Easy & Adorable Reindeer Cupcakes 🦌
Get ready for a festive treat with these easy and adorable reindeer cupcakes! Perfect for holiday parties or a special treat, these cupcakes are fun to make and delicious to eat.
Equipment
- Cupcake baking pan
- Cooling Rack
- Microwave-safe Bowl
- Disposable decorating bags
- Small round decorating tip (e.g., Wilton #4)
- Larger round decorating tip (e.g., Wilton #10)
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 box yellow cake mix about 15.25 oz, plus ingredients to make it
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix about 3.4 oz, for moisture
- 1 extra egg for moisture
- Festive paper cupcake liners
Decorations
- 1 bag chocolate candy melts about 12 ounces
- 1 tube red decorator icing about 4.25 ounces
- 1 tube brown decorator icing about 4.25 ounces
- 1 tube black decorator icing about 4.25 ounces
- Edible eyeball sprinkles optional
- small red candies like M&Ms, optional, for noses
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your cupcake baking pan with festive paper liners. Prepare your cupcake batter according to your chosen recipe or box mix instructions. For even cupcakes, use a cookie scoop to fill each liner. Bake as recommended, usually around 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- While your cupcakes are baking, grab a microwave-safe bowl and melt your chocolate candy melts. Heat them on 30% power in short 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until completely smooth.
- Snip the tip off a disposable decorating bag and fit it with a small round decorating tip (like Wilton #4). Fill the bag with the melted chocolate. Lay out a piece of parchment paper and carefully draw "Y" shaped antlers. Make a few extra, just in case some break! Let them set and dry completely.
- Once your cupcakes are baked, let them cool down on a cooling rack for about 15-20 minutes. They need to be cool before decorating!
- While the cupcakes cool, get two more disposable decorating bags ready with larger round decorating tips (like Wilton #10). Fill one bag with brown icing and the other with red icing. For the black icing, use a decorating bag with a smaller tip (like Wilton #4).
- Take the bag with brown icing and hold it vertically over a cooled cupcake. Start at the outer edge and gently swirl the icing in a clockwise motion, moving towards the center, to create a smooth, reindeer-like base.
- Carefully add two chocolate antlers into the frosting on each cupcake. Using the black icing, pipe two small dots for the reindeer's eyes. Finish by piping a cute red nose in the center with the red icing. If you're using edible eyeball sprinkles or red candies, now's the time to add them for extra fun!
- Step back and enjoy your adorable herd of reindeer cupcakes! They're perfect for holiday parties or a special treat.
Notes
Nutrition facts are estimates and will vary based on your chosen cupcake recipe, ingredients, and icing brands.
Calories: 280 (per cupcake, estimated)
Total Carbs: 45g (per cupcake, estimated)
Net Carbs: 43g (per cupcake, estimated)
Fats: 12g (per cupcake, estimated)
Protein: 3g (per cupcake, estimated)
