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Take your baked desserts to the next level with this delicious Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting. Easy to make and it tastes minty, sweet, and amazing!

Closeup on cupcakes topped with Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting sitting on a white surface next to a ramekin filled with Mini Chocolate Chips.

Chocolate + Mint + Creamy Buttercream Frosting = One of our absolute favorite flavors in our Two Sisters Frosting Series.  This one is a keeper and wow does it tastes great on chocolate cake, cupcakes, cookies, and especially brownies. Make a batch of our Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting today and wait for the compliments to roll in!

How to Make

Collage image showing how to cream the butter and the Peppermint Extract.

Step 1: Add the “slightly softened” butter (not straight out of the refrigerator but not room temperature) to the mixing bowl along with the Peppermint Extract (we think Mint Extract tastes too much like toothpaste in frosting.)
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.
Step 3: 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 powdered sugar to the Mint Chip Buttercream Frosting.

Step 4: We use a food scale to measure the Powdered Sugar, to measure 1 pound of Powdered Sugar.  If you don’t have a food scale, the equivalent is 4 cups.  Do you need to sift the Powdered Sugar? We don’t normally do that but instead rely on our mixer to break up any lumps during the mixing process.
Step 5: Add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl.  
Step 6: Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. (Two Sisters Tip: place a clean dishtowel around your mixer to keep the sugar from flying out.)  Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds), remove the dishtowel, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy. 
Step 7: Taste your frosting! You are trying to determine if the consistency is correct or if it needs a tiny bit more Peppermint Extract. Depending on how it tastes, you will take the next step.  If the frosting has the right taste but is too thick, add some milk and mix again to check to see if it is now the right consistency.  How much milk? That depends on the state of your frosting. A good rule of thumb is to add the milk a teaspoon at a time. You can check out our FAQ section below to see some other advice on making the perfect batch of frosting.

Collage image showing the steps for coloring the Mint Frosting green.

Step 8: The frosting will be white so add a tiny bit of food coloring to get the appropriate Mint color.  We added 1 regular-sized drop of yellow food coloring and 1 very small drop of blue to get this pretty mint green color.
Step 9: Add the food coloring and then mix until the color is thoroughly combined with the frosting.

Collage image showing the steps for adding the chocolate chips into the frosting.

Step 10:  Add the mini chocolate chips and fold them into the frosting. 
Step 11: If you are going to wait to use your frosting until the next day, we suggest waiting to add the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the mint frosting. When you are ready to put your frosting on your baked goods, allow the frosting to come back up to room temperature, and then fold in the chocolate chips.  If you refrigerate the frosting with the chocolate chips in them and then stir the frosting the chocolate chips can melt a bit into the frosting and create chocolate streaks in the frosting.  The taste isn’t affected but it doesn’t look as pretty.

How to Serve

Closeup on a decorating bag filled with Mint Chip Frosting sitting in front of a batch of unfrosted chocolate 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 Mint Chip 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. 

Expert Tips and FAQ’s

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.

Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?

No, the frosting does not need to be refrigerated. For example, brownies frosted with this Mint Chip 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.

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

Is there a substitute for milk?

Yes. You can use Half n’ Half or Whipping Cream or even almond milk or another milk substitute.

Closeup on three chocolate cupcakes frosted with Mint Chocolate Chip frosting sitting on a white table next to a bowl filled with chocolate chips.

Other Frosting Recipes You Will Love

Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream FrostingPrint

Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting

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

Take your baked desserts to the next level with this delicious Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Frosting. Easy to make and it tastes minty, sweet and amazing!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Butter, slightly softened (We use Salted Sweet Cream Butter)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
  • 1 pound Powdered Sugar (or 4 cups)
  • 3/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
  • 1 Tablespoon Milk
  • Food Coloring - Yellow and Blue

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.)
  3. Scrape the sides of the bowl down before moving on to the next step of the recipe.
  4. Add 1 pound (or 4 cups) of powdered sugar to the mixing bowl.  
  5. Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds).
  6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  7. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy. 
  8. Taste your frosting. You are trying to determine if the consistency is correct or if it needs a tiny bit more Peppermint Extract. If the frosting has the right taste but is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk and mix again to check to see if it is now the right consistency.  
  9. Color the frosting with 1 regular-sized drop of yellow food coloring and 1 very small drop of blue to get this pretty mint green color.
  10. Fold in 3/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

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

© Two Sisters Crafting
Cuisine: American / Category: Frosting