These Reindeer Cupcakes bring the magic of Christmas in the form of chocolate cupcakes topped with buttercream frosting and candy decorations! Made with a doctored-up boxed cake mix!
If you’re short on time but still want the excitement of Santas Reindeer at your party check out these Easy Reindeer Cakes! They’re made with Ding Dong Cakes for a quick and easy no bake treat!
You’re certain to bring Christmas excitement to town with these Reindeer Cupcakes! Kids all the way up to adults will be bursting with holiday cheer as they grab one from the dessert table!
These delicious, sweet cupcakes are topped with chocolate antlers, a mini candy bar, candy eyes, and a red M&M. All assembled to look like everyone’s favorite reindeer, Rudolph!
Set out the edible decorations and allow the whole family to get in on making these Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer cupcakes!
About This Reindeer Cupcakes Recipe
Taste: Each bite of these Reindeer Cupcakes greets you with a mouthful of rich, sweet chocolate! Starting with the cupcakes themselves and ending with the decadent chocolate buttercream frosting topped with edible decorations!
Texture: You’ll find a little bit of every texture in these holiday cupcakes! Candy toppings that are both crunchy and soft laying on top of a bed of creamy frosting all nestled on a moist, tender cupcake!
Chocolate Lovers Rejoice!
These Chocolate Reindeer Christmas Cupcakes are sure to make any chocolate lover happy! Though, don’t worry these don’t sit heavy!
To make the cupcakes, I pair a box of dark chocolate fudge cake mix with a package of chocolate fudge instant pudding mix. The chocolate doesn’t stop there though, mini chocolate chips are also added to the batter!
To finish off all of this chocolate goodness, the cupcakes get topped with the Best Chocolate Frosting! It’s so good that you’ll literally be licking the bowl!
If you really want to take these cupcakes up a notch you could give them a surprise filling! To do so, prepare a batch of instant chocolate pudding and then core out the cooled cupcakes.
Afterward, pipe the pudding into the center before frosting!
How To Make Adorable Reindeer Cupcakes
After the cupcakes have been baked and frosted it’s time to assemble the reindeer faces! This is done by using edible decorations! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Antlers – These are made by first melting chocolate melting wafers and transferring the melted chocolate into a piping bag. Afterward, you’ll pipe the chocolate onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in the shape of antlers. Once they set in the refrigerator your chocolate reindeer antlers will be finished! Mini pretzels could also be used in a pinch.
- Head – To bring the reindeer to life I used Milky Way bite size candy bars as the head. Giving these cupcakes more of a reindeer appearance!
- Red Nose – For the nose, red M&Ms are used to create Rudolph cupcakes! I grabbed peanut butter M&Ms but feel free to use your favorite kind! You could also use brown colored ones.
- Eyes – Candy eyes for the win! Such a fun addition to any treats with faces. I get mine in the seasonal aisle of the grocery store or craft store!
Treats with faces like these, Melted Snowman Cookies. and Reindeer Cookies are always a hit at holiday parties! For another kid-friendly treat check out these Meringue Christmas Trees (Cookies & Pops)!
As a family, we also look forward to making Brownie Christmas Trees and Hot Chocolate Brownie Bites!
Can I Make These Cupcakes Ahead Of Time?
You can make the cupcakes ahead of time. However, for the best presentation, I’d suggest frosting them and assembling their faces the day you plan to serve them!
How Do I Store These Reindeer Cupcakes?
Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
Is There A Substitution For The Chocolate Milk That The Cupcake Recipe Calls For?
Yes, you can just use whole milk instead.
What Does Scant Mean When Filling The Cupcake Liners?
Scant refers to an amount that’s just barely reaching, not packed. In cooking, it means not filling the measuring cup, spoon, or liner to the top!
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Reindeer Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix
- 1 (3.9 oz.) package chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup chocolate milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Topping
- 1 cup chocolate melting wafers
- 1 batch Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 24 Milky Way Bite Size Candy Bars or similar
- 48 candy eyes
- 24 red peanut butter M&Ms or red M&Ms of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine all of the cupcake ingredients until well combined, making sure to scrape down the sides as needed.1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix, 1 (3.9 oz.) package chocolate fudge instant pudding mix, 4 large eggs, 1 cup sour cream, ¾ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup chocolate milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp salt, 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Add a scant ¼ cup of batter to each liner so they're about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- While the cupcakes are baking, melt the chocolate melting wafers at 30-second intervals, stirring between each one, until fully melted. Transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag with a small hole cut in the tip and pipe 48 antlers onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator to set.1 cup chocolate melting wafers
- While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting as indicated in the recipe instructions.1 batch Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Add a candy bar to each cupcake to build the reindeer face on.24 Milky Way Bite Size Candy Bars
- Pipe a little frosting on the bar to attach the candy eyes (2 to each candy bar) and to attach an M&M to create the nose.48 candy eyes, 24 red peanut butter M&Ms
- Add 2 antlers to the cupcakes, one on each side of the head.
Notes
- Scant means “just barely.” In cooking, scant refers to an amount that’s just barely reaching; in other words, not packed. When a recipe calls for a scant cup or scant teaspoon of something, don’t fill the measuring cup or spoon to the top.
- Regular whole milk can be used if you do not have chocolate milk on hand.
- If you really want to make these cupcakes over the top, prepare a batch of instant chocolate pudding and core the cupcakes after baking and cooling, and put the pudding in the middle before frosting.
- Can I Make These Cupcakes Ahead Of Time? You can make the cupcakes ahead of time. However, for the best presentation, I’d suggest frosting them and assembling their faces the day you plan to serve them!
- How To Store: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition
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