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Treats are great way to make any day special and fun, but that ‘s doubly the case when you ‘ve got some delicious treats that taste amazing and get you into the holiday spirit! These reindeer cupcakes are adorable and will bring a smile to everyone who sees and eats them. Perfect for children and adults, these mini cakes are the best way to ring in the Christmas season!

We didn’t want to spend too much time fussing in the kitchen, so we decided to cut corners a little and use a box mix for these cupcakes–but we put our own special twist on them .. The addition of coffee grounds amps up the chocolate flavor of the cake and our marshmallow frosting is superb! And don ‘t forget about the chocolate glaze! The final product is a sweet (literally and figuratively) treat that will make you feel like a child again while simultaneously presenting you with a well-rounded, balanced flavor that you won ‘t be able to get enough of! Add this to your grocery list and get ready to smile!

Reindeer Cupcakes

Yields 2 dozen

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 box Super Moist Chocolate Cake Mix
  • 1/4 cups water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee grounds

Frosting:

  • 8 large egg whites
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 1 (12 oz.) bag semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 24 small pretzels
  • black cake decorating icing
  • red cake decorating icing

Directions

  1. Preheat oven according to cake packaging directions. Lightly spray cupcake tin with non-stick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, coffee grounds, water, oil and eggs, and beat together until homogeneous.
  3. Pour batter into cupcake tins and bake according to packaging directions.
  4. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
  5. Set up a double boiler by filling a small saucepan with 1-inch full of water.
  6. In a heat-proof bowl placed on top of the saucepan, vigorously whisk egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar together until sugar is completely dissolved. 3-5 minutes.
  7. Remove bowl from heat (keeping saucepan on the stove) and beat, slowly moving from low to high speed, until stiff peaks form. 5-7 minutes. Then add vanilla and mix until combined. Frosting should be very glossy.
  8. Pipe or spoon frosting onto cupcakes.
  9. Pour chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl and set over simmering saucepan. Pour in heavy cream and sea salt and mix until chips are completely melted and smooth.
  10. Take cupcakes and dip them, one at a time, in chocolate glaze so that marshmallow frosting is coated.
  11. Insert pretzels into still drying frosting and set aside.
  12. Once set, pipe 2 dots of marshmallow frosting on each cupcake. These are the eyes of your reindeer.
  13. Take your black cake icing and make 2 smaller dots on top of the white dots.
  14. Use red icing to make 1 larger dot underneath the eyes. This is the nose of the reindeer. Repeat with remaining cupcakes, let set and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Tablespoon

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