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When you don’t have time for something complicated, these easy Christmas tree cupcakes are a life-saver! It’s perfect for beginners.

How to make super-easy Christmas tree cupcakes

Really Easy Christmas Tree Cupcakes

I know the feeling! When you have a ton of other things going on but you still want to make something unique and special, this recipe is for you. It uses a boxed cake mix for the cupcakes, homemade icing, and pretzels for the trees. It seriously could not be any easier!

Perfect Christmas Cupcakes For Beginners

The thing I love the most about these cupcakes is that they are easy enough for even beginning cake decorators. Ask your kids to join in and make their own Christmas trees.

You also don’t need any fancy cake decorating supplies. I used a Ziploc bag.

Ingredients & Supplies

There are two parts to these cupcakes – the actual cupcakes and then the Christmas trees that go on top.

For the cupcakes, all you need are what’s on the back of the box.

All of the exact ingredients and are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Then for the Christmas trees, you just need some pretzels and green chocolate melts.

What Can I Use Instead of Chocolate Melts?

If you don’t have green chocolate melts, here are some other things you can use:

Regular frosting with green food coloring
White chocolate with green food coloring

Christmas Tree Cupcakes Step-By-Step Pictures

All of the steps are listed in an easy printable recipe card – just scroll down. First, I want to share some step-by-step pictures that will help you see how to make them. I hope they help!

The very first step is to make the cupcakes. Follow the instructions on the box and then set them aside to cool while you do the rest of the steps. The cupcakes need to be completely room temperature before you add the frosting.

Then, make your buttercream frosting. This is a very basic recipe that includes butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk.

The milk is just to help thin out the frosting if you don’t like it to be so thick.

After the cupcakes are completely cooled down, pipe the frosting on top. You can use a piping bag with a medium tip. Or, just use a Ziploc bag with the corner cut out.

How To Make Christmas Trees With Pretzels and Chocolate

This is the best part! Here is how to make the super-easy pretzel Christmas Tree toppers.

Melt the green chocolate and fill a piping bag with a fine tip. If you don’t have a piping bag, cut a very tiny hole in a Ziploc bag.

Then, just spread the melted chocolate onto the pretzel rods in the shape of a Christmas tree.

Before the chocolate hardens and dries, add some sprinkles and a star on top. Now it really looks like a Christmas tree.

After the chocolate solidifies, you can add it to your cupcakes. Look at how beautiful it turns out!

Pretzel Christmas Tree Cupcakes Recipe

Here is the entire recipe in a printable recipe card! Don’t forget to pin this post to your Christmas Pinterest board so you can find it later!

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Name: Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 stick butter; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp milk; 1 tsp coconut oil; 1 cup dark green candy melts; 12 pretzel sticks; Chocolate Cake Mix; 1/2 Cup Oil; 1 1/4 cup water; 3 eggs

This is how to make super-easy Christmas tree cupcakes. All you need is some chocolate and pretzels!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For Cupcakes

Chocolate Cake Mix
1/2 Cup Oil
1 1/4 cup water
3 eggs

Christmas Trees

1 tsp coconut oil
1 cup dark green candy melts
12 pretzel sticks

Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk

Instructions

Bake Cupcakes as directed and allow to cool.
While your cupcakes are baking lay out a sheet of wax paper large enough for you to work.
Lay your pretzel sticks on the wax paper.
In a small bowl add candy melts and oil, mix, and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave in 15-second intervals until well mixed and smooth.
Pour candy mixture into a piping or zip lock bag. Snip a small end of the bag off with scissors.
Starting about 2/3 of an inch up the pretzel stick, make a zig-zag pattern back and forth up the pretzel stick doing larger zig-zag motions at the bottom (for the widest part of the tree) and getting smaller as you work your way to the top.
Once your tree is formed, sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles as desired.
Repeat until you have enough trees for your cupcakes.
Allow to cool at room temperature or place in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden.
While your Christmas trees are hardening, place room temperature stick of butter in a medium-sized bowl. Using a hand mixer mix well. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix again until well combined.
Slowly add milk little by little, mixing in between until you get the thickness/ creaminess that's desired. I like it to be a bit thicker.
Choose a piping tip and place it into a piping bag. Snip the end off and spoon frosting into a piping bag.
Gently peel your pretzel Christmas trees off the wax paper.
Ice your cupcakes as desired and top with a pretzel Christmas tree.
You can also add sprinkles on top of the icing or even dust lightly with powdered sugar for extra Christmas decoration.

Notes

Please follow the ingredients on the back of your cake mix box. I included the ingredients from Betty Crocker's Chocolate Fudge cake mix.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12 cupcakes

Serving Size:

1 cupcake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 457mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 5g

More Christmas Baking Ideas

Here are some more ideas if you want to keep baking!

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