Easy Reindeer Cupcakes Recipe

Reindeer Cupcakes – made with a vanilla cupcake, chocolate frosting and fun pretzel twists, these easy Christmas cupcakes are inspired by a classic Christmas movie. Let me show you how to make these adorable cute cupcakes that are from scratch and not a cake mix. 

I’m excited to be sharing these adorable Reindeer Cupcakes with you today.  I’ve been wanting to do more fun recipes and I think these are perfect. These are great for your upcoming parties with family and friends or if your kids have parties at school and you need to send in treats.

Reindeer Cupcakes with Pretzels

I have to be honest with you, I really do miss those days of sending in treats with the kids for classroom parties. It seems I was always baking when the kids were in grade school, not to mention when our son was on the football team.  

Another fun idea for these reindeer cupcakes with pretzels would be to have the kids decorate their very own cupcake on Christmas Day. It’s always fun to have an activity of some sort for the kids to help with all the excitement of opening gifts and getting together with the cousins.

Christmas Cupcake Recipes

This is a homemade vanilla cupcake recipe with an easy homemade chocolate frosting recipe.  If you’re pressed for time you can always substitute a boxed cake mix and a canned frosting. However, you will be surprised at what a difference in taste there is with the homemade cupcakes and frosting.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

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• Candy eyes
• Small pretzel twists
• Muffin/Cupcake Pan
• Cookie scoops – these help with getting the cake batter in the cupcake liners and not all over the cupcake pan.  Trust me.
• Christmas cupcake wrappers – these are perfect for school parties!

Ingredients

Make sure you print out the recipe below and save it for later!

Ingredients for the Cupcakes

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

Ingredients for the Frosting

• 1/3 cup butter softened
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients for Decorating the Cupcakes

• 24 pretzel twists
• 12 red M and M’s candy pieces
• 24 candy eyes

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. In another bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.

Add dry ingredients slowly to wet, mixing between each addition. Stir in milk and continue to mix until all is combined. 

Cupcake Tip – Don’t Skip this Step!

Arrange the cupcake liners in the cupcake pan. Spray the cupcake liners with non-stick cooking spray. Do not skip this step as it will help the baked cupcakes remove easily from the liners.

Using a cookie scoop fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for a few minutes then remove the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.

How to Prepare the Chocolate Frosting

In a large bowl, mix butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and mix well.

If frosting is too dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk and mix. If it is too runny, add a small amount of powdered sugar. Repeat either of these until you reach the desired consistency for your frosting.

How to Frost Reindeer Cupcakes

• Spread the frosting on the top of each cupcake using either the back of a knife or an offset spatula.
• Or you can also use disposable decorating pastry bags fitted with a swirl type tip to get a more professional look to the cupcakes. 
• To make your reindeer face, use two pretzel twists for antlers, candy eyes, and red M and M’s for the nose.

Tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments and don’t forget to rate it!

Like this recipe? Try these other Christmas Treats: 

• Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
• Reindeer Cupcakes
• Candy Cane Parfaits
• Santa Reindeer Treats
• Hugs Pretzels with FREE Printable Gift Tags
• Three Ingredient Oreo Truffles

Easy Reindeer Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Reindeer Cupcakes - Inspired by a classic Christmas movie, these homemade cupcakes are sure to be a hit this holiday season.

Print

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

For the Frosting

• 1/3 cup butter softened
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 24 pretzel twists
• 12 red M and M's
• 24 candy eyes

Instructions

How to Make the Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line your cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers.
2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.
4. In another bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
5. Add dry ingredients slowly to wet ingredients being sure to mix completely between each addition.
6. Stir in the milk and combine.
7. Using a large cookie scoop, fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
9. Let cool in pan for a few minutes then remove the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.

How to Make the Chocolate Frosting

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla.
2. Add the powdered sugar and mix well.
3. If the frosting is too dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk and mix. If it is too runny, add a small amount of powdered sugar.
4. Repeat either of these until you reach the desired consistency for your frosting.

How to Decorate the Cupcakes

1. Spread the frosting on the top of each cupcake using either the back of a knife or an offset spatula.
2. You can even use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative swirl tip.
3. To make your reindeer face, use two pretzel twists for antlers, candy eyes, and red M and M's for the nose.
   

Notes

• Spray the paper muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray before adding the cupcake batter. This will help the baked cupcake not stick to the paper muffin cups.
• Make sure the cupcakes are cooled completely before adding the frosting or the frosting will begin to melt.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Cookie Scoops
• 
  Christmas Cupcake Toppers and Wrappers 
• 
  Nonstick Bakeware 12-Cup Muffin Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 434Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 470mgCarbohydrates: 74gFiber: 2gSugar: 39gProtein: 6g

The nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you, please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator.

This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2017 with new photos and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them! 

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