These adorable Christmas wreath cupcakes are a cinch to make

We’re officially entering the time of the year when people go all-in on cookies, cinnamon rolls and other creative desserts. It can be tough to keep up with the beautiful baked goods that dedicated cooks are creating, but even if you’re a total beginner baker, you just might surprise yourself with your decorating skills when you recreate these Christmas wreath cupcakes. Seriously, anyone can make these, and everyone at the Christmas party will be impressed when you show up with them.

The Dinner At The Zoo blog details exactly how you can use green M&Ms, red ball sprinkles and red licorice to transform an average cupcake into a festive treat.

Perhaps the best part of all is that you can use a box of cake mix to make the cupcakes and top them with store-bought frosting. No one will care that these aren’t scratch-made from an original recipe with distractingly beautiful decorations like these!

So, once you’ve got your cupcakes cooked and topped with white frosting, it’s time for the decorating fun to begin.

Following the curve of the cupcake, you’ll press green M&Ms into the frosting to form two rows, then place red ball sprinkles along the M&M wreath to look like holly berries, and top it all with a licorice string you’ve made into the shape of a bow. Get the full tutorial and helpful tips for making it look terrific at Dinner At The Zoo.

When you’re done, your dessert will look a little something like this:

If you’d rather achieve the wreath look without using candy, there are clever ways to do it with frosting, if you have the proper tools on hand.

For example, the Crazy Adventures In Parenting blog shows how you can use a piping bag and decorating tip to create the perfect Christmas wreath effect. If you’re feeling extra festive, you can even complete the cupcake with a fondant star:

All of these little wreaths are so cute, but what if you put them all together to form one giant wreath? By simply arranging cupcakes in the shape of a wreath on a plate and covering all of them with a layer of buttercream, you’ll create a fun and festive pull-apart dessert, as the SugarHero blog points out.

Piping leaves throughout will make the dessert look extra realistic, and the final product will definitely wow guests at any holiday party. If you’ve got some extra time, you can make edible pine cones (out of almonds and chocolate) on your own, too. Look at you go!

It’s not always easy to have the best-looking dessert on the dessert table come Christmas time, but with these decorating tips at your disposal, Christmas 2018 is going to be the year you impress guests with your display. So, what are you waiting for? Get those cupcakes in the oven and get baking!