Santa’s Hat Cupcakes

It’s Christmas time, and you know what that means – Santa’s Hat Cupcakes! They are always on the list for Christmas Baking and they bring some holiday cheer to the dessert table, classroom party, or just a fun delicious treat.

Cute as a button, Santa’s cupcakes are not only delicious but the epitome of a festive dessert. (Perfect to leave for Santa with a glass of milk on Christmas Eve!)

Santa’s Hat Cupcakes – Pretty and Festive!

Why This Santa’s Hats Cupcakes Recipe Works

Sometimes, we know how the Christmas season can get, and it’s easy to get a tad (or a whole lot) overwhelmed with all the things that need to be done. It’s nice to have a break from doing all the tasks and instead, get to make something fun and stinkin’ adorable!

So I have to say, my friend was making these adorable Christmas cupcakes and I’m thrilled that I get to share them with you! I love the fact that they look like tiny hats that Santa would wear (which little ones will LOVE).

And super easy to make as well. Win-Win!

Ingredients Needed To Make These Adorable Festive Cupcakes

I’ll bet you have almost everything in your pantry right now! You’ll need: 

For the Cupcake Ingredients:

•  All-purpose flour
•  Sugar – Use regular white sugar here. If you only have brown sugar on hand, that will work as well.
•  Baking Powder – Use the freshest available for good leavening power.
•  Baking Soda – Same as the baking soda.
•  Salt
•  Butter – Please leave it at room temperature to soften. It will be much easier to incorporate into the batter that way.
•  Milk – A higher fat percentage milk will lend a richer cupcake. If you’d prefer to keep the calories down slightly, use 1 percent or skim milk.
•  Sour cream
•  Vanilla
•  Eggs – Room temperature eggs (or, at least right out of the fridge) will make a lighter, more fluffy cupcake.
• White baking chocolate
• Green and red food coloring (Optional) – No food color is necessary in the cupcake batter. I think it helps add to the festive feelings of the baked treat, but if you’d rather not add it, that’s totally fine.

Butter Cream Frosting Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter
• Confectioners’ sugar – Don’t use regular granulated sugar. The grains of the sugar will not dissolve, making the icing very grainy.
• Milk
• Cream Cheese – Same as with the butter, use room temperature cream cheese for best results.
• Green and red food coloring

Making these Santa’s Hat Cupcakes Perfect

These aren’t hard to make, so that’s part of the beauty of these holiday cupcakes. While I like baking cupcakes in silicone liners if you don’t have them, I recommend using paper cupcake liners for this recipe. However, if you know all the homemade cupcakes will be eaten ‘in-house’ and not given away, then go ahead and use the silicone liners.

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk dry ingredients well.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add in sour cream and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add in milk and mix on medium for 1 minute.

On low, mix in eggs, one at a time.

Using the microwave, melt baking chocolate. Mix into the wet ingredients.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Divide batter evenly between 3 small bowls. 

Add green food coloring to one, and red food coloring to the other, and leave the third bowl uncolored.

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners.

Using a spoon, add each color of batter into the muffin tin until about ⅔ full. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cupcakes are baking, start the frosting.

Add the frosting ingredients to a bowl and mix until fluffy. Separate the frosting into two bowls and using the red food coloring, color one of the bowls of frosting a festive red color.

Wait until the baked cupcakes cool completely to frost.

To Pipe the Hat Onto The Cupcake

Pipe a swirl onto the top of the cupcake with the red icing, leaving a border on the edge to pipe the white ‘fur’ portion of that hat.

With the white icing, pipe individual little dollops around the edge of the cupcake, right next to the red icing swirl. This completes the white fur edge of his hat.

Place a dolloped swirl of white icing on top of the red to make the pompom, or tip of his hat.

Everything from cookies, cakes, candies, rolls, etc, etc, etc are on the Christmas dessert/treat list every year.

How Long Will These Cupcakes Keep For?

If kept in an air-tight container, the frosted cupcakes will be good for approximately 5 days in the fridge. Be sure to keep them covered because the icing could dry out if uncovered in the fridge.

Questions You Might Have About This Cupcake Recipe

Can I Freeze These Cupcakes?

Sure can! I would freeze them in a freezer-friendly, airtight container or even a well-sealed freezer bag. It would also help to keep the freshness if you added one sheet of paper towel to the freezer bag. 

When you want to serve them, thaw them on the countertop or in the fridge overnight. I don’t recommend putting them in the microwave to thaw.

Remember, freeze the cupcakes UNFROSTED. I do not recommend freezing them with the frosting on top unless you have a way to keep the cover off of the frosting to avoid flattening it. 

There you have it! I hope that when you make these adorable Santa’s Hat Cupcakes you tag me in a post on Facebook or email me a few pics because I’d love to see them. If you’re looking for more super easy and festive Christmas treats, take a peek at my Wagon Wheel Reindeers, Santa’s Sweet and Salty Cookies, my Butter Caramel Toffee Cookies, or my famous Eggnog Walnut Fudge!

Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot and have a fantastic day. See you next time! 

~Joanne