Snowman Cupcakes

These snowman cupcakes are easy to make and have a fluffy vanilla, orange, almond, or coconut base — topped with cream cheese frosting and a simple snowman face. They work with all-purpose or gluten-free flour.

Ingredients

For the frosting:

▢ 12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese room temperature
▢ 6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
▢ 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
▢ pinch salt
▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the decoration:

▢ 1 medium carrot peeled, cut into wedges for the noses
▢ regular-sized chocolate chips
▢ mini chocolate chips
▢ at least 8 ounces (1 1/8 cup or 227 grams) sparkling sugar or unsweetened shredded coconut, see notes

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C), positioning the rack in the center, and line 2 muffin pans with 24 white muffin liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
2 cups (240 grams) flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond/orange/coconut/or extra vanilla extract until thickened and light gold, approximately 2 minutes on medium-high speed. If using a stand mixer without a whisk attachment, beat for 5 minutes with the paddle attachment. The batter should have a thick ribbon-like consistency.
4 large eggs, 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix, either by hand or on low speed with a mixer, until just combined.
Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then mix briefly to ensure it's well combined.
In a saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave, heat the milk until steamy but not bubbling. Remove from heat, add the butter and oil, and stir until the butter is melted.
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, 1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, 1/3 cup (67 grams) vegetable oil
Gradually incorporate the hot milk mixture into the batter, stirring on low speed with a mixer until well combined. Scrape the bowl and mix briefly until the batter is smooth.
If baking one pan at a time, pour the batter into the cupcake liners just before baking. Bake the cupcakes for 19-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. While the cupcake surfaces may be very soft, it's fine as long as they aren't wet. If one cupcake has a wet spot, but the other seem fine, ignore the one and focus on the others to determine their readiness.
After baking, allow the cupcakes to sit for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely for about 1 hour.

Make the frosting:

Once cooled, prepare the frosting by beating the butter and cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add salt and vanilla, beating until combined.
12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese, 6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter, pinch salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and continue beating until the frosting achieves a fluffy consistency.
1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar

Decorate:

For best results, decorate on the day of serving and only add the carrot nose shortly before serving.
Spread 1.5 tablespoons (23 grams) frosting over each cooled cupcake.
Sprinkle on some sparkling sugar or shredded coconut. You can also put the sugar in a bowl and then dip the frosted cupcakes in it.
at least 8 ounces (1 1/8 cup or 227 grams) sparkling sugar
Place the regular-sized chocolate chips, flat side up, on as eyes and the mini chips, flat side up, to form the mouth.
regular-sized chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips
Add a carrot wedge to form the nose.
1 medium carrot
Refrigerate frosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

For the flour, you can use all-purpose flour or for gluten-free, use King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour.
If using orange extract, then add 1 tablespoon orange zest.
If using coconut instead of sparkling sugar on top, then I recommend using coconut extract for coconut cupcakes.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour.
The nutrition information does not include the chocolate chips used in decoration.
The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.