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The cutest cupcakes with Christmas tree toppers that you’ve ever seen! These charming Christmas tree cupcakes are perfect for Christmas. They’re easy to make, and the festive Christmas tree and snow topping is inspired. The cupcakes are flavored with cocoa for a chocolatey richness, and then they’re topped with homemade buttercream, coconut flakes, and a homemade pretzel Christmas tree decoration. It’s a festive dessert for holiday parties that no one will be able to resist!
Just look at these super-cute cupcakes with their buttercream frosting and Christmas tree topping. Look no further – this is the perfect Christmas cupcake recipe!
You might also like gingerbread icebox cookies, peppermint mocha cookies, a pandoro Christmas tree cake, or this Polar Express dessert board.
Why You’ll Love It
Cute and fun: These cookies are so adorable. They’re absolutely irresistible and they’re fun to decorate too.
Not hard to make: This is a standard cupcake recipe with a simple buttercream frosting. As for the Christmas trees, they’re fairly straightforward to make too.
Very tasty: Chocolate, vanilla and coconut flavors pair in this delicious Christmas chocolate cupcakes recipe – a trio of truly heavenly flavors!
Christmas Tree Cupcake Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Flour: The basis of the cupcakes.
Unsweetened cocoa powder: For a brown color and a chocolate flavor.
Baking powder and baking soda: To get the texture light and airy.
Granulated sugar: For sweetness.
Vanilla extract: For that vanilla flavor we all know and love!
White chocolate chips: For the Christmas trees.
Pocky, pretzel sticks or bread sticks: For the Christmas tree trunk.
Green food coloring gel: To color the Christmas tree branches.
Powdered sugar (icing sugar): To sweeten the buttercream frosting.
Unsalted butter: For the frosting (use real butter!)
Milk: To thin the frosting (you might not need this).
How to Make Christmas Tree Cupcakes
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Make the cupcakes: Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Cream the butter with the sugar in another bowl and then beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
Bake them: Divide the batter between 8 cupcake liners in a cupcake pan and bake until done. Let them cool.
Make the buttercream: Beat the butter with sifted powdered sugar, adding a little milk to thin if needed.
Make the Christmas trees: Melt the chocolate chips and dye half of the melted chocolate green. Arrange candy sticks on parchment paper and drizzle the melted chocolate mixtures over them. Let them set in the fridge or freezer and then peel off the parchment paper.
Decorate the cupcakes: Frost them with the buttercream and roll in coconut flakes. Add the edible Christmas trees along with any other Christmas-themed decorations you like.
Substitutions and Variations
Candy melts: Use candy melts for the chocolate Christmas trees instead of white chocolate chips. They tend to melt well so they’re good for decorating.
More decorations: While the Christmas trees are still melted, add some festive sprinkles. You can also add other toppings such as candy canes or mini gingerbread men. I love these Christmas-themed sprinkles!
Different colors: You can make all the melted chocolate mixture green instead of having some green and some white or even try other colors. Perhaps you want to try some brown or green buttercream instead of the white.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Start your festive dinner off with roasted party nuts and puff pastry Christmas trees (you see there’s a theme here!)
Main dish and sides: Next up, how about holiday beef brisket with roasted acorn squash and garlic butter fondant potatoes?
Desserts: Christmas tree pop tarts pair with these Christmas tree cupcakes for the perfect festive dessert.
How to Store Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Store: These cupcakes are best enjoyed within a couple of days of decorating them. The coconut “snow” might start to lose its texture if kept for too long. Store the decorated, frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge to keep them fresh. Bring the cupcakes to room temperature before you serve them.
Freeze: You can freeze these in an airtight container for up to 3 months. They might lose their shape, so it’s best to freeze them before frosting and decorating them.
Thaw: Defrost the cupcakes it in the refrigerator overnight.
Top Tips
Take your time: You can’t hurry perfection (or cupcakes!) so make sure you plan ahead. These need time to bake, time to cool completely, and you should also take your time making the Christmas tree decorations. The results will be worth it.
Get creative: Add festive sprinkles or any other embellishments you want to make your Christmas cupcakes unique. You could add star-shaped Christmas tree toppers or some green and red sprinkles for a festive feel.
The perfect doneness: Check if a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. If so, take them out of the oven – they’re done!
Christmas Cupcake FAQs
Yes, you can use store-bought frosting if you prefer a faster option, as long as it has a firm consistency for decorating.
Feel free to experiment with different colors to suit the occasion or your preference.
Yes, you can make the chocolate trees in advance. Keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to decorate your Christmas tree cupcakes.
Easy Christmas Tree Cupcake Recipe
Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 Cup all purpose flour
- ½ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon baking soda
- ½ Cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ Cup milk
For the Christmas Trees:
- white chocolate chips, or candy melts
- food coloring, gel or powder, green
- Pocky, pretzel sticks or bread sticks
For the Buttercream:
- 2½ Ounces butter, at room temperature
- 8 Ounces powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk, warm, if needed
- sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with some paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and light.
- Beat in the eggs, vanilla and milk until well combined.
- Now you can gradually mix in the dry ingredients until everything is mixed together.
- Divide the resulting batter evenly among the cupcake liners, and fill each one about 2/3 full.
- Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before decorating.
Make the Buttercream:
- Sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and add the butter.
- Beat for 5 minutes or until you have a firm buttercream.
- If the buttercream is too thick, add a little bit of warm milk (less than a tablespoon) and mix until it softens a little.
Decorate the Christmas Tree Cupcakes:
- Frost the cupcakes with the prepared buttercream and then roll in coconut to look like snow.
- Melt the white chocolate or candy melts and dye some green, leaving the rest white.
- Put candy sticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle over the chocolate or candy melts to resemble trees.
- Chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Once set, carefully peel them off the parchment paper and decorate each cupcake with one.
- Add any other decorations (candy canes, mini gingerbread men etc) you want.
Notes
Get creative: Add festive sprinkles or any other embellishments you want to make your Christmas cupcakes unique. You could add star-shaped Christmas tree toppers or some green and red sprinkles for a festive feel.
The perfect doneness: Check if a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. If so, take them out of the oven – they’re done!
Nutrition
Each super-cute chocolate cupcake is topped with a homemade edible Christmas tree. These are fun, fabulous and festive. They’re also relatively easy to prepare. With mouthwatering chocolate, coconut and vanilla flavors, these cupcakes are truly delicious.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Those Christmas tree cupcakes were so fun to make, and they disappeared at the party in minutes!