My kids are having so much fun planning our upcoming Grinch Christmas party, and what is a party without cupcakes? These delicious green, monstrously cute Grinch Cupcakes are definitely going to be a hit – and bonus, the kids can help make them!
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We had so much brainstorming these cupcakes – I asked the kids “what would Grinch cupcakes look and taste like” and I got some pretty interesting answers:
- dogfood
- garbage
- rotten eggs
- skunks
- things that stink. stank. stunk.
Well, as “theme appropriate” as those suggestions were, I encouraged the kids to instead pick a flavor that Cindy Lou Who might offer the Grinch, so we settled on Grinch green vanilla cupcakes.
Inspired by these Green Slime Cupcakes, the kids wanted “green slime” on top of the cupcakes. I personally wanted to avoid a sticky mess so we settled on a drizzle of green candy melts.
We also added a cherry center to represent the Grinch’s heart… not really sure why, but it’s cute and a tasty surprise!
If you need to prepare your cupcakes ahead of time, you can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes until your party. Just defrost on the counter for a couple hours before frosting.
How to Make Grinch Cupcakes
First, gather your ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Green food dye
- 24 Maraschino cherries
For the frosting:
- 1 cup butter
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 Tablespoons cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 375F and line a muffin liner with cute Christmas-style cupcake liners.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add in the sugar, then the vanilla and oil.
Add half of the flour mixture into the egg mixture, then the buttermilk, then the remaining flour mixture.
Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into your prepared liners and drop a maraschino cherry in the center of each cupcake for a “heart-like” center.
Bake for 12 -14 minutes and then let cool on a cooling rack as you prepare the frosting and candy melts.
Melt the green candy melts according to package directions and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of the cream for 2 minutes.
Add in extra cream or powdered sugar as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star frosting tip.
Swirl the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and let set for a couple minutes.
Check the temperature of the melted candy melts – you want them as close to room temperature as possible while still being runny.
The kids’ cupcakes will probably end up looking similar to this – and that’s okay!
I don’t think the Grinch would be a fan of “pretty” cupcakes anyways.
For your cupcakes, lightly drizzle the candy melts over the buttercream and then attach a single heart sprinkle for a cute effect that would warm even the Grinch’s tiny heart.
Let the candy topping dry before storing or serving.
What is your favorite Grinchy-treat?
For more adventures in Grinch fun, check out:
