Mint Julep Cupcakes
Mint Julep Cupcakes Recipe: A Boozy Dessert for Your Kentucky Derby Party. The Kentucky Derby is coming up soon, and what better way to celebrate than with some mint julep cupcakes? This recipe is a fun twist on the traditional drink and is the perfect dessert for your derby day party.
Ingredients needed :
- Butter, room temperature
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Mint extract
- Eggs
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Bourbon/Whiskey
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh mint leaves for garnishing
Supplies Needed for Mint Julep Cupcake Recipe:
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Medium Bowl
- Small Bowl or measuring cup
- Electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Cupcake pan
To make the cupcakes, start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a liquid measuring cup combine the milk, bourbon and vanilla, and mint extract.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Then, add 1 cup of milk mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the buttercream frosting, cream together butter and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Add in cream, bourbon and mint extract mixing on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
Scoop the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and frost the cupcakes. Garnish with mint sprigs.
For an extra boozy dessert, you can brush some simple syrup mixed with extra bourbon on top of each cupcake before frosting. And if you want a non-alcoholic cupcake, you can skip the bourbon and crème de menthe and just focus on the vanilla and mint flavor.
Whether you’re a fan of mint julep drinks or not, these mint julep cupcakes are sure to be a hit. They’re a perfect dessert for your Kentucky Derby party, and with a good mint julep in hand and big hats around, you’ll feel like you’re right at Churchill Downs. Enjoy!
Update- I shot a video making these cupcakes for ABC news! Check it out here!
Mint Julep Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure mint extract
- 4 eggs
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup of bourbon (or whiskey) (plus extra for tops of the cakes.)
- frosting:
- 2 sticks of butter (softened)
- 4-6 cups of powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp mint extract
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 1/4 cup of milk or cream
- Mint leaves for garnishing
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350º F, line 24 cupcake tins with liners and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine salt, baking powder, and 1 3/4 cups of the flour.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and extracts in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the milk and bourbon to the batter, and then the remaining flour (1 cup). Don't over-mix!
Divide batter equally amongst the 24 tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool.
Once cool, prick the tops of each cake with a fork and brush tops with bourbon.)
For Frosting:
Whip the butter until creamy and pale. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until thick and paste-like. (You may not need all 6 cups.)
Add the extract and bourbon and then the milk- 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting is thick and creamy. Add additional powdered sugar or milk if the frosting is too wet or dry.
Swirl or pipe frosting onto cupcakes and garnish with a mint leaf or straw. (Optional.)
Yum! These sound so tasty!
These cupcakes looks so good that I don’t want to damage the decoration. With its mint flavor, this cupcakes is perfect refreshment.
These are so cute! I do watch the Derby, but mostly because I live in Maryland not too far from Pimlico, so it’s a big deal around here.
Being from Kentucky – I totally appreciate you posting this cupcake recipe. I am going to send the link to all my KY friends. If you ever get the chance, you should come to the Derby, if for no other reason that just to see the hats. They are incredible in person!
What a fabulous idea for cupcakes, Audra! These look so simple yet delicious, and I love your little straw detail! Too cute.
These are too cute and a great way to celebrate the derby…even for those who aren’t big fans (including me!)
I’m obsessing over the straws. Too cute!
I would love to drink my dessert. Perfect! And the straws, too cute!
LOVE the straw touch!!
Anything involving bourbon and big hats is perfect in my book. And I love the straws!
very cute!
those look wonderful and you are certainly timely with the mint julip
I don’t even like mint, but I love your presentation with the little straw – adorable!
These look so pretty! The flavors sound wonderful. I am not sure I have ever had a Mint Julep before, I might have to change that!
What a lovely ode to a southern classic!
I wish you could bake for me. Need to make a dessert tomorrow. Ugh.
Such cute cupcakes! I love the cupcake wrappers.
Made these for a Derby Party yesterday. They were the hit of the party!
Oh yay! I’m so glad you liked them!
was looking for a “bourbon” cupcake…found this recipe…replaced all the mint extract with vanilla extract…my oh my! this recipe is fantastic! the cupcake texture was exactly what i was looking for. the icing was really easy to work with (it seemed to work better piped than spread). i used four roses bourbon and the kick was there. i have taste tested one that was slightly above room temperature and another that was just out of the fridge. you could taste more flavors in the warmer one…so definitely bring them to room temp before serving! thanks for such a great idea!
A) Using this site you understand that no part of the Minecraft game is actually served from our servers and that you are playing the official game streamed directly from minecraft.
net.
I made these last year and this year for our local steeplechase. They are phenomenal! This year I used all vanilla in the cupcake recipe instead of mint extract, but left the mint in the icing. I think they came out better this way – the mint was a tad overwhelming (for me) in the cake last year. The brushed bourbon on top of the cupcake adds such a great dimension, and the icing is sooooo good, even on it’s own! I used heavy cream in the icing and added a pinch of salt to cut down the sweetness of the powdered sugar. Thanks, Audra, for one the most requested cupcake recipes I’ve ever made!
I am obsessed with desserts! Definitely mint julep cupcakes will be yummy! I’m seriously so inspired right now. I need to add honey instead of sugar to recipe and it would be perfect. Thx for sharing Audra!
Wow! This is gorgeous. I bet they would be scrumptious mint julep cupcakes amazing for kids. Will definitely try this for my son. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely love your creative idea with mint julep cupcakes! Can I post it on my blog? Thanks for sharing!
Sure you can share the recipe with credit or the photo with a link, but not both please :)
Audra, your mint julep cupcakes look so festive! Thanks!
Now this is a recipe I thoroughly enjoyed, the bourbon and mint complement each other quite nicely.
Your Mint julep cupcakes is goodness….
i love this .i will try made it.i mint julep cupcakes love.thanks for this post
it is very yummy. i love this recipe.
I love mint julep cupcakes.its looking yummy and Alluring.i made it on my friend birthday.All friends liked it,