Easy Cupcakes

Stick a candy cane into a swirl-topped cupcake and sprinkle with chocolate and it looks a lot like the whipped cream on top of holiday hot chocolate!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white or off-white frosting; chocolate jimmies; mini candy cane; pastry bag and 1M swirl tip.

How to Make It: Make 1M swirl. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate jimmies. Add candy cane. That’s it!

All you need for these simple Christmas cupcakes is some mini M&Ms and a Starlight mint!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; red and green mini M&Ms; Starlight mint (the peppermint ones that taste like candy canes, or the green ones).

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Unwrap mint and place in center of cupcake. Add M&Ms around the edge, upside down, alternating red and green.

A heart-shaped muffin cup or cupcake liner makes the perfect shape for Santa’s face!

What You Need: Aluminum (such as by Reynolds), silicon or other heart-shaped muffin tin or cupcake liner; white frosting; red sprinkles; 5 mini marshmallows; shaved coconut; 2 blue mini M&Ms; 1 black M&M; 1 round or tear-shaped red candy.

How to Make It: Turn heart shape upside down and frost curved part white for beard base. Sprinkle with coconut. Frost very top of heart point for hat. Sprinkle with red sugar or sprinkles. Add marshmallows to bottom of hat, plus one at the top. Add candy eyes, nose and mouth.

A mint hat adds the finishing touch to this snowman cupcake.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; 1 thin mint (such as by Necco); 1 Junior Mint; 2 black M&Ms; candy orange slice; 5 mini chocolate chips.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Use dab of icing to stick Junior Mint to center of thin mint for hat and place at top of cupcake. Add M&M eyes. Cut piece off candy orange and add for nose. Place 5 mini chocolate in a smile shape.

Kids will love making these easy mouse cupcakes for Christmas or anytime. All you need are red candies and mini Nilla Wafers.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; 2 mini Nilla Wafer cookies; red strand licorice (not the floppy kind); 2 red hots (cinnamon imperials); 1 red gumdrop; scissors.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Stick cookies into top of cupcake for ears. Add nose and eyes. Cut licorice strand into six equal pieces and insert for whiskers.

There’s no shame in using premade cupcake decorations such as those sold on a cardboard sheet by Wilton or CakeMate. But you can always dress them up by lining the cupcake with sprinkles or even peppermint bits.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; candy reindeer decoration; peppermint bits (sold in a shaker, or you can break up candy canes or Starlight Mints).

How To Make It: Frost cupcake. Place reindeer in center. Sprinkle peppermint around edges. That’s it!

Who needs fondant and fancy piping techniques when you have fruit rolls and mini M&Ms? These red poinsettia cupcakes will brighten up your Christmas cupcake array.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; red fruit roll; 3 yellow mini M&Ms; knife.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Using knife, cut fruit roll into 6 long triangle shapes for poinsettia petals. Arrange with wide ends toward center as shown. Place mini M&Ms in center.