Christmas Muffins

Festive treats with cream cheese frosting and a strawberry on top? These Christmas muffins are perfect for holiday breakfasts, brunches and desserts!

I love baking muffins because I can easily customize them to match the season and the occasion. And of course, Christmas-themed ones are usually the most delicious and beautifully decorated!

Sometimes, they are also so challenging to make. But your hunt for the easiest and most sophisticated looking Christmas muffins ends here!

See that santa hat-like strawberry garnish? It’s super easy to arrange! Keep reading to learn how to make them.

What Are Are Christmas Muffins?

Christmas muffins are just regular muffins with a holiday twist. You know how muffins are, with their different textures, flavors, and toppings?

What sets these Christmas versions apart are their subtle chocolate-orange flavor and festive toppings.

Cream cheese frosting with a strawberry on top? They look like Santa hats and big red ornaments in tiny winter wonderlands.

Some Christmas muffins resemble Santa, Rudolph, a snowman, or even a Gingerbread man. They all look nice, but are they easy to make?

There are only a handful of recipes and decorations that won’t give you a hard time.

Here comes our Christmas muffins! Just whip up a delicious batter, let it bake, make the frosting, add a strawberry on top, and there you have it!

A treat that looks and tastes just like Christmas. If you liked apple muffins and pumpkin muffins, you’ll love this version, too. Seasonal treats really are the best.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Portable and handy: These mini Christmas muffins are perfect for breakfast or a snack on the go! Just toss them in an airtight container, and you won’t be hungry while in transit. If you’re constantly out and about this holiday season, whether for work or leisure, this is the recipe you need to learn.
• Easy to make: Who says baking holiday sweets has to be complicated? Nah, this recipe is a piece of cake – just follow the steps, no fancy techniques needed. If you’re a newbie like me, whipping up these muffins is perfect practice!
• Customizable: Want bigger muffins? Just adjust the baking time and ingredients a bit to make regular sized ones. As for toppings, the sky’s the limit! Sprinkles, nuts or a drizzle of caramel? Mix and match however you like.

What Do Mini Christmas Muffins Taste Like?

These Christmas muffins are light and fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness, thanks to honey and the magical combo of eggs, flour, and butter.

The refreshing flavor from the orange zest and juice really stand out and may take you by surprise! This amazing citrusy taste is something you wouldn’t get in many holiday treats.

Now, hear this chocolate lovers! When it comes to the chocolate flavor, it’s very subtle and not the dominant flavor in these muffins.

You won’t be disappointed, though. There’s something about the subtle chocolatey flavor here that’s so irresistible. I can bake this every day simply because it has cocoa powder and orange!

With cream cheese and a fresh strawberry on top, they have a festive look and a fruity taste that goes great with the chocolate and orange flavors.

Isn’t it awesome that these muffins don’t use granulated sugar?

Swapping in honey as a natural sweetener is a genius move. You get some sweetness from the frosting and strawberry, too!

Christmas Muffins Recipe Ingredients

Muffins:

• Eggs – Adds moisture and richness to the Christmas muffins.
• All-purpose flour – The trusty backbone of your desserts, it’s what makes them rise and stay fluffy.
• Butter – For that creamy, melt-in-your-mouth richness. Who doesn’t love buttery sweet treats?
• Honey – Adds moisture and sweetness! Just a little honey infuses a unique earthy flavor to your muffin batter.
• Orange juice and zest – Just when you thought citrus wasn’t needed in these muffins, try it out and see how it refreshingly lifts the flavor!
• Cocoa powder – Who can resist chocolate? It’s Christmas – you deserve chocolatey goodness in your homemade desserts.
• Baking powder – This little ingredient is a big deal – it’s what makes your muffins light and airy.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Cream cheese – It’s smooth, creamy, and a bit tangy, the perfect topper for festive muffins. It also pairs well with chocolate!
• Honey – Give your Christmas muffins a subtly sweet finish. No need for granulated sugar. A dash of honey will do the work.
• Fresh strawberries – The final touch! I didn’t realize that strawberries can pass off as Christmas ornaments until I saw this muffin recipe.

Tools Needed To Prepare Christmas Mini Muffins

• 12-cup muffin pan to give your Christmas muffins their adorable shape and size
• Paper liners to easily remove the muffins from the cups
• Mixing bowls to prepare and combine all the ingredients
• Whisk or electric mixer for a smooth batter and frosting
• Zester to extract the zest from the orange
• Cooling rack for airflow around the freshly baked muffins
• Small piping bag to add a creamy cheese topping to your holiday treats

Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For This Christmas Mini Muffins Recipe

Fresh Lemon

Fresh lemon is a fantastic swap for orange in this muffin recipe. Just remember, lemons are a bit more acidic, so you might want to use less lemon juice to keep the tang subtle.

And since their flavor is different from oranges, it’s a good idea to taste your batter and tweak the intensity of lemon flavor to get it just right.

Mini Chocolate Chips

Holiday treats are often all about bright colors, but if you’re keen on adding mini chocolate chips, no one’s stopping you!

We’ve already got cocoa in the muffin itself, so these chips will only amp up the chocolatey goodness.

As for when to add them, you’ve got two choices: mix them into the batter before filling the muffin tins, or sprinkle them on top just before baking.

Red and Green Sprinkles

It’s almost always the garnishes that tempt me to devour festive treats!

The strawberries here seem irreplaceable, but if you can’t find any, settle with the classic red and green sprinkles. No Santa hat berry?

Hmm it doesn’t matter. Muffins with sprinkles still scream Christmas for me. 🎄

Cinnamon Sugar

Strawberries, cocoa, and cinnamon may seem like an odd pairing, but they work beautifully together!

One teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger can give your taste buds a holiday hug. But if you love warm spices and like your festive treats a bit sweeter, cinnamon sugar is the way to go!

Simply sprinkle a bit of cinnamon sugar on top of your muffins before baking for a sweet, crunchy touch.

Vanilla Extract

I really enjoy the floral aroma vanilla extract adds to desserts, so I often tweak recipes to include it. The best time to add vanilla is when mixing the wet ingredients.

Simply mix it in right after you blend the eggs, butter, honey, and orange juice.

This way, it gets nicely spread throughout the batter. It also works well with the tangy cream cheese topping.

How to Make Christmas Muffins

Ingredients:

for the muffins:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 orange (for zest and juice)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder

for the cream cheese frosting:

• ½ cup cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Fresh strawberries

Tools you need:

• 12-cup muffin pan
• Paper liners
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk or electric mixer
• Zester
• Cooling rack
• Small piping bag

Instructions:

MUFFINS:

STEP 1: Gather all the ingredients. Don’t forget to zest and juice the orange for a fresh citrus twist in your muffins.

STEP 2: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, line your muffin tin with cupcake liners.

STEP 3: In a large bowl, mix the eggs, melted butter, honey, orange juice and cocoa powder.

STEP 4: Next, add the flour, baking powder, and orange zest. Mix them until well combined.

STEP 5: Spoon the batter into the mini muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full.

STEP 6: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 13 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

cream cheese frosting:

STEP 1: While the muffins are baking, blend the cream cheese and honey until smooth. Afterward, transfer the mixture into a piping bag.

STEP 2: After baking, cool the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes. Then, gently remove them one by one and transfer to a cooling rack.

STEP 3: Time to decorate and serve! Once cooled, pipe cream cheese on each muffin.

STEP 4: Then, add a strawberry on top. Enjoy your mini Christmas muffins!

What To Serve With Easy Christmas Muffins

• Christmas charcuterie board: Arrange these Christmas muffins side by side with other delicious fruits and desserts. Our Christmas wreath charcuterie board is filled with sweet and savory appetizers, but you can switch things up a bit and include some of your festive holiday muffins. Why not serve these side by side apple cider muffins?
• Savory sides: Eggs and muffins might seem like an unlikely match, but they work great, especially on busy holiday mornings. Try these muffins with our deviled eggs or air fryer soft boil eggs. No one can ever say no to this sweet and savory combo. 😍
• Tea or coffee: Muffins themselves are already the perfect breakfast or snacks. Just find the right drink to pair with them. A classic hot coffee or black tea is always a safe bet, or you could try something sweeter like Vietnamese pumpkin spice iced coffee. So sweet and aromatic!

Tips About Making the Best Christmas Muffins

• Mind your mixing: We’re always aiming for soft, fluffy muffins, but they don’t always turn out that way. The most common cause? Overmixing! Overmixing leads to dense, tough muffins. When you see no more dry flour and the ingredients are just combined, stop mixing. Some lumps in the batter are perfectly fine.
• Frost like a pro: Here comes the best part! For that smooth cream cheese topping, just fill up your piping bag and give the top a good twist to keep the pressure steady. Then, start piping the frosting from the center and swirl outward. Keep the pressure steady for a perfect swirl.
• Room temperature ingredients: For the most amazing muffins, remember to let your ingredients warm up to room temperature before you start baking. Just take them out of the fridge ahead of time. Around an hour should do! This step makes your batter smoother and helps the muffins rise evenly, thus improving their texture.

How To Store Festive Christmas Muffins

• Room temperature: Planning to snack on your leftover Christmas muffins soon, like maybe today or by tomorrow? Simply place them in an airtight container on the counter. Save the strawberries and frosting for when it’s serving time to keep everything super fresh and tasty!
• Fridge: If you’ve already gone all out and frosted these cuties, no worries. Put them in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two. Don’t let them hang around in there for too long, though. The strawberries won’t stay fresh for long, so it’s best to add them right before you eat your muffin.
• Freezer: For the muffins themselves, you can freeze them without the frosting and strawberries. Stick them on a tray in the freezer until they’re rock-solid. After that, toss them into a freezer bag. They’ll stay fresh for up to 3 months. Once you’re ready to satisfy that muffin craving again (beyond Christmas, yes!), just thaw them and slap on that frosting and top with fresh strawberries.

How to Tell if Muffins are Done?

One of the most reliable methods is the good old toothpick test. Just stick a toothpick into the center of a Christmas muffin.

If it comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs, they are done. If there’s wet batter on it, they need a bit more time in the oven.

You can also check for doneness by lightly pressing the top of the muffin. If it springs back, that’s a good sign that it’s cooked through.

Another cue (my favorite cue!) is the delightful aroma of freshly baked muffins filling your kitchen. This pleasant smell usually means they are almost ready.

Remember, ovens can vary, so start checking your muffins a couple of minutes before the recommended baking time. This way, you avoid over or under-baking.

Why Not Fill the Muffin Liners to the Very Top with Batter?

Filling muffin liners all the way might seem like a good idea for bigger muffins, but it’s best to fill them only two-thirds.

Overfilling can cause them to overflow in the oven, leaving you with a mess and flat-topped muffins.

Also, overfilled muffins often have overcooked edges and undercooked centers – definitely not what we’re aiming for.

So, sticking to filling the liners two-thirds full is the way to go. It helps the muffins bake evenly and gives them that perfect, rounded top.

Stick to this rule, and you’ll get those perfectly shaped, evenly cooked, tasty Christmas muffins you’re after.

Why Are My Muffins Not Fluffy?

If your Christmas muffins aren’t coming out fluffy, there are a few things to check. Overmixing the batter is an easy mistake to make.

Doing so creates too much gluten, which leads to dense muffins instead of light ones. A few lumps in your batter are actually a good sign – it means you’ve mixed just enough.

Also, be careful with how much baking soda or powder you use. These help your muffins rise, but too much can cause them to puff up quickly and then fall flat.

Stick to the recipe’s recommended amounts for the best lift.

The amount of liquid in your batter is key, too. If you add too much, it can make the batter heavy and stop it from rising well. Accurate measurements of your wet ingredients are crucial.

And don’t forget about your oven temperature. If your oven’s too hot, your muffins could puff up too quickly and then flop. If it’s too cold, they might not puff up enough. 

So yes, the key to fluffy muffins is to stick to the best recipe and learn new techniques!

 FAQ About Christmas Muffins

Conclusion

Muffins were the very first baked goods that made me feel like a chef. Well, I’m still not an expert baker (still learning!) but I’ve already learned many things from making these treats!

Baking muffins gets even more fun during the holiday season. These Christmas muffins are a bit different from our regular breakfast ones, but they’re equally easy and enjoyable to make.

Please don’t be intimidated by the sophisticated-looking garnish!

I really love how simple this recipe is, but as always, feel free to change it up. Try buttercream instead of cream cheese frosting, or use different fruits, not only strawberries!

More, more and more yummy recipes for Christmas?! You’ll love the flavors, colors and holiday vibe that come with these spreads and dishes:

• Santa Charcuterie Board (Christmas Snack Board Idea)
• Easy Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board Idea
• Best White Chocolate Dipped Cookies Recipe
• Christmas Reindeer Cookies
• Strawberry Filled Cupcakes (Easy Christmas Tree Cupcakes)