Mint Juleps are a “must serve” at any Kentucky Derby party, right? Well, now there’s another fun way to serve this traditional Derby favorite: sweeten up the party with tasty Mint Julep Cupcakes – cleverly garnished with short straws and fresh mint leaves, of course!

We made these cupcakes for a local news segment today… and they were a hit! The recipe is adapted from Cooking & Booking and was first discovered via YumSugar. Even though the recipe calls for a full cup of alcohol, (1/2 c each Creme de Menthe and bourbon or whisky), the flavor of the cupcakes isn’t strong on the alcohol at all. Instead, it’s more of a sweet, buttery vibe with a subtle minty kick. Bake them in silver foil cupcake liners for that “silver julep cup” vibe. (Full recipe below. Enjoy!)

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MINT JULEP CUPCAKES
{adapted from Cooking and Booking}

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
4 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup bourbon (or whiskey)
1/2 cup Creme de Menthe

Icing
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mint extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
milk

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Directions:

Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350º F, and grease or line 30 cupcake cups.

Combine salt, baking powder, and 1 3/4 cups of the flour. Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and extracts in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the milk and liquors to the batter, then the rest of the flour (1 cup). Mix as little as possible, just until the batter comes together. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool.

Icing
Combine the powdered sugar, salt, extracts and melted butter and beat until creamy. Gradually add milk until the texture is right for piping. When the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe or spread the icing on top. Garnish with cake sparkles or sprinkles, a straw (trimmed to size), and mint leaves.

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