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With Sprinkles on Top

January 5, 2011

Reindeer Cupcakes

Another late Christmas baking project! Better late than never, right? I was inspired to make these after my co-worker, Vicki, gave me a magazine clipping that featured similar cupcakes. Here’s how I made them..

1. Bake cupcakes of your choosing. I took the easy way out on these and made chocolate cupcakes from a box mix.
2. Frost with chocolate frosting.
3. Top with pretzels for the antlers, a Nilla Wafer for the face, white M&Ms for the eyes (or any other type of white candy), black icing for the eyeballs, and brown and red candies for the nose (I used peanut butter M&Ms and Cadbury chocolate balls).

These are super easy to make and kids will love them!!

Posted In: christmas, cupcakes

Comments

  1. Sues says

    January 5, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    Cutest EVER!! Will keep in mind for next year :) :)

    Reply
  2. Laura R. says

    January 5, 2011 at 5:30 pm

    So cute! and they look so yummy!

    Reply
  3. Annie says

    January 5, 2011 at 11:00 pm

    Thanks, Sues & Laura!

    Reply
    • lisa English says

      October 24, 2015 at 9:57 pm

      My grandkids would love these cookies and cupcakes

      Reply
  4. Rachel says

    January 5, 2011 at 11:09 pm

    LOVE THESE!!!

    Reply
  5. Vicki says

    January 20, 2011 at 7:47 pm

    Annie – fun to see these in your blog – I like your use of smaller pretzels…they are really cute:)

    Reply
  6. chantel says

    September 29, 2011 at 8:23 pm

    make with rachel for xmas

    Reply
  7. Lisa says

    November 13, 2011 at 1:00 am

    very interested in your emails and website

    Reply
  8. Edward says

    November 17, 2011 at 11:51 pm

    The reindeer cupcakes are awesome!

    Reply
  9. Cindy says

    November 18, 2011 at 3:00 am

    These are the cutest! Making them this year in Paamul, for our Texas friends.

    Reply
  10. Marilynn says

    November 27, 2011 at 9:30 am

    These are darling- I’m planning a family reindeer party and will use these for our dessert. Thanks for the good idea!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      November 28, 2011 at 12:31 am

      Thanks for the nice comment!

      Reply
  11. Beth says

    November 29, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    I featured this in my holiday inspiration page at – http://livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-inspiration.html. I am your newest subscriber, I’d love for you to follow me back, if you want to =-)
    Beth

    Reply
  12. Jenn/Rook No. 17 says

    December 2, 2011 at 11:10 am

    These cupcakes are so creative and wonderful! I saw them on Pinterest this morning, and will be sharing a link to your post on my Facebook fan page today. I’m looking forward to making these for my daughter’s class holiday party in a few weeks!

    Jenn/Rook No. 17

    Reply
  13. Sheena Boooth says

    December 3, 2011 at 7:32 am

    Just wanted to let you know that I made these for my son’s preschool class and school teacher’s luncheon and they were happily received! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 4, 2011 at 1:11 am

      I’m so glad to hear that they were a hit! :)

      Reply
  14. April says

    December 6, 2011 at 8:36 am

    What a cute idea ! thank you ~

    Reply
  15. Melinda says

    December 6, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    Just wanted you to see these Jenn!

    Reply
  16. Melinda says

    December 6, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    Hope you get this!

    Reply
  17. GranDee says

    December 7, 2011 at 10:57 am

    Cute, cute, cute … can’t wait to make for grandkids! Thanks for sharing and making life more FUN!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 7, 2011 at 2:12 pm

      Thank you for your comment :)

      Reply
  18. Anita says

    December 7, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    awesome… I have to make the cupcakes for my sons first grade classs. These are adorable.

    Reply
  19. Lori says

    December 9, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    So cute! The kids in my son’s 3rd grade class are going to make these at their Christmas party.

    Reply
  20. Evette says

    December 9, 2011 at 5:22 pm

    I love this…I am going to make this for my daughter’s class party!!!

    Reply
  21. Mary Lou says

    December 10, 2011 at 6:34 am

    Love these. How do I save this page?

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 10, 2011 at 2:48 pm

      Mary Lou – What do you mean “save this page”? You can book mark it in your web browser or you can print the recipe using the print link embedded in the post.

      Reply
  22. Melinda says

    December 10, 2011 at 9:09 am

    Recipe & picture for cupcakes

    Reply
  23. Tanya says

    December 10, 2011 at 9:00 pm

    LOVE your ideas!

    Reply
  24. Darlene m. ibarra says

    December 10, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    Please send me emails of recipes if that’s possible to do with my kids.thanl s

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 11, 2011 at 3:31 pm

      Darlene – You can browse through the blog to find kid-friendly recipes. Or maybe do a Google search. I don’t have the time to fulfill specific requests from my readers — sorry!

      Reply
  25. woodsnwind says

    December 10, 2011 at 9:50 pm

    Beyond Amazing. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
  26. Gina de Aragon says

    December 10, 2011 at 10:48 pm

    Thanks for the cute idea- my son’s 2nd birthday is on the 19th so these will be a hit for his bday party ;)

    Reply
  27. Emily says

    December 11, 2011 at 9:35 am

    they have…..WHITE M&MS?!?!?!!?!?!!?
    who invented this????

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 11, 2011 at 3:27 pm

      Yes, white M&Ms exist. You can buy them during the holidays — they come in bags of red, white, and green.

      Reply
  28. tracey says

    December 11, 2011 at 10:45 pm

    How do you get everything to stick? Put all toppings on before baking or after? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 11, 2011 at 10:49 pm

      Bake cupcakes first. Frost them. Then decorate with toppings. Use frosting as “glue” to get everything to stick.

      Reply
  29. Chrissy says

    December 12, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    Annie,

    Reply
  30. Chrissy says

    December 12, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    Did you use a regular Nilla wafer or a mini nilla wafer?

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 16, 2011 at 12:25 am

      Regular-sized

      Reply
  31. Penny says

    December 13, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    Those are adorable!

    Reply
  32. Rachel says

    December 17, 2011 at 10:07 am

    LOVE THESE! perfect time for me to make them for a holiday party im having :) thank you so much for posting, these look super delish!

    Reply
  33. Peter says

    December 17, 2011 at 1:28 pm

    How nice!What an idea, it´s great!

    Reply
  34. Landon says

    December 17, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    Cute! I pictured the reindeer screaming with every bite!

    Reply
  35. Heather says

    December 22, 2011 at 3:32 pm

    Can’t wait to make these tonight with my girls!

    Reply
  36. Nicole says

    December 22, 2011 at 6:51 pm

    so cute and the decorating was soooo easy!

    Reply
  37. Nicole says

    December 22, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    i used mini marshmallows cut in half for the eyes as I did not find white M&Ms at my local grocer.

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 22, 2011 at 11:11 pm

      Great idea!

      Reply
  38. christina says

    December 27, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    i did these cupcakes with my three year old daughter this year. She LOVED helping me create something so fun. Her brothers (who help me cook from time to time) enjoyed them. We left one for santa as well as some carrots!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 27, 2011 at 7:08 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed them!! Thank you for the comment :)

      Reply
  39. Ann says

    January 10, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Adorable! What brand of mini pretzels do you use?. I am having trouble finding mini size.

    Reply
    • Annie says

      January 10, 2012 at 7:38 pm

      Hi Ann, I use Rold Gold’s Tiny Twists. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  40. Angell @ Passionate and Creative Homemaking says

    July 18, 2012 at 10:07 am

    I featured this today on my blog’s Christmas in July celebration

    http://passionateandcreativehomemaking.blogspot.com/2012/07/day-18-christmas-in-july.html

    I have a featured grab button if you’d like!

    Reply
  41. Stephen says

    July 20, 2012 at 11:10 am

    My two favorite desserts, Cupcakes & Pretzels. What a Awesome idea!

    Reply
  42. kathy sexton says

    September 22, 2012 at 7:19 pm

    Love your site!

    Reply
  43. brenda says

    October 5, 2012 at 8:44 am

    I made the reindeer cupcakes last Christmas for my son’s 2nd grade party. They were a huge hit and now all the moms think I’m soooo crafty, lol. I used pretzel M&Ms for the nose to avoid nuts. These were so easy and my son was able to help me. Use a small dab of frosting to hold on the eyes and nose :) Thanks!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      October 6, 2012 at 8:07 pm

      Awesome! :)

      Reply
  44. Shannon says

    October 25, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    oh my goodness!!! these are so adorable! <3 and easy to make too, gotta love that

    Reply
  45. isla grady says

    October 27, 2012 at 5:10 pm

    Reindeer cupcakes to make at christmas .

    Reply
  46. Barbara Ann Maynard says

    October 28, 2012 at 8:04 am

    adorable!!!!

    Reply
  47. Jessica says

    October 31, 2012 at 11:44 am

    What are Nilla Wafers?

    Reply
    • Annie says

      October 31, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      They are a type of cookie. If you’re in the US, they are commonly sold in grocery stores.

      Reply
  48. Nichole says

    November 7, 2012 at 3:55 pm

    I love yhat i am going to try to make that for my doters class

    Reply
  49. Kim says

    November 7, 2012 at 10:31 pm

    These are awesome! Going to put some in the Christmas goody baskets this year! Thank you for posting this!!

    Reply
  50. meoshe says

    December 3, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    thank you for idea im going to us this for Christmas for my family and th

    Reply
  51. Chanda Smith says

    December 6, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    How do you get the candy nose to stay on the Nilla cookie??

    Reply
  52. Chanda Smith says

    December 6, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    What do you use to get the candy nose to stick on the Nilla wafer??

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 6, 2012 at 6:38 pm

      Frosting.

      Reply
  53. Shannon says

    December 6, 2012 at 6:50 pm

    This are so stinking cute!!!

    Reply
  54. Ben says

    December 7, 2012 at 11:58 am

    I live in the UK and i was going to use rusks as Nilla Wafers are non-existent over the pond but i used mini ameretti biscuits (that are normally served in coffee shops) and they worked very well.

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 7, 2012 at 5:33 pm

      Thanks for the tip, Ben! I’m glad the cupcakes worked out for you :)

      Reply
  55. Sarah Ashley says

    December 9, 2012 at 5:15 pm

    Annie, what brand are the gold cupcake liners?

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 9, 2012 at 5:22 pm

      I can’t remember exactly where I got them, but I know Wilton sells gold liners! http://www.wilton.com/store/site/department.cfm?id=DA556239-423B-522D-FF9589C29CEBCF6F (about halfway down the page) Hope that helps!

      Reply
  56. Ellen Baird says

    December 11, 2012 at 8:18 am

    Terrific… and as baking- (well, cooking-) challenged as I am, I think I just may be able to make these! BUT, the black icing for the eyes throws me… how do you make/where do you purchase??? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 11, 2012 at 10:33 am

      Ellen – Thanks for the comment! Not to worry, the black icing is easy to find. You can buy a small tube of it in the baking aisle at your grocery store. You know how every baking aisle has the section where you can buy sprinkles, muffin tin liners, and tubes of pre-made icing? That’s where you’ll find the black gel icing. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  57. sandy says

    December 13, 2012 at 8:59 pm

    Thank you for posting these. Just finished making these for a 1st grade party. They are so cute and amazingly easy.

    Reply
  58. meme says

    December 15, 2012 at 3:17 pm

    were making them for Christmas for this year i hope theirgood

    Reply
  59. Hoholovesanta says

    December 18, 2012 at 4:20 pm

    hi i love these cupcakes! they are adorable! i love your uaage of smaller pretzels

    Reply
  60. Maggie says

    December 20, 2012 at 10:15 pm

    I made these for my son’s holiday party at school and they came out great! I got candy eyes at my grocery store in the baking aisle.

    Reply
  61. Cassie says

    December 22, 2012 at 2:13 am

    Love these cupcakes !! We’re easy and my kids had fun putting most of it together. My two year old couldn’t finished making hers before biting into it lol !! I wish I found this earlier for my sons kindergarten class. There’s always next year :)

    Reply
  62. Ynnette says

    December 26, 2012 at 7:28 am

    I want to say Thankyou! for the idea. I show this picture to my BFF and she wants some as well for oure new year-party.
    http://img4.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/20121226112di406z8q29.jpg

    Reply
  63. Ellen Baird says

    January 1, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    Just to report back… these turned out WONDERFULLY!! As I previously mentioned, I’m pretty inept in the kitchen, which points to the simplicity of this recipe: it even turned out for me!! Never did find the black icing tubs for the eye dots, but did find baby blue… and they were a hit lol! Many thanks for posting this!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      January 1, 2013 at 11:40 pm

      Ellen – awesome! I’m glad they worked out for you :)

      Reply
  64. Frederikke says

    November 19, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    These look so cute!!
    What is Nilla wafers? I don’t think I can buy them in Denmark, so is there anything else you could use for the face?

    Reply
    • Annie says

      November 19, 2013 at 2:31 pm

      Thank you for the comment! Nilla Wafers are a type of cookie here in the U.S. I don’t know what cookies you have in Denmark, but try to find one that looks similar — you just need a small, round cookie for the reindeer’s face. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  65. Judith Benner says

    December 3, 2013 at 2:46 am

    HOPE TO SHARE THESE WITH THE FAMILY

    Reply
  66. Melli says

    December 6, 2013 at 6:54 am

    Thanks for this awesome idea! Made them yesterday together with a friend and individualized each of them (a tired one, a reindeer in love, a reindeer girl and so on). Did them for our workmates for St. Nikolaus day here in Germany and they were crazy about them. Thanks again!!! So cool!!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 6, 2013 at 10:54 am

      Thanks for the comment, Melli! I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes. Happy holidays!

      Reply
  67. Mandy B says

    December 8, 2013 at 10:23 am

    Thanks for sharing this cute version on cupcakes I will try them on my co-workers they get a kick out of my baking ideas
    Have A Merry Christmas!☺

    Reply
  68. Beth says

    December 17, 2013 at 9:36 pm

    Adorable! Made these for my sons class for Christmas. Couldn’t find white m&ms– I used mini marshmallows for the eyes.

    Reply
  69. Jackie says

    December 18, 2013 at 1:55 am

    Thanks for the adorable idea!
    I will make these tomorrow for our family’s Christmas party. The kids will love them!

    Reply
  70. Lexi says

    December 18, 2013 at 11:49 am

    The reindeer cupcakes is such a good idea! I might just try to make these tonight!!

    Reply
  71. James Dazouloute says

    January 19, 2014 at 12:31 am

    These are some great Reindeer Cupcakes. Not only do they put you in the Christmas spirit, but they also force you to want a snack. Great share, thanks.

    Reply
  72. LaylaKennedy says

    November 13, 2014 at 9:53 pm

    I think this recipe is good for a thanksgiving party or a Christmas party . You are a genius for creating this. I <3 this recipe. hope you keep making these awesome creations

    Reply
  73. david says

    December 17, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    I just made them for my boys class should be a great turn out. I made my mix with a easy mix no eggs butter or milk

    Reply
  74. Cis says

    December 23, 2014 at 5:28 am

    thank you for sharing this genious idea with us.
    I found it on pinterest. Makes me and the family very happy. But white m&m ??? Never seen those. Enough alternatives to find though.
    Thanks.

    Reply
  75. marina says

    December 3, 2015 at 2:17 pm

    Just one question: aren’ t the pretzels salty? How do you combine them with the sweet cupcake? Thanks!!!!

    Reply
    • Annie says

      December 3, 2015 at 6:41 pm

      The pretzels are salty. The salty/sweet combination is actually really great.

      Reply
  76. Beth says

    December 17, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    I plan on making these for my family’s christmas get together..

    Reply
  77. Vane says

    February 12, 2016 at 12:35 am

    I second the Molly’s sutgisgeon for Chicago(they look tasty on the website!). Sweet Mandy B’s got pretty decent reviews in Chicago, as well. In New York, how about sugar Sweet sunshine…as previously suggested. And Magnolia Bakery in NYC. Besides yummy cupcakes it looks like they’ve got Organic/Fair trade coffee and eco-friendly bags! Can’t wait to read about whatever he brings back! – Crystal

    Reply
  78. aisling says

    December 15, 2017 at 10:06 am

    They are soooooooo cute!! love it, thanks for it. :3

    Reply
  79. Claire Lisa says

    August 7, 2018 at 11:59 am

    A great share and informative one. Shop cup cakes, party supplies, decorations and more at discount by using promo code from https://www.clipacode.com :)

    Reply
  80. Ashleigh says

    August 20, 2018 at 11:02 pm

    making them for class 2018 at end of year Matamata primary

    school.

    ASHLEIGH

    Reply
  81. Dian Lestari says

    November 27, 2018 at 9:42 am

    Great post!! Thank you very much for sharing.

    Reply
  82. Village Bakery says

    January 30, 2019 at 8:27 am

    I made these for my Christmas holiday party and they came out great. Thank you so much for sharing this. :D

    Reply

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Meet Annie

My name is Annie, I live in Wisconsin, and this blog has been an off-and-on hobby of mine since 2008.

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