Servings
Font
Back
0.0 from 0 votes

Santa Cupcakes

Santa cupcakes are peppermint sprinkle cupcakes that are decorated to look like Santa Claus.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 434 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Cupcakes
  • 1/4 cup salted butter melted
  • 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or sour cream at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup Christmas colored sprinkles
Frosting
  • 1 cup salted butter at room temperature
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • Red food coloring
  • brown food coloring
  • Red and brown mini M&Ms

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place cupcake liners in a 12-count cupcake tin. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, egg, yogurt, and peppermint extract.
  3. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to the wet ingredients, and mix until combined.
  4. Fold in sprinkles.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins, filling each muffin liner about ⅔ of the way full.
  6. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  8. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, you can frost them.
  9. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, powdered sugar, milk, and peppermint extract with an electric hand mixer until well-combined.
  10. Separate the frosting into three bowls. You'll need about 1/2 the frosting to be white, 1/4 will be tan, and 1/4 will be red.
  11. Add 4 drops of red food coloring to one bowl, and stir in to combine,
  12. Add 1 drop of brown food coloring to the second bowl, stir in to combine.
  13. Leave the last bowl white.
  14. Transfer the white food frosting to a piping bag with a star tip. Set aside.
  15. Using an offset spatula, frost each cupcake with a thin layer of the brown frosting. Make sure the tops are smooth!
  16. Using an offset spatula, frost the top ⅓ of each cupcake with the red frosting to act as Santa’s hat.
  17. Using the white frosting, pipe little dollops on the bottom third of each cupcake to act as Santa’s beard.
  18. Pipe a thin line of white frosting over the bottom of Santa’s hat.
  19. Place one red M&M in the center of each cupcake for Santa’s nose and two brown M&Ms for Santa’s eyes.

Notes

  • Butter: I use salted butter in both the cupcakes and the frosting. If using unsalted butter, increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon in the cupcakes and add a couple of pinches of salt to the frosting.
  • Milk: Whole milk gives you softer, richer cupcakes. You can substitute buttermilk for the total amount of milk and sour cream.
  • Peppermint extract: Be sure to use peppermint extract and not spearmint. Spearmint extract will give you cupcakes that taste like toothpaste or mouthwash.
  • Vanilla extract: For whiter cupcakes, you can use clear vanilla flavoring.
  • Nutrition values are estimates. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1cupcake Calories 434kcal (22%) Carbohydrates 62g (21%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 20g (31%) Saturated Fat 13g (65%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 5g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 66mg (22%) Sodium 262mg (11%) Potassium 96mg (3%) Fiber 0.4g (2%) Sugar 51g (102%) Vitamin A 633IU (13%) Calcium 50mg (5%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 434

% Daily Value*

Serving 1cupcake
Calories 434kcal 22%
Carbohydrates 62g 21%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 66mg 22%
Sodium 262mg 11%
Potassium 96mg 2%
Fiber 0.4g 2%
Sugar 51g 102%
Vitamin A 633IU 13%
Calcium 50mg 5%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.