the work…I just had to figure out which one was the ‘Paddle Attachment’.

 

I decided to make one HUGE chocolate whoopie pie with mint buttercream filling.  Believe it or not, I have never made the basic chocolate cake.  With my new mixer, it was super easy!

 

The cake was rich and chocolaty!

 

I took a tiny taste of the dough before creating these perfect chocolate cakes!.

  

 

While they cooled, I got to work on my mint buttercream frosting.

 

The buttercream came together quickly.  Since I wasn’t getting my typical arm workout from my hand mixer, I used the extra time to crush up some MINT M&M’s in my mini food processor.

 

I stirred the crushed M&M’s and some chocolate chips into the frosting for a little crunch.

 

If I do say so myself, the frosting turned out INCREDIBLE!  I made both parts ahead of time (storing the cakes in an airtight container and the frosting in the fridge) and assembled the pie at work.

 

It was a unique and festive dessert for our afternoon of holiday fun!

 

Mint Buttercream Frosting with Mint M&M’s

Adapted from Whoopie Pies

1 cup mint M&M’s

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 tbsp heavy (whipping) cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp mint extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

 

-Beat together confectioners’ sugar and butter starting on low and increasing to medium speed until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute.

-Add the heavy cream, vanilla, mint extract, and salt and beat on high until smooth, about 3 minutes.

-Use food processor to crush M&M’s.

-Stir crushed candies and chocolate chips into frosting just until combined.

-Use as whoopie pie filling or to frost cupcakes or cookies***

***Or just eat it plain!