It’s the holiday season – which means it’s time to start baking! This year, why not wow your guests with creative and delicious Christmas cupcakes? I have 25+ awesome ideas for you to try this year.
25+ Cutest and Most Creative Christmas Cupcakes to WOW Your Guests
1. Gingerbread Cupcakes
Gingerbread is synonymous with Christmas, and these cupcakes are just too good to pass up. The best part? They’re so easy to make. Along with the usual baking suspects, you’ll need classic holiday spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) and some molasses. Try adding crushed gingerbread cookies as a finishing touch for these tasty treats.
2. White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
How adorable are these peppermint cupcakes? I love that they’re filled with a soft white chocolate fudge and topped with candy cane-swirled buttercream. Add mini candy canes and crushed peppermint to finish these Instagram-worthy cupcakes.
Related: 25 Christmas Finger Food Ideas to Try This Year
3. Soft Gingerbread Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
These cupcakes are decadently soft and adorable, thanks to the waving gingerbread men. Both the cake and frosting recipes are easy to follow.
While you can use store-bought gingerbread man cookies, I recommend making your own and using this fun waving gingerbread man cookie cutter to shape your treats.
Don’t forget to add a dusting of cinnamon to your cupcakes before serving.
4. Fudgy Reindeer Cupcakes
These reindeer cupcakes are adorable, and this is one recipe the kids will be eager to help with. Chocolate, fudgy cupcakes topped with an irresistible chocolate buttercream frosting and decorated to look like little reindeer. You’ll need pretzels for the antlers, M&Ms for the nose, and edible eyes.
5. Hot Cocoa Cupcake Mugs
These are some of the most creative Christmas cupcakes I’ve seen. Soft chocolate cupcakes topped with buttercream frosting, mini marshmallows, crushed peppermint and chocolate chips. Mini candy canes are attached to the side to transform each cupcake into a “mug.” This recipe calls for cake mix, which will save you some time in the kitchen.
6. Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cupcakes
These fancy cupcakes are sure to impress your guests. They’re a labor of love, but they are worth every second of your time. Each gorgeous cupcake is stuffed with cranberry compote and topped with a white chocolate orange buttercream frosting. Top with white sprinkles and sugared cranberries for a show-stopping dessert everyone will love.
7. Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Buttercream
These hot chocolate cupcakes are delightful, and they look adorable topped with mini marshmallows and hot fudge.
The recipe is super simple and uses a chocolate fudge cake mix to speed things up. Hot cocoa and chocolate pudding make these cupcakes extra-rich and decadent.
8. Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes
We love all things gingerbread during the holidays, and these cupcakes are extra-special because they’re topped with espresso buttercream (yum!). You’ll need espresso baking powder and gingerbread man cookies to decorate your cupcakes.
9. Strawberry Christmas Tree Cupcakes
This cupcake’s frosting hides a sweet surprise: strawberries. What a creative way to get a Christmas tree shape for the top of a cupcake.
This creative blogger gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make these adorable cupcakes.
Related: 15+ Outdoor Christmas Decoration Ideas That Are Full of Style
10. Sugar Plum Fairy Cupcakes
These whimsical cupcakes are topped with gum drops, sugar cookies, sprinkles and peppermint candies. The rich, moist cake features peach jam to give it an extra-sweet taste. Vanilla almond buttercream completes these delicious cupcakes that will disappear as soon as you serve them to guests.
11. Black Forest Cupcake Wreath
Here’s a creative way to serve your Christmas cupcakes – turn them into a giant wreath. This pull-apart style cupcake wreath features a delicious chocolate cake base and decadent buttercream frosting topped with sweet cherries and shaved chocolate.
12. Santa Belt Cupcakes
These Santa belt cupcakes are perfect for family parties, and the kids can even help decorate them. The cupcakes themselves are just a simple vanilla cake recipe topped with homemade buttercream frosting.
You’ll need piping bags and tips for this recipe to make Santa’s buttons and belt buckle.
13. Melting Snowman Cupcakes
These melting snowman cupcakes are so fun and creative. They look complicated, but they’re super simple to make. Just use your favorite cake mix for the cupcakes and top with white frosting. Add a marshmallow for the snowman’s head, and use pretzels for arms. Use black and orange frosting for the buttons, eyes and nose.
14. Grinch Inspired Cupcakes
No list of Christmas cupcakes is complete without at least one Grinch-themed recipe. You’ll need to get creative with this one because the hat, eyes and expression are all freehand-drawn with a piping bag. The cake itself is simple to make. You’ll need a good food coloring set to get all of the different colored frostings right.
15. Eggnog Cupcakes
These eggnog cupcakes are one of my favorite holiday treats. Both the cake and the frosting have eggnog, so the flavor really comes through. To make these cupcakes extra-special, add a cinnamon stick and a dusting of nutmeg to each one.
16. Christmas Tree Cupcakes
These Christmas tree cupcakes are perfect for any holiday party, and I love that the cupcakes have an espresso flavor. The frosting is super easy to make. Just make sure you grab some star sprinkles and colorful holiday sprinkles to make the frosting look like a Christmas tree.
17. Easy Snowman Cupcakes
Snowmen cupcakes are so cute, but this one may be my favorite one on the list. You’ll make your cupcakes like normal – you know the drill by now – and then dip the white-frosted cupcake into a mixture of crystallized decorating sugar and vanilla frosting.
And to make the snowman face, you’ll use mini chocolate chips and butterscotch chips for the nose.
18. Christmas Wreath Cupcakes
Is it a cupcake or a wreath? And, before looking at the recipe, can we all appreciate the adorable bow on the cupcake? If you have time this holiday season, you can make these picture-perfect cupcakes with:
- Blue food coloring
- White melting wafers
- Blue party sprinkles
And for the ribbon that I just mentioned, the author of this recipe uses a ribbon mold and pours the white chocolate into it. Amazon has molds that will work perfectly for this occasion.
Related: Easy Christmas Treats – 25+ Recipes to Wow Your Guests
19. Snowman Cupcakes
Snowmen are always on the television at this time of year and in peoples’ yards (when it does snow). And now, you can make these adorable snowman cupcakes featuring a classic vanilla buttercream frosting.
And then comes the fun part of making the snowman out of icing and sprinkles.
If you need a true centerpiece for your table this Christmas, these cupcakes are it. They taste as amazing as they look.
20. White Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Cupcakes
White chocolate peppermint Christmas cupcakes look amazing on your table during the holidays, and this recipe “cheats” a little but because you’re using:
- Vanilla cake mix
- White chocolate pudding mix
But you’ll also need vanilla extract, confectioners’ sugar, candy canes, peppermint bark squares and crunch baking chips.
21. Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
Does peppermint remind you of Christmas? These cupcakes are decadent and stunning to look at. To make them, you’ll add peppermint extract to the cupcake batter, but the frosting is where all of the action is at. Your chocolate peppermint drizzle is made from bittersweet chocolate, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and crushed candy canes.
Bake in a 12-cup cupcake pan and you’re good to go.
22. Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Chocolate. Peppermint. What’s not to like? Indulgent doesn’t even begin to describe these cupcakes, with mint chocolate mousse, marshmallow frosting, peppermint extract, heavy cream, cream of tartar and other divine ingredients.
23. Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes
Chocolate-covered pretzels are one of my fave snacks. Add them on top of a cupcake and I can barely control my tastebuds. For the salty pretzel frosting, you’ll need:
- Pretzel crumbs
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cocoa powder
And to finish the decoration on top, you’ll add semi-sweet chocolate chips, chocolate-covered pretzels and heavy whipping cream.
24. Polar Bear Cupcakes
Polar bear cupcakes are easy to make and taste delish if you are a fan of coconut. The topping uses butter, icing sugar, milk, fondant icing and shredded coconut flakes. You can easily prep these cupcakes in 10 minutes and be eating them 20 minutes later.
25. White Chocolate & Orange Reindeer Cupcakes
It’s going to be hard for anyone making these Christmas cupcakes to eat them with how cute the reindeer faces are. For the “decorations,” you’ll use red and black fondant and edible glitter, and marmalade is added to the middle of the cupcakes for a surprise treat for anyone eating them.
If you have kids, this is a great recipe that they can help with to make the baking a true family-friendly event.
26. S’mores Cupcakes
If you love bonfires and s’mores, you’ll want to try this recipe – now. Sixteen servings of pure bliss await as you make traditional cupcakes with flour, milk, vanilla extract, eggs and other ingredients, and a homemade icing.
But the real fun comes with the sinful garnish made of graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallow sauce, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
27. Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
We’re starting and ending with gingerbread cupcakes today. Nicole Crocker offers an amazing recipe that takes just 35 minutes to bake up 33 delish cupcakes. You’ll need the usual suspects: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, molasses, flour and more.
You’ll also need caramel sauce, which you’ll drizzle on top of the frosting.
