Mint Chocolate Hi-Hat Cupcakes

Hi Hats! I've been wanting to make these for a while, they just were never meant to be... until now! They are just wonderous to look at, for a while at least.... after an hour or so of looking at them they started to resemble poop... which is not in the least bit appetizing, but I'm sorry for discouraging you because these in no way taste like poop... I assure you that much! I don't usually bake at night as I like daylight for the best photos but there's something about these night shots that are magical; I just adore the bokeh! Or maybe it's the magic of the hi-hat as well...

These cupcakes were gooey mint-chocolate-y deliciousness. I wanted to try something a little different than the traditional hi-hat so I decided to go with chocolate mint, using my favorite stumbled upon recipe. I heard some mixed views on Martha's recipe, so I went with this one, using a meringue frosting instead. I was so proud of them and how pretty the mountains were, but alas they were too pretty for their own good and as fate would have it they got crushed while I was transporting them.... aww shucks!

First, you bake your cupcakes and let them cool:

Then you make your frosting, kind of tricky...

Then you coil that frosting up to the heavens high (and enjoy the nice bokeh in the back too)!

Then you finish the rest off, and let them chill in the refrigerator:

Then, melt your chocolate coating:

Until it's nice and smooth:

And so the dipping commences (and more enjoyment of bokeh as well):

Mint Chocolate Hi-Hat Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Slightly adapted from The Barmy Baker; recipe can be found here.

Mint Chocolate cupcake recipe here.

(But you can use any cake you'd like!)

For the frosting:

4 large egg whites

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

For the chocolate coating:

2 cup semi-sweet chocolate

2 tbsn. vegetable oil

Cook the cupcakes and let them cool completely. For the frosting, place the egg whites in a bowl of an electric mixer. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot, combine the water, sugar and cream of tartar and bring to 215 F. Next, start to whip the egg whites until they form stable peaks. Continue heating the sugar mixture to a final temperature of 283 F. Once the peaks are firm, whip on high while adding the hot sugar mixture (VERY carefully)! Then add the vanilla and continue to whip until the whites are at room temperature. Once cool, pipe onto the cupcakes and refrigerate while you are making the coating. To make the coating, combine the chocolate and oil in a double boiler until melted and smooth. Dip the frosting into the chocolate mixture until well coated, using a spoon to pour on top if needed. Allow the excess to drip off and place them on a rack lined with foil/ parchment paper to catch the extra drips. Refrigerate until hardened and set-up. Enjoy!