I made melting snowman cupcakes, a super cute, easy treat to make with the kids, and I’ve added them to my Christmas Cupcake collection with a simple trick that makes the melting look impossibly convincing.
I love a silly dessert that tells a story, so I made these Easy Melting Snowman Cupcakes that look like tiny snowmen who gave up and started to melt. I used a batch of cupcakes and giant marshmallows for the heads, and the faces turned out goofy in the best way.
Kids wanted to rearrange them like toys, and honestly the little imperfections made them more fun not less. This has a playful Winter Cupcake Cake vibe, and it’s perfect if you need a quick Christmas Cupcakes Decoration Kids will actually fight over.
Try one and see which snowman melts first.
Ingredients
- Butter adds rich fat and creaminess, mostly saturated fat and lots of calories
- Powdered sugar makes frosting sweet and smooth, pure carbs no real nutrients
- Marshmallows give fluffy sweetness, mostly sugar with tiny protein from gelatin
- Mini chocolate chips add dots for eyes and taste, adds sugar and some fat
- Pretzel sticks add salty crunch, mostly carbs with a little sodium
- Vanilla extract adds warm flavor, tiny calories but makes frosting taste homemade
- Milk or cream thins frosting and adds creaminess, gives some protein and fat
- Vegetable shortening keeps frosting whiter longer, mostly fat and no nutrients
- Orange candies for noses add color and sugar, no real vitamins
Ingredient Quantities
- 1 batch cupcakes (makes about 12): either 1 box cake mix (15.25 oz) plus the eggs oil and water the box calls for, or your favorite homemade cupcake batter
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks) for frosting
- 4 cups powdered sugar plus extra if you want it sweeter
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening optional, helps keep frosting extra white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream to thin the frosting
- Pinch of salt
- 12 large marshmallows (one per cupcake, for the snowman head)
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips for eyes mouth and buttons
- 12 pretzel sticks for arms, broken to size
- Small orange candies or orange decorating gel for carrot noses (mini M&Ms or orange fondant work well)
- Black decorating gel or a little melted chocolate in a piping bag for details
- White sanding sugar or coarse sugar for sparkle, optional
How to Make this
1. Bake 12 cupcakes from the box mix or your favorite homemade batter, cool completely on a rack so the frosting won’t slide off.
2. Make the frosting: beat 1 cup softened unsalted butter until fluffy, add 4 cups powdered sugar a cup at a time, 1 tsp vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 1 to 2 tbsp vegetable shortening if you want extra white frosting; add 2 to 4 tbsp milk or heavy cream to reach a thick but spreadable consistency, taste and add more powdered sugar if you like it sweeter.
3. If you want sparkly snow, stir in a little white sanding sugar or set some aside to sprinkle later; put frosting in a piping bag with a large round tip or use a zip bag with the corner snipped.
4. Build the snow drift: pile a big fluffy mound of frosting on each cooled cupcake, make it higher on one side so the marshmallow head can look like it’s slipping into the frosting.
5. Attach the snowman head: press one large marshmallow into the top side of each frosted mound so it tilts forward, use a little extra frosting as glue; if the marshmallow won’t stick try microwaving it 1 to 2 seconds to soften then press quickly, careful it gets hot.
6. Add extra mini marshmallows around the base for snowy drifts and fluff, press them lightly into the frosting so they stay put.
7. Make the face and buttons: use mini chocolate chips for eyes, mouth and two or three buttons down the frosting, push them in gently; use a small orange candy or tiny dab of orange decorating gel for the carrot nose.
8. Arms and details: break pretzel sticks to size and stick them into the sides of the frosting for twig arms; use black decorating gel or a little melted chocolate in a small piping bag to refine the smile and any small dots you want.
9. Finish and sparkle: sprinkle white sanding sugar over the whole cupcake if you want that icy shimmer, chill the cupcakes 10 to 20 minutes to help the frosting set and hold the pretzels.
10. Store and serve: keep cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two, refrigeration can make buttercream firmer and marshmallows chewier; if you want the frosting extra white keep some shortening in the recipe and avoid long sun exposure.
Equipment Needed
1. 12-cup muffin tin and paper liners, for baking the cupcakes
2. Mixing bowls (one large for batter, one medium for frosting)
3. Electric mixer or a good hand whisk, for fluffy buttercream
4. Measuring cups and spoons, to get sugar, butter and milk right
5. Rubber spatula and a wooden spoon, for scraping and folding
6. Wire cooling rack, so the cupcakes cool completely and frosting won’t slide
7. Piping bag with a large round tip or a zip bag with the corner snipped (plus a small piping bag or toothpick for tiny details)
8. Small microwave safe bowl or ramekin, to soften marshmallows or melt chocolate briefly
9. Offset spatula or big spoon, for piling the snow drift and pressing marshmallows into place
FAQ
Easy Melting Snowman Cupcakes Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Unsalted butter for frosting: swap 1:1 with vegan buttery spread or stick vegetable shortening. Shortening keeps frosting extra white and stiffer, vegan butter gives same texture but slightly different flavor, you might need to chill the bowl a bit if it seems soft.
- Powdered sugar: make your own by blitzing 4 cups granulated sugar with 4 tablespoons cornstarch in a high speed blender until very fine, then sift. Works great in a pinch, heads up it’s sometimes a bit grainier than store bought so sift well.
- Large marshmallows (snowman heads): use 1″ fondant balls or two mini marshmallows stuck together, or pipe small meringue kisses and bake until dry. Fondant is stable and won’t squish, meringue gives a crisp, light look but is fragile.
- Pretzel sticks for arms: replace with slivered almonds, thin breadsticks (grissini), or short candy canes for a peppermint twist. Almonds look twiggy but can break, breadsticks are sturdy and edible, candy canes add flavor and color.
Pro Tips
1. Chill and test the frosting first: make it thick enough to hold a marshmallow but still pipeable, try a small blob on a plate before you start, if it spreads too fast add a bit more powdered sugar and if it wont move add a splash more cream.
2. Want the marshmallow to stick without sliding later? Use a small dab of slightly warmed frosting as glue and press quickly, or push a short toothpick through the marshmallow into the cupcake for parties or travel, then remove the toothpick right before serving.
3. Keep the buttercream bright white by folding in 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening and dont overbeat the butter once you add the sugar, overbeating can trap air and make the color go off.
4. For tidy faces and fine details use a toothpick or the tip of a skewer to place melted chocolate or gel, heat the chocolate in 5 second bursts and stir till smooth so it flows better and you dont end up with blobs.
5. Preserve crunch and sparkle: add sanding sugar and pretzel arms only right before serving if you want them crisp, and store finished cupcakes in a single layer in an airtight box so heavy sides dont squish the snowdrifts.
Easy Melting Snowman Cupcakes Recipe
I made melting snowman cupcakes, a super cute, easy treat to make with the kids, and I’ve added them to my Christmas Cupcake collection with a simple trick that makes the melting look impossibly convincing.
12
servings
575
kcal
Equipment: 1. 12-cup muffin tin and paper liners, for baking the cupcakes
2. Mixing bowls (one large for batter, one medium for frosting)
3. Electric mixer or a good hand whisk, for fluffy buttercream
4. Measuring cups and spoons, to get sugar, butter and milk right
5. Rubber spatula and a wooden spoon, for scraping and folding
6. Wire cooling rack, so the cupcakes cool completely and frosting won’t slide
7. Piping bag with a large round tip or a zip bag with the corner snipped (plus a small piping bag or toothpick for tiny details)
8. Small microwave safe bowl or ramekin, to soften marshmallows or melt chocolate briefly
9. Offset spatula or big spoon, for piling the snow drift and pressing marshmallows into place
Ingredients
1 batch cupcakes (makes about 12): either 1 box cake mix (15.25 oz) plus the eggs oil and water the box calls for, or your favorite homemade cupcake batter
1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks) for frosting
4 cups powdered sugar plus extra if you want it sweeter
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening optional, helps keep frosting extra white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream to thin the frosting
Pinch of salt
12 large marshmallows (one per cupcake, for the snowman head)
About 24 mini marshmallows for snow drifts and extra fluff
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips for eyes mouth and buttons
12 pretzel sticks for arms, broken to size
Small orange candies or orange decorating gel for carrot noses (mini M&Ms or orange fondant work well)
Black decorating gel or a little melted chocolate in a piping bag for details
White sanding sugar or coarse sugar for sparkle, optional
Directions
- Bake 12 cupcakes from the box mix or your favorite homemade batter, cool completely on a rack so the frosting won’t slide off.
- Make the frosting: beat 1 cup softened unsalted butter until fluffy, add 4 cups powdered sugar a cup at a time, 1 tsp vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 1 to 2 tbsp vegetable shortening if you want extra white frosting; add 2 to 4 tbsp milk or heavy cream to reach a thick but spreadable consistency, taste and add more powdered sugar if you like it sweeter.
- If you want sparkly snow, stir in a little white sanding sugar or set some aside to sprinkle later; put frosting in a piping bag with a large round tip or use a zip bag with the corner snipped.
- Build the snow drift: pile a big fluffy mound of frosting on each cooled cupcake, make it higher on one side so the marshmallow head can look like it’s slipping into the frosting.
- Attach the snowman head: press one large marshmallow into the top side of each frosted mound so it tilts forward, use a little extra frosting as glue; if the marshmallow won’t stick try microwaving it 1 to 2 seconds to soften then press quickly, careful it gets hot.
- Add extra mini marshmallows around the base for snowy drifts and fluff, press them lightly into the frosting so they stay put.
- Make the face and buttons: use mini chocolate chips for eyes, mouth and two or three buttons down the frosting, push them in gently; use a small orange candy or tiny dab of orange decorating gel for the carrot nose.
- Arms and details: break pretzel sticks to size and stick them into the sides of the frosting for twig arms; use black decorating gel or a little melted chocolate in a small piping bag to refine the smile and any small dots you want.
- Finish and sparkle: sprinkle white sanding sugar over the whole cupcake if you want that icy shimmer, chill the cupcakes 10 to 20 minutes to help the frosting set and hold the pretzels.
- Store and serve: keep cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two, refrigeration can make buttercream firmer and marshmallows chewier; if you want the frosting extra white keep some shortening in the recipe and avoid long sun exposure.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 120g
- Total number of serves: 12
- Calories: 575kcal
- Fat: 32.7g
- Saturated Fat: 13.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.17g
- Polyunsaturated: 2.5g
- Monounsaturated: 12.5g
- Cholesterol: 87mg
- Sodium: 192mg
- Potassium: 200mg
- Carbohydrates: 65g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Sugar: 55g
- Protein: 5g
- Vitamin A: 400IU
- Vitamin C: 0mg
- Calcium: 40mg
- Iron: 1.2mg
