In need of a last minute Christmas dessert?! Look no further! Grab a package of store bought cupcakes (or make your own!) and then make a batch of frosting to turn ordinary cupcakes into something truly special!
I made these Christmas tree cupcakes this past weekend when we went to a friends house…I had some cupcakes in the freezer just begging to be decorated all Christmas-y (and yes I keep cupcakes in the freezer AND yes you can freeze cakes and cupcakes! In fact, I actually prefer to freeze them in preparation of birthdays and holidays so I am not in a mad dash to bake lots and lots of things…that way all I need to do is pull them out of the freezer the day before and decorate them).
But back to the cupcakes…I saw the Christmas tree cupcake idea on pinterest awhile ago and it was in the back of my mind to make these. For these cupcakes I used my standard cupcake and buttercream recipe. Posted here. There is enough frosting for 24 cupcakes.
To avoid making the trees super big and having too much frosting (as if there is such a thing) I put sprinkle “snow” on the top of the cupcake as a base…plus I think it is super cute…it kind of reminds me of a snow globe. And since my daughter loves all things pink I aimed for more pastel-y pink sprinkles and what not. But obviously you could change the sprinkle decorations to your hearts content.
Once the cupcakes and frosting were ready I set up my ingredients….
I then frosted the tops of the cupcakes with a layer of white buttercream frosting and then dipped the frosted cupcakes in the white sanding sugar.
Next, I dyed the rest of the frosting green. Using a 1M tip I put the green frosting in a pastry bag and made a tree shape on the top of each cupcake. I also adorned each tree with sprinkles.
Last, I melted 4 oz of white chocolate and 1 tsp of shortening. I put the melted chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with a size 5 tip and drew a star on the parchment paper. 
I then sprinkled some sanding sugar over the chocolate stars to give them a little extra sparkle and let the chocolate dry.
After the chocolate stars hardened I placed them on top of the frosting trees. And voila! A festive dessert that all your guests will LOVE.
I wish you all a very merry and joyful Christmas!! And a very happy New Year!!!
xo Lauren