Chocolate Mint Chip Cupcakes {in a jar}

Bake up your favorite Chocolate Cupcake mix or recipe. Bake the cupcakes in paper wrappers (as you would normally). Allow the cupcakes to cool while you make the frosting.

Mint Chip Frosting-
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 oz (1/2 block) cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2-2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring (I used Americolor mint green)
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (in bar form), chopped.

Directions-
1.) Chop the chocolate and set aside (I would not recommend chocolate chips, as they will be a bit too chunky). Chop so that each piece of chocolate is no larger than a mini chocolate chip. Set chopped chocolate aside.
2.) In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
3.) Add cream cheese, and continue to beat until smooth and fully incorporated.
4.) Begin adding powdered sugar, one cup at a time (while mixing). After you’ve added 1 cup of powdered sugar, add a tablespoon of heavy cream.
5.) Continue adding powered sugar and heavy cream alternately, until you’ve added all 4 cups of sugar, and 4 tablespoons of cream.
6.) Continue mixing, and add vanilla and 1 1/2 teaspoons of mint extract. Once incorporated, stop mixer and taste frosting for minty-ness. Decide if you’d like to add an additional 1/2 teaspoon mint.
7.) Add 1 or 2 drops of green food coloring and blend until fully incorporated.
8.) Continue to beat an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. As needed, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
9.) Add most of the chopped chocolate, reserving about 1/3 of it for garnish. Beat just until incorporated.
Fill (2/3 full) a large piping bag fitted with an extra large round tip , or add frosting to a large ziplock type bag and snip off one end (to make an opening about 1/2 inch diameter).
Begin assembly by removing the wrappers from the cupcakes, and cut each cupcake in half (horizontally).
Add 1 cupcake half to the bottom of several jars, then squeeze a layer of frosting on top. Be a bit stingy with the frosting, or it will overpower the slice of cupcake.
Continue by adding another cupcake half, and another layer of frosting.
Add one final cupcake half, and a final layer of frosting. Garnish with some of the reserved chopped chocolate.
So each jar should have 3 cupcake halves (1 1/2 cupcakes).
Serve immediately, or cover jars with lids and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.