Christmas Tree Cupcakes
These Christmas Tree Cupcakes will be an instant hit with kids as well as adults this holiday season. Sitting on top of each delicious cupcake is a cute evergreen tree topper that’s made out of chocolate and pretzels! It’s an easy craft that’s perfect for a decorating party.
These yummy festive Christmas Tree Cupcakes combine a recipe and edible craft activity to do with your kids during the holidays. The chocolate cupcakes are easily made with a boxed mix. The frosting is a simple recipe that you can whip together quickly. But the best part? The best part is the adorable pretzel Christmas tree cupcake toppers!
These edible toppers are a sweet way to make any holiday cupcake a party-ready treat. The chocolate and pretzel trees are a fun craft that kids will enjoy helping with. In fact, let them do all the work while you supervise!
You’ll need pretzel sticks, candy melts, a little coconut oil, decorative sprinkles, wax paper, and a ziplock or piping bag. The pretzel trees are ridiculously easy to make. You just lay out the pretzel sticks on the wax paper, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave, add it to a zip lock bag and snip off a corner. Make zig zags across each pretzel with the chocolate to form a tree. Decorate with sprinkles and let them harden before trying to remove them from the wax paper.
It’s super easy and the kids (or you!) will have fun with this creative activity. Note: your first few trees might look a little like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree as you get used to the best way to squeeze the chocolate while making zig zags in the form of a tree. Just in case, you might want to have an extra bag of the green chocolate melting wafers on hand!
Baking and craft tips
- Use your favorite flavor of cupcake mix. Don’t like chocolate cupcakes? Use a vanilla mix. Your choice!
Want to make the frosting look like snow? Sprinkle some shredded coconut on top. Instant snow! - Can’t find green melting wafers? No problem. Get white and add some green coloring to it. Make sure you’re using candy coloring, not food coloring. Here’s a fun tip: you can make different shades of green for the trees by more coloring for a deeper shade.
- Want to go for a winter wonderland theme? Use white melting chocolate to keep the trees white and decorate with white, or gold, or silver, or a combo of sprinkles.
Storing the cupcakes and toppers
If you have leftover cupcakes and/or tree toppers, just store them in an airtight container on the counter for 4-5 days.
Ingredients
For Cake:
1 box of cake mix, I used triple chocolate fudge. (and ingredients for making them as directed)
For Christmas Trees:
decorative Christmas sprinkles
1 tsp of coconut oil or olive oil
1 cup of dark green candy melts
pretzel sticks
plastic zip bag OR piping bag
wax paper
For Frosting:
(Recipe is enough to frost 12 cupcakes. If you need more, double the recipe)
1 stick of butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 – 1 ½ TBSP milk (depending on the desired thickness of your frosting)
Directions
- Bake cupcakes as directed and allow to cool.
- While your cupcakes are baking lay out a sheet of wax paper large enough for you to work.
- Lay your pretzel sticks on the wax paper.
- In a small bowl add candy melts and oil, mix, and microwave 30 seconds. Stir and microwave in 15-second intervals until well mixed and smooth.
- Pour candy mixture into a piping or zip lock bag. Snip a small end of the bag off with scissors.
- Starting about 2/3 of an inch up the pretzel stick, make a zig-zag pattern back and forth up the pretzel stick doing larger zig-zag motions at the bottom (for the widest part of the tree) and getting smaller as you work your way to the top.
- Once your tree is formed, sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles as desired.
- Repeat until you have enough trees for your cupcakes.
- Allow to cool at room temperature or place in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden.
- While your Christmas trees are hardening, place room temperature stick of butter in a medium-sized bowl. Using a hand mixer mix well. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix again until well combined.
- Slowly add milk little by little, mixing in between until you get the thickness/ creaminess that’s desired. I like it to be a bit thicker.
- Choose a piping tip and place it into a piping bag. Snip the end off and spoon frosting into a piping bag.
- Gently peel your pretzel Christmas trees off the wax paper.
- Ice your cupcakes as desired and top with a pretzel Christmas tree.
- You can also add sprinkles on top of the icing or even dust lightly with powdered sugar for extra Christmas decorations.
These adorable Christmas Tree Cupcakes make a great family activity to help brighten the season. Making the tree toppers can be a way to let the kids and adults get creative with various sizes, colors, and decorations, making each tree unique. Have fun with this activity and then enjoy eating these sweet and festive cupcakes and crunchy pretzel trees!
Related recipes
Christmas Chocolate Pretzel Sandwiches
Christmas Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
With its snowy glaze and a glistening garnish of sugared berries, this White Chocolate Cranberry Bundt Cake will be a showstopper on your holiday dessert table. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years’, this gorgeous cake is a must-make for festive celebrations.
Ingredients
- For cupcakes:
- 1 box of cake mix, I used triple chocolate fudge. (and ingredients for making them as directed)
- For Christmas Trees:
- decorative Christmas sprinkles
- 1 tsp of coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 cup of dark green candy melts
- pretzel sticks
- plastic zip bag OR piping bag
- wax paper
- For Frosting:
- (Recipe is enough to frost 12 cupcakes. If you need more, double the recipe)
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 – 1 ½ TBSP milk (depending on the desired thickness of your frosting)
Instructions
- Bake Cupcakes as directed and allow to cool.
- While your cupcakes are baking lay out a sheet of wax paper large enough for you to work.
- Lay your pretzel sticks on the wax paper.
- In a small bowl add candy melts and oil, mix, and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave in 15-second intervals until well mixed and smooth.
- Pour candy mixture into a piping or zip lock bag. Snip a small end of the bag off with scissors.
- Starting about 2/3 of an inch up the pretzel stick, make a zig-zag pattern back and forth up the pretzel stick doing larger zig-zag motions at the bottom (for the widest part of the tree) and getting smaller as you work your way to the top.
- Once your tree is formed, sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles as desired.
- Repeat until you have enough trees for your cupcakes.
- Allow to cool at room temperature or place in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden.
- While your Christmas trees are hardening, place room temperature stick of butter in a medium-sized bowl. Using a hand mixer mix well. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix again until well combined.
- Slowly add milk little by little, mixing in between until you get the thickness/ creaminess that’s desired. I like it to be a bit thicker.
- Choose a piping tip and place it into a piping bag. Snip the end off and spoon frosting into a piping bag.
- Gently peel your pretzel Christmas trees off the wax paper.
- Ice your cupcakes as desired and top with a pretzel Christmas tree.
- You can also add sprinkles on top of the icing or even dust lightly with powdered sugar for extra Christmas decoration.
Recommended Products
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Wilton Holiday Sprinkles Assortment, 6.8 oz. -
Hand Mixer -
Baking/Cooling Rack -
Organic Valley, Organic Low Fat Cultured Buttermilk, Pasteurized, Quart, 32 Ounces
-
Domino Powdered Sugar, 32 Oz -
365 Everyday Value, Unsalted Butter, 16 oz -
Piping Bag & Tips -
Amazon Brand - Happy Belly Pretzel Sticks, 16 oz -
Wilton Dark Green Candy Melts Candy, 12 oz. -
Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil, First Cold Pressed, Mild and Delicate Flavor, Perfect for Sauteing and Stir-Frying, Naturally Gluten Free, Non-Allergenic, Non-GMO, 16 FL. OZ., Single Bottle -
Betty Crocker Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, 15.25 oz, 2 pk -
Wax Paper -
Ifuerte 10-Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set -
Mixing Bowls
