Description
These charming Snowman Cupcakes are rich, moist chocolate muffins topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream piped to resemble snow piles, adorned with marshmallow snowman heads and festive candy decorations. Perfect for winter celebrations, these delightful treats combine cocoa-infused cupcakes with creamy frosting and playful decoration for a fun and delicious dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Muffins
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
For the Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
For the Decoration
- 12 large marshmallows
- 1½ tablespoons dark chocolate sprinkles (jimmies or vermicelli)
- 12 orange candy-coated chocolates or small candy corn pieces (noses)
- 24 mini pretzel sticks, halved (arms)
- 36 regular chocolate chips (buttons)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Heat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with bright blue paper liners to prepare for baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and fine salt until fully combined and uniform.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a mixer on medium speed, beat the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar in a large bowl until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time into the creamed mixture, scraping down the bowl after each addition, then mix in the pure vanilla extract for flavor.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture in three additions, alternating with the whole milk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients, stirring gently just until no flour streaks remain to avoid overmixing.
- Bake Muffins: Evenly divide the batter among the lined muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Buttercream: Beat softened butter until smooth. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, on low speed. Blend in vanilla extract, a pinch of fine salt, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk to achieve a thick but pipeable consistency. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and whip for 1 minute to lighten the texture.
- Pipe Snow Piles: Fit a piping bag with a large round tip and pipe two stacked concentric circles of buttercream on each cooled cupcake to resemble piles of snow.
- Create Snowman Heads: Press two dark chocolate sprinkles into each marshmallow to form eyes. Arrange five sprinkles in a curved line to create a mouth. Push an orange candy-coated chocolate or candy corn piece halfway into the center to form the nose, using tweezers or a toothpick for precise placement.
- Assemble Snowmen: Place a decorated marshmallow atop each buttercream swirl. Insert two halved mini pretzel sticks at slight upward angles into the frosting to serve as arms, and press three regular chocolate chips vertically into the buttercream for buttons.
- Serve and Store: Present the snowman cupcakes on a cool platter to keep the buttercream firm. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days, allowing cupcakes to come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- If dark chocolate nonpareils are unavailable, create micro dots by melting 2 tablespoons of semisweet chocolate, transferring it to a piping bag fitted with a size-1 tip, piping tiny rounds onto parchment paper, chilling for 5 minutes, then using these as eyes and smiles.
- For a deeper chocolate color, use Dutch-process cocoa powder; if doing so, reduce baking soda to ¼ teaspoon to balance acidity.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
