Name: Easy Reindeer Cupcakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 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; 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

Reindeer Cupcakes – Inspired by a classic Christmas movie, these homemade cupcakes are sure to be a hit this holiday season. Let me show you how to make these adorable cute cupcakes that are from scratch and not a cake mix.

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!

Reindeer Cupcakes

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.

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 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.

Homemade Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

This is a homemade vanilla cupcake recipe with an easy homemade chocolate frosting recipe. However, for the sake of time you can always substitute a boxed cake mix and a canned frosting, however, you will be surprised at how amazing the homemade cupcakes and frosting do taste.

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

How to Make the Cupcake Batter

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.

Easy Tip for Filling the Cupcake Pan

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 Decorate the Reindeer Face

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.

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Check out these 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.

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

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line your cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the 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 ingredients being sure to mix completely between each addition.
Stir in the milk and combine.
Using a large cookie scoop, fill the cupcake liners 2/3 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 Make the Chocolate Frosting

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla.
Add the powdered sugar and mix well.
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.
Repeat either of these until you reach the desired consistency for your frosting.

How to Decorate the Cupcakes

Spread the frosting on the top of each cupcake using either the back of a knife or an offset spatula.
You can even use a pastry bag fitted with a decorative swirl tip.
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

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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.