Gingerbread houses, meet your match. These festive Christmas Tree Cupcakes serve a similar function as part dessert, part decoration for your holiday table. Moist chocolate cupcakes become the base of spruced up sugar cones adorned with bright green frosting and edible silver sprinkle ornaments and, the piece de resistance, a light dusting of powdered sugar snow.
Sound challenging? Tune in to my video below to see the full technique in action.
Just imagine an entire forest of these edible trees lining your holiday table or surrounding a gingerbread house, adding a pop of color and flavor alongside each cookie wall.
I will leave you with that wistful visual, my friends, as I return to my unsolicited caroling of N*SYNC’s entire Christmas album while counting down the minutes – 20,143 to be exact – until my family members from San Diego, Chicago, Dubai and beyond congregate in Colorado to celebrate the season and taste our way into 2013.
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Ingredients
- 6 chocolate or vanilla cupcakes
- 3 cups homemade or store-bought vanilla frosting (See Kelly's Notes)
- 2 Tablespoons green food coloring
- 6 ice cream sugar cones
- Edible silver ball sprinkles
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Special equipment:
- pastry bag or gallon-sized sealable plastic bag; small star-shaped pastry tip (such as Wilton #18)
Instructions
- If necessary, slice the tops off of the cupcakes to create a flat surface. Slather a small portion of the frosting on the cupcakes to create a base atop which to position the sugar cone tree.
- Stir the food coloring into the remaining frosting, adding more food coloring as necessary to achieve your desired green color. Apply a thin layer of frosting on the exteriors of the sugar cones. Transfer the remaining frosting to a pastry bag fitted with the star-shaped pastry tip.
- Place the sugar cones atop the cupcakes then pipe leaves onto the trees. Garnish with the edible silver ball sprinkles and dust with powdered sugar.
Kelly's Notes:
- Three cups of frosting is equivalent to two 16-ounce cans of store-bought frosting.
- Depending on the consistency of your frosting, you can refrigerate the frosting prior to piping to ensure it retains its shape once piped onto the cones.
- The sugar cones can be decorated and stored (not on top of the cupcakes) for 1 day in an airtight container in the fridge. Frost the cupcakes and top them with trees right before serving.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Method inspired by MarthaStewart.com.
Wonderful !
I bake for my child’s Xmas fayre, can’t wait to make & take them for the children & parents. They are brilliant. Thank you.
I made these last year and they were a huge hit with kids and adults alike. Just coming back now to print the recipe again for this year!
I have looked everywhere for the silver ball sprinkles and can’t find them. Can you give me a website where I can find them? Thank you!
Hi Pam! Here is a link to purchase edible silver ball sprinkles on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-710-1174-Pearls-4-8-Ounce-Silver/dp/B00IE72BZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479737979&sr=8-1&keywords=wilton+silver+pearls
I made these one last year came out really good.there was only one problem the green icing in the can is was way too sweet.but they looked good anyways
This is such a great idea. So much better than just adding a Christmas tree made of fondant.
Thanks so much!
Love them , made them 2day 2 take 2 a Christmas party, the kids loved helping me make them .
thank you!
Look fab. Daughter is launching Christmas Tree Festival at Wymondham Abbey Saturday 6th December 2014. Just made cupcakes now can decorate as you have described.
What a great and cute idea
These are fabulous! Switched it up a bit and filled the cones with very frozen ice cream before finishing them quickly. Stored in the fridge one by one as they were done. Served in an ice cream sundae boat surrounded with cherries and blueberries. Kids went crazy for them
love these, as a newbie im going to try these.
How wonderful!