Reindeer Cupcakes

These fabulous reindeer cupcakes are sure to get you into the holiday spirit with their delicious chocolate flavor and cute little pretzel antlers.

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These sweet reindeer cupcakes will make your friends and family feel like they’re at the North Pole! With a soft, spongy chocolate cake base and chocolate frosting topped with cute reindeer faces, these creatures are almost too cute to eat.

Reindeer Cupcakes Ingredients

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You’ll need:

For The Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 1 package of chocolate cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of water
• ½ cup of vegetable oil

For The Reindeer Decorations:

• 2 (16-ounce) tubs of chocolate fudge frosting
• 24 vanilla wafer cookies
• 48 chocolate-covered mini pretzels
• 48 medium candy eyeballs
• Brown and red M&M’s

Substitutions And Additions

CUPCAKES: Use your favorite chocolate cake recipe for the cupcakes or use premade cupcakes from the grocery store.

DECORATION: White candy melts could be substituted for the Nilla wafers. Make different faces/smiles/expressions with the frosting for variety. We used chocolate-covered pretzels. Regular mini pretzels can also be used.

FROSTING: You can use the recommended store-bought frosting, or if you have a preferred homemade recipe, you can also use that.

How To Make This Reindeer Cupcakes Recipe

STEP ONE: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, water, and oil. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer for two to three minutes until fluffy and well combined.

STEP TWO: Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill each liner ⅔ of the way full. 

Bake according to the cake mix package instructions (approximately 15 minutes at 350°F).

STEP THREE: Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

STEP FOUR: If the top of the cupcake has a domed top, use a serrated knife to trim off the dome and form a flat top. Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

STEP FIVE: Transfer about ½ cup of the frosting to a small Ziploc bag and cut a very small opening in the corner to use it as a piping bag.

STEP SIX: Place one vanilla wafer along the edge of each cupcake (off-center).

STEP SEVEN: Place two miniature chocolate-covered pretzels above the vanilla wafer to form the reindeer antlers.

STEP EIGHT: Use the “piping bag” to pipe two small dots of frosting and place two candy eyes at the base of the pretzels and just above the vanilla wafers.

STEP NINE: Pipe a bit of frosting to glue on the M&M nose.

STEP TEN: Pipe a mouth below the nose.

How To Serve

These adorable Rudolph cupcakes will delight all the little ones at your next holiday party.

Add our Christmas pinwheel cookies and Grinch cookies for more fun and festive treats.

Our reindeer pretzels and reindeer brownies are two more easy recipes to try this holiday season.

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Storing These Christmas Cupcakes

ON THE COUNTER/IN THE FRIDGE: Store your adorable reindeer cupcakes on the countertop at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week.

IN THE FREEZER: These easy cupcakes can be frozen as well.

We would recommend waiting to add the decorations until you are ready to serve, as the pretzels and wafers may become soggy once thawed.

These reindeer cupcakes are the cutest Christmas treats you’ve ever seen. They will make the perfect treat this holiday season. Using a box of cake mix makes it easy to make the cupcakes, and the reindeer faces are so fun to create.

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Reindeer Cupcakes

5 from 2 votes

These fabulous reindeer cupcakes are sure to get you into the holiday spirit with their delicious chocolate flavor and cute little pretzel antlers.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 24

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Ingredients

  

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Cupcakes

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup vegetable oil

Reindeer Decorations

• 2 tubs chocolate fudge frosting (16-ounce)
• 24 vanilla wafer cookies
• 48 chocolate-covered mini pretzels
• 48 medium candy eyeballs
• Brown and red M&M's, for the reindeer's nose

Instructions

 

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, water, and oil. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy and well combined.
• Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill each liner ⅔ of the way full. Bake according to the cake mix package instructions (approximately 15 minutes at 350°F).
• Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
• If the top of the cupcake has a domed top, use a serrated knife to trim off the dome and form a flat top. Frost cupcakes with the chocolate frosting.
• Transfer about ½ cup of the frosting to a small Ziploc bag and cut a very small opening in the corner to use it as a piping bag.
• Place one vanilla wafer along the edge of each cupcake (off center).
• Place two miniature chocolate-covered pretzels above the vanilla wafer to form the reindeer antlers.
• Use the “piping bag” to pipe two small dots of frosting and place two candy eyes at the base of the pretzels and just above the vanilla wafers.
• Pipe a bit of frosting to glue on the M&M nose.
• Pipe a mouth below the nose.

Notes

• Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cupcakes as the suggested baking time approaches.
• A flat top on the cupcakes is helpful to hold the decorations on one plane; otherwise, they start slipping or look funny at different angles. If you use grocery store frosted cupcakes, I’d recommend taking an offset spatula/knife and just smoothing out the frosting into a flat top.

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg

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