Grinch Cupcakes – Mom On Timeout

These adorable Grinch Cupcakes are sure to make everyone’s hearts (and stomachs) grow three sizes! These Christmas cupcakes are easy and decorated to look just like our favorite animated green meanie. This dessert just might steal Christmas in the best way possible!

Starting to feel a little like the Grinch this holiday? Make life a little easier and little more merry with my Christmas Punch, adorable Grinch Cookies and Peppermint Ice Cream!

Add a smirk, a smile or a frown to really give your Grinch Cupcakes some personality!

Why You’ll Love These Grinch Cupcakes

• These delightful cupcakes are standouts among the holiday treats. Have you seen their faces? The bright colors will excite and entice anyone to take a bite of these delicious cupcakes.
• They’re easy to make even if they look a bit complicated. The cupcakes themselves are simple, and while the decorations may look as over the top as Martha May’s house, the design is deceptively easy. 

More Christmas Recipes Even The Grinch Won’t Turn Down

1. Christmas Bark
2. Peanut Butter Fudge with M&Ms
3. Homemade Gumdrops
4. Christmas Crack
5. Reindeer Cookie Bars

What You’ll Need

Don’t be a mean one this Christmas, up the Who-liday Cheer with a tray of festive Grinch Cupcakes. As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need…

• white cake mix – you can use your favorite boxed mix or make homemade white cupcakes if you prefer. If you go the homemade route, you won’t need the eggs, milk and butter. I love these almond cupcakes for this recipe!
• eggs – you’ll need 3 large at room temperature.
• whole milk – While you can substitute for lower fat milk or a non dairy option, I find that whole milk gives the best flavor and consistency.
• salted butter – You’ll want the butter completely melted. You can use vegetable or canola oil in place of the butter if you prefer, but the cupcakes won’t be quite as rich and flavorful.
• food coloring –  Neon green and red.
• white frosting – You’ll want at least two 16-ounce tubs. It never hurts to have a little extra in case you start to run out. And of course, if you have a white frosting recipe you love (cream cheese frosting is always a good option) – you can use that instead. The one from my carrot cake recipe is perfect.
• powdered sugar – This will help stiffen the frosting so it’s easier to decorate with.
• yellow Reese’s Pieces – Or M&Ms depending on your preference. You’ll need 48 total for the eyes. Make sure to place them printed side down.
• black cookie icing – For the little details. You can find this in the baking aisle of your store or online.

How To Make Grinch Cupcakes

Make the Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the cupcake tins with liners and set aside.
2. Mix the cake mix, eggs, whole milk, and melted butter together. Beat until fully combined.
3. Drop in the neon green food coloring a little at a time until you reach the perfect grinchy color.
4. Pour the batter into your muffin tins, only filling each liner about 2/3 full.
5. Bake the cupcakes for 18-23 minutes. They are ready when a toothpick interested in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack while you prepare the frosting.

Prepare the Frosting

1. Use a hand mixer and dump one tub of frosting into a bowl with ¼ cup of powdered sugar and enough drops of the green food coloring to match the color of the cupcakes. Beat until fully combined and there are no streaks of food coloring.
2. Transfer the green frosting into a piping bag. I like to use a large, circular piping tip for this step. Pipe a tall, thick swirl of green onto each of the completely cooled cupcakes.
3. Set aside about ¾ cup of white frosting from the remaining tub. Scoop that into a piping bag and fit with a smaller circular tip.
4. Mix the remaining tub of frosting with a few drops of red food coloring. You can mix a bit of powdered sugar in to stiffen this up as well. Mix until you get a bright red color with no streaks.
5. Scoop into a piping bag and use a tip to pipe a swirl of red to look like a Santa hat.
6. Pipe white frosting trim around each hat and a dollop on top for the ball at the end of a Santa hat.
7. Place two yellow candies on each Grinch head just below the fur trim of his hat.
8. Use the black cookie icing to add in the details like eyebrows, irises, nose and mouth. You can choose whether he’s smiling or frowning, or maybe even smirking.
9. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready. Happy Who-Lidays!

Grinch Cupcakes FAQs

Special Tools and Ingredients Needed

Trish’s Tips and Tricks

• When it comes to the paper cupcake liners I think green, red or white works best, those will all work with Grinch’s Santa suit. 
• Let the cupcakes cool completely or otherwise they will slowly melt the frosting,
• If your frosting doesn’t seem to be holding shape, place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes and see if stiffens up a bit OR you can add more powdered sugar to stiffen it and chill it in the fridge for a few minutes. The frosting will warm up in the piping bag the longer it’s in your hands so you may want to pop it in the fridge halfway through if you notice your Grinches start to slouch.  
• This recipe makes 24 cupcakes but it’s super easy to double the batch and make a whole Whoville worth of Grinches!
• Don’t overfill your liners. This helps to make sure all the cupcakes are baked evenly and avoids any batter spilling over the edge.

More Christmas Treats

1. Grinch Cookies
2. Stained Glass Cookies
3. Whipped Shortbread Cookies
4. Buddy The Elf Cookies (Haystacks)
5. Polar Bear Paw Cupcakes

How To Make Grinch Cupcakes