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22 Festive Christmas Cupcake Recipes That Kids Adore

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Introduction

There’s nothing more joyful than baking Christmas cupcakes with the kids! From peppermint-swirled delights to snowy vanilla treats, these 22 festive cupcake recipes are packed with color, flavor, and fun. Perfect for school parties, Christmas Eve baking, or cozy family nights — each one is a merry little bite of holiday happiness.

1. Classic Christmas Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup milk

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla.
  3. Mix dry ingredients; alternate adding with milk.
  4. Bake 18–20 minutes until golden.

How to Serve It:
 Top with white frosting and colorful sprinkles.

2. Peppermint Swirl Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract
  • Red food coloring

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and extract.
  3. Divide batter, tint half red, swirl together.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Top with peppermint frosting and crushed candy cane pieces.

3. Gingerbread Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup buttermilk

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Cream butter, sugar, and molasses. Add egg.
  3. Stir in dry ingredients and buttermilk.
  4. Bake 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Pipe cream cheese frosting and sprinkle cinnamon.

4. Hot Cocoa Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine wet and dry ingredients.
  3. Fill liners and bake 18 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Top with whipped cream and marshmallows.

5. Eggnog Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup eggnog
  • ½ tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

  1. Preheat to 350°F.
  2. Mix butter, sugar, and eggs.
  3. Add flour and eggnog.
  4. Bake 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Pipe eggnog frosting and sprinkle nutmeg.

6. Red Velvet Christmas Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ cups flour
  • 1 tbsp cocoa
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Red food coloring

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Cream butter, sugar, and egg.
  3. Add dry ingredients, buttermilk, and color.
  4. Bake 18–20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Frost with cream cheese icing and red sugar sprinkles.

7. Snowflake Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • Blue food coloring

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Beat butter and sugar, add eggs and milk.
  3. Stir in dry ingredients and tint blue.
  4. Bake 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Top with snowflake sprinkles or fondant shapes.

8. Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsp peppermint extract

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine all ingredients.
  3. Bake 18 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Frost with peppermint buttercream.

9. Santa Hat Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • Vanilla cupcakes
  • Red frosting
  • White frosting

Instructions:

  1. Bake cupcakes.
  2. Pipe red hat shapes.
  3. Add white trim and pom-poms.

10. Reindeer Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • Chocolate cupcakes
  • Chocolate frosting
  • Mini pretzels
  • Red candies

Instructions:

  1. Frost cupcakes.
  2. Add pretzels for antlers, candy eyes, and noses.

11. Frosted Cranberry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup cranberry sauce
  • ½ cup milk

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs.
  3. Stir in flour, milk, and cranberry sauce.
  4. Bake 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Garnish with sugared cranberries.

12. White Chocolate Snowball Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup shredded coconut

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix butter, sugar, and eggs.
  3. Add flour, milk, and coconut.
  4. Bake 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Dip tops in melted white chocolate and roll in coconut.

13. Grinch Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • Vanilla batter tinted green
  • Red heart candies
  • White frosting

Instructions:

  1. Bake green cupcakes.
  2. Frost white and top with hearts.

14. Candy Cane Mocha Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • 1 tsp instant coffee
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 eggs

Instructions:

  1. Mix all ingredients and bake at 350°F for 18 minutes.
  2. Frost with mocha buttercream and candy canes.

15. Holiday Sprinkle Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup holiday sprinkles

Instructions:

  1. Mix batter and fold in sprinkles.
  2. Bake 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Add extra sprinkles after frosting.

16. Snowman Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • Vanilla cupcakes
  • Marshmallows
  • Frosting
  • Candy eyes and noses

Instructions:

  1. Frost cupcakes white.
  2. Add marshmallows and decorate faces.

17. Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 eggs

Instructions:

  1. Mix all ingredients.
  2. Bake 18 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Top with orange buttercream.

18. Sugar Cookie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsp vanilla

Instructions:

  1. Bake cupcakes and top each with a small cookie before baking.
  2. Bake 18–20 minutes.

19. Maple Pecan Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

  1. Mix all ingredients.
  2. Bake 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Top with maple frosting and pecans.

20. Ginger Snap Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup brown sugar

Instructions:

  1. Mix ingredients.
  2. Bake 20 minutes.

How to Serve It:
 Top with frosting and a mini ginger snap.

21. Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • Vanilla cupcakes
  • Green frosting
  • Sprinkles and stars

Instructions:

  1. Pipe frosting in tree shapes.
  2. Add sprinkles and stars.

22. North Pole Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • Vanilla cupcakes
  • White frosting
  • Mini candy canes

Instructions:

  1. Frost cupcakes thickly.
  2. Insert candy canes upright as poles.

Conclusion

These 22 Christmas cupcake recipes bring color, joy, and creativity to the kitchen. Whether you’re baking for school parties or cozy nights by the tree, these festive treats guarantee smiles all around. So grab your sprinkles, frosting, and candy canes — and make this Christmas the sweetest one yet!

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