• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Peppermint Cupcakes

• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg, egg white, yogurt, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until combined.
• Alternate adding the flour mixture and the Lifeway Kefir milk to the wet ingredients (flour, milk, flour), whisking just until everything is combined (be careful not to overmix).
• FIll each cupcake liner ¾ of the way full (just under 3 tablespoons of batter) and bake for 15-18 minutes. Use a toothpick to check the centers for doneness and let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them over to a wire rack to cool completely.

White Chocolate Ganache

• In a small bowl, add the white chocolate chips. Set aside.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the heavy whipping cream until bubbling (25-40 seconds). Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and allow it to sit for 3 minutes, then whisk together until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Peppermint Frosting

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy (about 1-2 minutes). Add the powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract and mix on low speed until combined (about 30 seconds). Then increase the speed to high and beat for another 1-2 minutes (frosting should be light and creamy).

Assemble

• Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a piping tip (or a small sharp knife) to carefully cut out the centers. Be careful not to go through the bottom of the cupcake. Fill each cupcake with the ganache filling.
• Frost the cupcakes. I placed the frosting in a piping bag and used the Wilton 1M piping tip. Add crushed candy cane pieces and one mini candy cane to the top of each cupcake.
• Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.