Description
Celebrate the festive season with these delightful Chocolate Christmas Tree Cupcakes. Moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with creamy cream cheese frosting and shredded coconut to resemble snow, then decorated with charming pretzel stick candy melt trees sprinkled with colorful non-pareils. Perfect for holiday parties and family gatherings, these cupcakes bring both taste and style to your dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcake:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Trees:
- 30 pretzel sticks
- 1¼ cup green candy melts
- Non-pareil sprinkles
Frosting:
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 6 oz cream cheese or light cream cheese, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2½ cups shredded coconut
Instructions
- Prepare the Cupcake Batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 30 muffin cups with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Add the eggs, milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed with a mixer for 2 minutes to create a smooth batter.
- Add Boiling Water: Carefully add the boiling water to the batter and stir until fully combined. The batter will be thin, which is expected and helps create moist cupcakes.
- Bake the Cupcakes: Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool completely.
- Create Candy Melt Trees: While the cupcakes bake and cool, melt the green candy melts according to the package instructions. Transfer the melted candy to a piping bag. Lay the pretzel sticks on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper, spacing them 2 to 3 inches apart. Pipe the candy melts over the pretzel sticks in the shape of Christmas trees and immediately sprinkle with non-pareil sprinkles. Let these sit until fully set and hardened.
- Make the Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and then gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting is well combined and fluffy.
- Frost the Cupcakes: Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, frost each cupcake generously with the cream cheese frosting. Immediately sprinkle shredded coconut over the frosting to resemble snow.
- Assemble the Christmas Tree Cupcakes: Just before serving, gently remove the candy melt coated pretzel trees from the wax or parchment paper using an offset spatula. Insert the bottom of each pretzel tree into the top center of each cupcake, completing the festive look. Serve and enjoy your holiday-themed treats!
Notes
- Use full-fat cream cheese for the best texture in frosting.
- If green candy melts are unavailable, white candy melts with green food coloring can be substituted.
- Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to avoid melting the frosting.
- For added flavor, consider adding a teaspoon of espresso powder to the cupcake batter to intensify chocolate flavor.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
