Description
These festive cupcake ornaments are a delightful holiday treat featuring classic cupcakes topped with smooth, colorful frosting and Reese’s miniature cups to resemble Christmas ornaments. Perfect for holiday parties or as a fun baking activity with kids, these cupcakes combine fluffy frosting with vibrant designs for a charming presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcakes
- 24 cupcakes, baked in cupcake liners
- 24 Reese’s miniature cups
Frosting
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Red, blue, and green icing pens (or color your own homemade frosting)
Instructions
- Prepare the frosting: Combine the powdered sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more evaporated milk to thin as needed.
- Separate frosting for coloring: Place about 3/4 cup of frosting into two small bowls. Add a few drops of red food coloring into one bowl and a few drops of green food coloring into the other. Mix until the desired colors are achieved.
- Frost the cupcakes: Use the remaining 1 1/2 cups of white frosting to frost the tops of all 24 cupcakes evenly.
- Prepare piping bags: Transfer the red and green colored frosting into separate piping bags or ziplock bags with a small hole cut in one corner for decorating.
- Decorate cupcakes: Pipe ornament designs onto the frosted cupcakes using the red and green frosting colors. Get creative with patterns and festive shapes.
- Finish with Reese’s cups: Place one Reese’s miniature cup inside each cupcake liner on top of the frosting to resemble the ornament cap. For an extra touch, twist a paper clip into a small fish hook shape and stick it into the Reese’s cup to mimic an ornament hanger.
Notes
- If frosting is too runny, chill it for a few minutes to firm up before decorating.
- You can substitute regular milk for evaporated milk if needed.
- Use gel food coloring for more vibrant frosting colors without altering consistency significantly.
- Decorate cupcakes immediately after frosting to prevent the frosting from drying out.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute the butter with a vegan margarine and check that the powdered sugar is vegan-friendly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
