User post: 3 Reindeer Cupcakes for Christmas

Katie Dillon


Since my daughter loves Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, we attempted to make cupcakes in his likeness. These reindeer cupcakes are the end result, however, you can easily simplify them based on your time constraints and what is in your pantry.

The heads are donut holes attached to the cupcake with a candy melt stick. You may also use a pretzel. The antlers and ears were created by piping candy melts on to wax paper. Once cool, they were attached to the donut hole. We used candy for the eyes and nose, as well as a small marshmallow for the tail. My daughter insisted on the latter.

If you're trying to cut back on sugar or short on time, just omit the frosting. Believe me, if the donut hole is fresh and the cupcake recipe is a winner, you won't miss it. Just use a dab of frosting or honey to attach the eyes and nose.


You may also scrap the donut hole completely. Just make the antlers and ears a bit bigger. I used a regular sized red M&M for the nose versus mini M&Ms on the donut holes.


These cupcakes are banana crunch muffins (they make excellent cupcakes) topped with buttercream frosting tinted brown. The entire step by step process of assembling the reindeer cupcakes, with photos, is here.

You may also enjoy:

Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes
Holiday Marshmallows Faces and Snowmen
Molasses Ginger Cookies

*Katie Dillon writes La Jolla Mom, an award winning lifestyle site about food, travel, parenting, homekeeping, and local happenings. She lives in La Jolla with her husband and preschool aged daughter, and is a proud member of the Yahoo! Motherboard.