Mint chocolate cupcakes with mint cream cheese icing

Thanks Nigella.com for the recipe.... http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/mint-chocolate-cupcakes-1170

Ingredients: MAKES 18

225g self raising flour (for the record, I used normal flour and an extra 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
4 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
225g caster sugar (I used normal sugar)
225g butter
4 eggs
1 tsp mint essence
100g choc chips

- Preheat the oven to 160 deg C
- Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa
- In a seperate bowl cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time
- Gradually add flour mixture
- Stir in mint essence and choc chips
- Spoon mixture into paper cases, bake for about 25 mins

Icing: The original recipe was double this, but I iced more than 18 cupcakes with this icing, which was surprising.

1/2 packet of cream cheese (I used light)
1/2c softened butter
1/2 packet of icing sugar
1tsp mint essence

- Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with electric mixer
- Gradually add sugar, beating at low speed
- Add mint extract and mix.

Easy! I also added a bit of green colouring to make it look minty, looks very fake but I love the look. I also crushed a mint aero bar and some flake bars to sprinkle on the top.
These are awesome! I love mint/chocolate as a combination so I love them, but I can't imagine not-mint-inclined people would feel the same. They are a paler brown than the peanut butter cupcakes, and nowhere near as moist, I think they're a bit more appealing.

Enjoy!