Reindeer Cupcakes

Name: Reindeer Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 box chocolate cake mix; 3 large eggs; 1 cup water; ½ cup vegetable oil; 2 tubs chocolate fudge frosting ((16-ounce)); 24 vanilla wafer cookies; Brown and red M&M's, (for the reindeer's nose); 48 chocolate-covered mini pretzels; 48 medium candy eyeballs

a overhead shot of a Reindeer Cupcake on a log

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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Table of Contents

Reindeer Cupcakes Ingredients
How To Make this Reindeer Cupcakes Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
More Recipes You’ll Love
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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

Reindeer Cupcakes raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

For the Chocolate Cupcakes

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

For the Reindeer Decorations

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

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 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy and well combined.

cake mix, eggs, water, and oil combined in a cup

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).

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

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.

fill cupcake liner with the batter in a cupcake pan

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 the chocolate frosting.

PRO TIP:

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.

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).

vanilla wafer placed along the edge of the cupcake

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

miniature chocolate covered pretzel placed above the vanilla waffer

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.

glue on m&M and mouth with a dot of frosting

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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Storage

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 1 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.

a overhead shot of Reindeer Cupcakes on a log

These are the cutest Christmas cupcakes 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.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I store these cupcakes on the counter?

Our cute reindeer cupcakes can be kept either on the counter or in the fridge for up to a week.

Can I freeze these cupcakes?

These fun chocolate reindeer cupcakes can be frozen for up to a month. We would recommend waiting to add the faces until you are ready to enjoy them so that the toppings don’t get soggy.

Can I use my own cupcake recipe?

If you have a preferred homemade cupcake recipe, you can certainly whip up a batch if you’d like.

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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

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

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
Brown and red M&M's, for the reindeer's nose
48 chocolate-covered mini pretzels
48 medium candy eyeballs

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

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Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Rhadonda Sedgwick Creative Director
Stefanie Knaus Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant

Reindeer Cupcakes

Reindeer Cupcakes Ingredients

How To Make this Reindeer Cupcakes Recipe

How To Serve

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