Grinch Cupcakes Recipe

Course: cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 287kcal

Author: Becky Hardin - Easy Dessert Recipes

We all know that the Grinch stole Christmas, but these Grinch cupcakes will steal your heart this holiday season!

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Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
2 Cupcake Tin
Hand Mixer
Piping Tip Set

Ingredients

15.25 ounces white cake mix 432 grams (1 box)
3 large eggs 150 grams, room temperature
1 cup milk 227 grams, room temperature
½ cup salted butter 113 grams, melted (1 stick)
Neon green food coloring
32 ounces white frosting 907 grams (2 tubs)
¼-½ cup powdered sugar 28-57 grams
48 yellow Reese’s Pieces 38 grams
Red food coloring
0.67 ounces black decorating icing 19 grams (1 tube)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 12-count cupcake tins with white or green paper cupcake liners.
In a large mixing bowl, using a hand whisk, beat the cake mix, large eggs, milk and melted butter together until well combined, about 2-3 minutes.
15.25 ounces white cake mix, 3 large eggs, 1 cup milk, ½ cup salted butter
Mix in some neon green food coloring, until you get a nice grinchy green color.
Neon green food coloring
Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each liner about ⅔ of the way full of batter.
Bake for 19-23 minutes, or until the tops bounce back when tapped and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.
To assemble your grinch cupcakes, stir green food coloring into one of the tubs of frosting until you get a color that matches the cupcakes.
32 ounces white frosting
Place the green frosting and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat them together until combined and thick. The frosting should hold its shape when piped. If it starts to sag instead, add more powdered sugar.
¼-½ cup powdered sugar
Scoop the frosting into a piping bag with a 2A Wilton piping tip and pipe a swirl of green frosting on each of the cupcakes. This will be the Grinch head so it shouldn’t be huge but you do want it to cover the cupcake and be large enough for the eyes and a hat.
Place two yellow Reese’s pieces on the bottom front of each of the green frosted cupcakes. These will be the eyes.
48 yellow Reese’s Pieces
Scoop about ¾ cup of white frosting into a piping bag with a #22 Wilton piping tip and set to the side for now.
Add red food coloring to the rest of the white icing until you have a rich, Christmas red color.
Red food coloring
Place the red frosting in a piping bag with a #12 Wilton piping tip and use it to pipe Santa hats onto the top of each Grinch head, slightly back from the eyes. The hat should not cover the whole top and should leave room for the white piping around it.
Use the white frosting to pipe around the hat and a dollop on the top.
Use the black decorating icing to pipe on irises and eyebrows above the eyes. If needed, you can put the eyebrows on the white outline on the hat.
0.67 ounces black decorating icing
Enjoy your Grinch cupcakes!

Notes

You can also make this recipe with yellow cake mix or butter pecan cake mix, but you may find that the color isn’t as green.
You can also use your favorite homemade cake recipe.
You can use water or plant-based milk in place of the milk a pinch, but your cupcakes won’t be as fluffy and delicious.
You can use vegetable oil instead of butter, but the cupcakes won’t be quite as rich and fluffy.
If you don’t have neon green food coloring, you can make your own by adding 2-3 drops of blue food coloring with 15-20 drops of yellow food coloring. Adjust as necessary.
You can substitute the Reese's Pieces for yellow M&Ms if necessary; the color is a bit brighter.
You can use a homemade buttercream or cream cheese frosting recipe instead of using store-bought.
Use room temperature ingredients for the cupcakes; they will combine better.
Take care not to overmix the cupcake batter. Otherwise, you will end up with tough, dry cupcakes.
Rotate the cupcakes halfway through baking so that they bake evenly.
Be sure to allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating them.
Keep in mind that food coloring gets darker as it sits, so let it sit for a few minutes before adjusting.
Avoid letting the frosting get too hot. If your frosting has been sitting out and seems to be very soft, you may want to refrigerate it for 10 or 15 minutes so that it doesn’t slide off of your cupcake while you are decorating.

Storage: Store Grinch cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition