I happen to have an obsession with twinkling lights and festive desserts. Therefore, it should go without saying that December is my favorite month of the year.

Yep, everyone knows that December is the only time that it’s socially acceptable to prance around in an ugly, light-up Christmas tree sweater and stuff your face with reindeer cupcakes while blasting Jingle Bell Rock on repeat. I mean seriously, it’s no wonder this month is referred to as the most wonderful time of the year.

During this merry season, I normally turn to the recipes that remind me of spending Christmas at home with my family. Recipes that have been passed down through generations like vanilla crescents, cinnamon stars, iced gingerbread and meticulously decorated sugar cookies always top the list.  In fact, just the thought of holiday baking sends the glorious smell of my mom’s buttery Christmas cookies wafting through my memory.

Since I’ve already managed to bake my way through all the essential Christmas recipes this season, I decided to take an old recipe and make it new again. So, I set out to dig up my grandma’s gingerbread cake recipe, then started scrolling through Instagram for dessert ideas. I eventually found inspiration in a plate of reindeer cupcakes and decided to run with it.

These gingerbread reindeer cupcakes start out with a moist cake that’s spiced with all of the warm flavors that make you think of Christmas: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. Then, these treats are topped with a rich, fluffy layer of reindeer-colored buttercream.

Fondant faces, candy noses and chocolate antlers complete the transformation of these delicious cupcakes into the perfect reindeer treat. No really, I’m pretty sure that even Rudolph himself would be proud of these precious cupcakes.

These fun, yet elegant, reindeer cupcakes are sure to be a show-stopper at any holiday party. Now stop playing reindeer games and get baking!

Gingerbread Reindeer Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Ingredients: 

• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp milk
• fondant, candies and chocolate for decorating

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F and line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together. Beat in the egg, followed by the buttermilk, molasses and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until evenly combined.

4. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Place muffin tin in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

5. While cupcakes are cooling, start making the icing. In a large bowl, beat one cup of butter until creamy. Mix in milk and vanilla. Then, slowly add confectioner’s sugar and mix until frosting is light and fluffy.

6. Place a small amount of buttercream frosting in piping bag and set aside. For the remaining frosting, mix in several drops of brown and red gel food coloring until the desired reindeer color is achieved. Frost cupcakes with brown buttercream frosting.

7. For the faces, roll out ivory fondant and cut into circles using a cookie cutter. Use the same cutter to cut two half-circles out of each circle cut out. Place two pieces of fondant on each cupcake. Using a small heart or triangle-shaped cookie cutter, cut out two ears and place them on the top of each cupcake.

8. Using food-coloring pens, draw eyes and cheeks onto the fondant. Use a drop of brown food coloring mixed with water to paint the ears brown. For the nose, place a small red candy or chocolate chip between the two pieces of fondant.

10. Now it’s time to make the antlers. Melt chocolate in a small saucepan on the stove. Place the melted chocolate into a piping bag. On a baking sheet lined with wax paper, pipe out chocolate antlers and place them in the refrigerator to set.

11. Once the antlers have hardened, place two antlers in between the ears of each reindeer cupcake. Use a star tip to pipe white buttercream frosting accent onto the cupcakes. Serve and enjoy!