Description
These charming Reindeer Face Carrot Cupcakes are a festive and fun holiday treat, featuring moist carrot cupcakes topped with creamy cream cheese frosting and decorated with mini pretzels, candy eyes, and red M&M noses to create adorable reindeer faces. Perfect for Christmas celebrations, these cupcakes combine warm spices, grated carrots, and a luscious frosting to delight kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots (about 3 medium)
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (drained)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
For the frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For decorating:
- Mini pretzels (for antlers)
- Candy eyes
- Red M&M’s or candy-coated chocolates (for noses)
- Chocolate chips (optional, for extra features)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. This ensures the cupcakes bake evenly and are easy to remove.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. This blend of spices and leaveners creates the perfect cupcake base.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined to avoid overmixing, which can make the cupcakes tough.
- Fold in additions: Gently fold in the finely grated carrots, drained crushed pineapple, and chopped nuts if using. These add moisture, texture, and flavor.
- Fill cupcake liners: Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full to allow room for rising.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This ensures the cupcakes are fully cooked but moist.
- Cool: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make frosting: Beat the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, then mix until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Frost cupcakes: Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost each one generously using a swirl pattern for a festive look.
- Decorate: Insert two mini pretzels at the top center of each cupcake to form antlers. Place candy eyes just below the pretzels, and press a red M&M or candy-coated chocolate onto the frosting as the reindeer’s nose. Optionally, add a chocolate chip smile or other features to complete your reindeer face design.
Notes
- These cupcakes can be made a day ahead and decorated just before serving to save time on the day of your event.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator if not serving immediately to keep the frosting fresh.
- Feel free to use store-bought cream cheese frosting to save preparation time without compromising taste.
- For a nut-free version, omit the walnuts or pecans.
- Adjust sweetness by modifying the amount of sugar depending on preference.
