These chocolate snowman cupcakes combine rich, moist chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting and are decorated to look just like snowmen.
Snowmen are tied with Santa for me when it comes to classic holiday icons. I mean, from all the Santas Christmas specials to both Frosty specials, both of them are part and parcel of the season. That's why I love making these delicious Christmas cupcakes decorated to look like snowmen. They're both delicious and festive! Perfect for home or to bring to Christmas parties!
Chocolate cupcakes are another classic for me when it comes to any kind of sweet treat. You can do so much with them to make them match any occasion. That's why I find myself making them for almost every holiday, and why I knew they had to be my base for these delicious snowman cupcakes.
Super Festive Chocolate Snowman Cupcakes
These delicious cupcakes were inspired by my snowman cake pops. They've always been such a big hit with family and friends during the holidays, that I knew a snowman theme was the way to go when I began to imagine a new cupcake recipe for the holidays.
If you love holiday-themed treats, then you have to take a look at these donut hole cake pops for Halloween, turkey cake pops for Thanksgiving, and mini Easter cheesecakes for Easter. They're all adorable and make the perfect addition to holiday tables.
These delicious cupcakes are as tasty as they are festive, and they're loaded with classic flavors that we all love during the holiday season. They make the perfect dessert for any ham or turkey dinner for the season.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's so festive. The snowman look makes a great addition to any holiday table.
- It's so easy to make, even though it's fully homemade.
- Simple ingredients. The recipe uses basic baking ingredients.
- Everyone loves cupcakes!
Ingredients
Don't let this somewhat long list of ingredients fool you into thinking this recipe is difficult. It's actually incredibly simple to make. The ingredient list is on the long side because this recipe is fully homemade.
- Flour: The base of almost any cupcake.
- Cocoa powder: Provides deep, rich chocolate flavor.
- Sugar: Cupcakes have to be sweet!
- Baking powder and soda: So your cupcakes rise nicely.
- Salt: Helps the leavening process.
- Eggs: Make the batter rich and moist and the cupcakes rise even better.
- Vanilla Extract: A staple in all baked goods.
- Oil, milk, and boiling water: Provide the liquid needed to make the batter.
- Softened butter: The base of the buttercream frosting.
- Powdered sugar: For a sweet, thick vanilla frosting.
- Vanilla: Makes a great flavor for the vanilla buttercream frosting.
- Milk: Used as necessary to achieve the correct white frosting thickness.
- Green and red M&Ms: For the snowman buttons.
- Marshmallows: To make the marshmallow head.
- Orange sprinkles: For the carrot noses.
- Black edible pen: Black icing to draw on the snowman eyes.
- Pretzel Sticks: Broken in half to create arms for these snowmen cupcakes.
The full ingredient list with quantities is in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Make Chocolate Snowman Cupcakes
This is an incredibly simple recipe to make even though it's completely from scratch. I'll be hitting the high points here. For the full instructions, check the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Combine the dry cupcake ingredients in a bowl. Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry to make the cupcake batter.
2. Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full of batter and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Then, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely.
3. Cream the butter and powdered sugar together in a bowl. Then, add the milk and vanilla and beat well. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
Frost the cupcakes. Then, draw eyes and mouths on the marshmallows and secure and orange sprinkle to each marshmallow using a bit of frosting to make the nose. Add pretzels for arms and M&Ms for buttons.
Substitutions and Variations
- Your favorite cupcake: Use any flavor of cupcake you like for these cupcakes.
- Semi-homemade: You can use cake mix and premade frosting to whip these up in a flash.
If you like Christmas-themed cupcakes like these, then check out these Elf Hat Cupcakes.
What to Serve with Snowman Cupcakes
These delicious cupcakes are fantastic as the star of the show, but they're also fantastic as an addition to any collection of Christmas desserts or Christmas snacks for the holidays. Just set them out on a table with all of your other holiday treats!
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Spoon
- Whisk
- Cupcake tin
- Cupcake liners
- Ziploc bag or piping bag
Storage
On the counter: Store these cupcakes in a covered container on the counter for up to 2 days.
In the refrigerator: For longer storage, you can refrigerate these cupcakes in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Tips
- Let your cupcakes cook completely before frosting them, or the frosting will slide right off of them.
- Don't overfill the cupcake tins or you'll have a mess on your hands.
- A Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off makes a great piping bag for your frosting.
FAQ
You might think so because it's made with butter and milk, but it doesn't!
Such a small amount of milk and butter is used that the large amount of sugar used renders them stable for a few days.
It speeds mixing time and makes softer, moister baked goods.
More Cupcake Recipes You'll Love
Chocolate Snowman Cupcakes
Equipment
- piping bag or resealable bag
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour -
- ½ cup cocoa powder -
- 2 cups sugar -
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder -
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda -
- 1 teaspoon salt -
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract -
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup water boiling
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract -
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
- 24 stick pretzels broken in half
- 48 green and red M&Ms
- 24 large marshmallows
- 24 small orange sprinkles
- black edible pen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well-blended.
- Add eggs, vanilla, oil, and milk. Beat until smooth and uniform.
- Add boiling water. Beat again.
- Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full with batter.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
- To prepare frosting, in a medium mixing bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar together. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and vanilla. Beat well.
- If it is too thick, add more milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Transfer frosting to piping bag or resealable bag and cut the corner off.
- Using the edible pen, draw eyes and mouths on marshmallows.
- Using a small amount of frosting, secure orange sprinkles on marshmallows for the noses.
- Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.
- Add pretzels, M&Ms, and decorated marshmallows.
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