Cupcake Christmas Tree

All it takes is chocolate and pretzels to make a super fun and adorable holiday treat for the season. Eat them alone or add them as a festive cupcake topper; making cupcake Christmas trees couldn’t be easier!

This easy Christmas treat livens up moist cupcakes, ice cream cakes, and even cobbler for a delicious seasonal touch.  

Why you will love making Christmas Tree Pretzels

Sweet and Salty – There are many great Christmas recipes in the holiday season, but many are just focused on the sweet. These little tree cupcake toppers combine the salt from the pretzel with the sweet in the candy melt to create a delicious blend. 

So fun to decorate – One of my favorite things to do as a child was to make chocolate melts with old-fashioned molds with my grandma. These little trees bring back some nostalgia (even though they are free hand) and let the whole family be involved in the decorating.  Even using other homemade treats like this butter mint recipe is a good idea.

Where did Pretzel Christmas Treats Originate? 

We saw this super fun idea on tiktok creator @cakedbyrach and love her take on fun pretzel Christmas trees. She inspired us to try this with pink trees, and we love them! 

Check out her original video and see more of her fantastic ideas here: 

@cakedbyrach

What about a PINK Christmas tree 🎄 #cupcake #christmasbaking #christmastree #caketok #bakersoftiktok #learnontiktok

♬ original sound – ✰ Christmas sounds ✰

Our thoughts on this viral recipe – If I made these cupcake trees again, I’d make a longer trunk so you can see it better when I shove it into the icing. I like the trunk! 

Ingredients: 

• 24 cupcakes – Cooked and cooled plus icing to frost cupcakes.
• Coarse white sugar – This acts as “snow” on the trees and cupcakes. As a substitute, use powdered sugar.
• Chocolate Pretzel Trees – Pretzel sticks, candy melts, candy stars, and holiday sprinkles.

How to make a Cupcake Christmas Tree

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You will most likely need more than one baking sheet.
2. Place half of the candy melts into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 60 seconds at 50% powder. Stir well and repeat until smooth.
3. Pour melted chocolate into a resealable sandwich bag and seal shut. 
4. Snip a small corner of the bag and place a small dollop of melted chocolate onto the parchment paper. Press the salty pretzel stick into the chocolate. This will keep the pretzel from rolling around on the baking sheet.

5. Drizzle chocolate into a tree shape and add a star on top and candy sprinkles. Repeat until you have 24 trees.
6. Let stand to harden. 
7. It’s best to make about three trees and then “decorate” them, or the chocolate will begin to harden. 
8. Place icing into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe icing onto each cupcake and sprinkle with coarse white sugar to create snow.
9. Place one Christmas tree into each cupcake in the center. 

Detailed Trees – If drizzling chocolate out of the corner of the melting bag is too hard to get details with,  order Fine Cake Decorating tips (like the original video shows). This allows you to make custom and detailed trees if you prefer. There is no ‘wrong’ way to pipe the trees.

Expert Tips

• I used a box of white cake mix and a tub of white frosting. Whenever I pipe tub frosting onto 24 cupcakes, I need about 1.5 tubs. I did these in pink and traditional Christmas colors if pink wasn’t what you had in mind. 
• I used pink and dark green candy melts. The sprinkles I had and just mixed the bunch to make it a variety. 
• The frosting tip was a 1M tip.

• Pretzel Rods are too big for cupcakes but work great for cakes. Like sticks, use white chocolate or a colored candy melt as the tree. 
• Instead of making pretzel treats, use candy cane peppermint sticks (the mini ones) for a twist on this perfect treat. 
• If using white chocolate, milk chocolate, or chocolate chips, we suggest using a double boiler instead of microwave melting. Chocolate can very quickly seize up and be sensitive when melting.

Christmas Candy Stars

• This Christmas sprinkle combination for the holidays includes extra tree decorations and little stars. Get them from Amazon Here.
• Silver and Gold mini stars.
• Red, white, and blue stars – are also great for patriotic holidays.
• Edible sprinkle stars – thinner and less candy-like.
• Metallic gold stars.
• In keeping with the pink theme, a rose gold sprinkles and stars.

Related Christmas Recipes

• This super swirly Christmas Bark recipe made of candy melts and chocolate also makes a great edible gift to give. Grinch Bark is also a favorite!
• Curl up by the fire with a hot cup of cocoa made possible by these red and green Christmas Hot Cocoa Bombs Recipe!
• Foolproof Christmas Nougat candy will remind you of growing up at Grandma’s house!

• Not all holiday recipes are sweet-filled. Try this Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread for a recipe that is savory and perfect for a large meal.
• You won’t believe how easy cream cheese mints are to make at home.
• Need something quick and easy to bring to an office party? Christmas Marshmallow Fluff Dip made with candy canes will do the trick.