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Vanilla Snowman Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing

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With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids!

With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids! Vanilla Snowman Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing

With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids! 
To make the face, I used ingredients easily found in the supermarket. Jellybeans, mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and some colored sprinkles. The cupcake itself is made of Duncan Hines cake mix.
With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids! 

I love experimenting with box cake mix, it makes whipping up dessert so much easier and I love how it can be used to make low fat treats! The most popular cupcake so far has been my Skinny Pumpkin Cupcakes made with nothing but cake mix, pumpkin and water. Second place is probably the Pineapple Bliss cupcakes that only required box cake mix and crushed pineapple, and then there is the Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes made with only cake mix, pudding, pumpkin and water and let’s not forget the Pink Lemonade Cupcakes.

Well here’s the latest combination I recently discovered, you can make deliciously easy, low-fat cupcakes with an 18.25 oz box of Duncan Hines Cake Mix, 6 oz fat free Chobani yogurt, egg whites and water. No oil or butter required and they come out delicious!

For the vanilla icing, I simply mixed some powdered sugar with a little melted butter and some water and it was perfect for these cupcakes because the candy didn’t melt like it would if I used cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes don’t use a lot of icing, less than a tablespoon on each. If you plan on making them into snowmen, work quickly putting the candy on or the frosting will harden.

With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids! 
My daughter loved these! The nose and eyes were the first to go.

With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids! 

With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids! 

With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids! 

Vanilla Snowman Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing

5 from 2 votes
8
Cals:143.5
Protein:2.1
Carbs:27.3
Fat:2.7
With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
With Christmas just around the corner, these adorable holiday vanilla snowman cupcakes are low fat, easy to make and they are a hit with the kids! 
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Yield: 24 servings
Serving Size: 1 cupcake

Ingredients

  • 18.25 oz Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix, or yellow, classic white
  • 6 oz fat free plain Chobani yogurt
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 2 large egg whites

For the icing:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tbsp boiling water

For the face:

  • m&m's for the eyes
  • orange jellybeans or candy corns for the nose
  • sprinkles for the hat
  • mini marshmallows for the cotton part of hat

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Line cupcake tins with liners.
  • Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat until combined.
  • Pour into prepared liners.
  • Bake about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool before frosting.
  • For the vanilla icing, combine powdered sugar, melted butter and water and beat until smooth.
  • To make snowman face, spread 2 1/2 teaspoons of icing on each cupcake; working quickly, press the candy face into the icing before it hardens. It's best to make one at a time.

Last Step:

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Notes

3 Points + (with no frosting)
*Nutritional info does not include candy.
This post was part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Duncan Hines.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cupcake, Calories: 143.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 27.3 g, Protein: 2.1 g, Fat: 2.7 g, Sodium: 143.2 mg, Sugar: 19.6 g

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57 comments on “Vanilla Snowman Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing”

  1. Avatar photo
    Beth Hedderman

    These cup cakes are so adorable I’m going to make them for Christmas too cute thank you for sharing 

  2. Kids loved these! Could only find a 15.25 oz box of cake mix so I added 11 TBS of flour and 1/4 tsp of baking powder. Turned out perfectly! Will make these again!

  3. I am planning to make these for the kids at my son’s preschool. Can it stay without refrigeration from morning till evening at the school?

  4. I was wondering the same thing as Kaitlyn above. Can this recipe be made into 2 round cakes instead of cupcakes? Thanks! Love all your recipes, Gina! They've been a life changer for me!

  5. ohh I'm gonna make these tonight for the football game. Can't wait to taste them. I've never had yogurt in cake before.

  6. First of all another adorable idea! Second could you use smart balance butter? Thats all we use in my house…Also does the cake mix have to be Duncan Hines? Thanks for everything!

  7. Do you have to use Duncan Hines or can you use Pillsbury or your own homemade cake mix then just add those other ingredients?

  8. I made the cupakes and frosting and let me say those cupcakes tasted amazing!!!!! I am wondering what the calories, fat and sugar is without frosting??? Myself and Mother in law ate them w/o frosting to save calories.

  9. Sorry if I'm repeating a question, but I didn't read through all the comments. Would you be able to make this recipe (using the yogurt) in a 9×13 pan? Or 2 8inch round pans?

    Thanks!

  10. I made these and the Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes for my daughter's first birthday party. Even her grandmother, the daughter of a baker, was in love.

  11. Avatar photo
    Carrie Johnston

    Thanks so much for this recipe…I made them and they were a huge hit! The picture is up at http://everydayspectacular.com/2011/12/25/christmas-baking/

  12. I made these with my 9 year old and 3 year old,and it was a great time! And they tasted wonderful too…thanks for all the great recipes Gina:)

  13. I just made these for the kids at my church, adorable….I hope they love them as much as I do. PRCHEF, Carmen

  14. Made them today for a party I am attending tomorrow, and they are DELICIOUS! The cake is so soft and the vanilla flavor is amazing! I can't wait to share them with my friends and get their reactions! Thanks for the wonderful recipe and keep up the fabulous work. 🙂

  15. Avatar photo
    living.a.feather.life

    deliiiiiiicious *-*
    i've fallen in love with them 😀
    My little is sitting next to me and he says the whole time that i have to bake these cute cupcakes!

    Thank you

  16. Avatar photo
    Jenny @ Savour the Senses

    Oh my gosh these are just tooooo cute!! I want to try and be original and come up with a great holiday cupcake but seeing things like this makes me just want to copy you!

  17. LOVE THIS! I am sooo making these with my girls this weekend and we will have to share them with the neighbors!

  18. Avatar photo
    Ms Journalist

    Love this Gina! I am going to make these for my co-workers just to ring in the winter season. I haven't made a recipe on your site that I didn't like. Keep up the great work!!!

  19. I made these last night with Funfetti cake and just the frosting(didn't have the decorating stuff on hand) and they are DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for your awesome recipes!

  20. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Thanks, so glad you like my new winter theme! And these cupcakes : )

    Yes, those are mini chocolate chips for the mouth.
    I don't think you need kids to make this, they are so stinking cute and seasonal, your friends, neighbors, ect would be impressed. You can just decorate a few if you wanted to.

    I don't think the points change with this small amount of candy.

    Yes, these can easily be made into santas!

    Any brand of fat free yogurt would work. Greek is creamier so I would use that.

    Gardenbaby- thank you : )

  21. Thanks for the recipes. Plan on making these with my grandkids this weekend. This is my favorite site.

  22. Super Cute-the snowmen & your daughter! I'm thinking that red sprinkles could turn them into Santas!!! I can't wait to make them!!!

  23. Avatar photo
    Tiffany {A Clove of Garlic}

    These are the cutest cupcakes! I am a third grade teacher and I think I will have to let my students have a cupcake decorating party. SO DARN CUTE! And not too tricky, which makes it a win-win.

    Btw, just found your blog and LOVE it. I will be stopping by more often 🙂

  24. Can I just tell you how absolutely beautiful your daughter is? Thank you for including the picture– my grand daughters are at a similar age and I will be sharing these with them. I also want to thank you for all the work you put into your recipes so we get all the wonderful benefits of fun, yummy food that fit weight watchers and a pretty healthy diet in general. I have told so many people about your site and often I will be eating something a friend has made and when I say how delicious it is they always say its your recipe. Thank you so much! Many blessings to you.

  25. Adorable! You are ringing in the season with such cute things! I can't wait to see the smiles on my daughters face when she comes home from school today to find these as a treat. Thanks Gina 🙂

  26. Avatar photo
    peanutbutterandpeppers.com

    OMG! How adorable! I love these little cupcakes. I wish I had kids so I can make some, maybe I will for work? To cute!!!

  27. Avatar photo
    The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh

    Those are so cute! I can't wait to make them. I think I might wait until January when people are trying to get healthy at the Mr's work and I can surprise them with being able to fit treats into their calories without sacrifice! That's what I love about this adventure and people like you helping me do it along the way!

  28. OMG these are ADORABLE!!!! I create miniatures for Barbie dolls and would LOVE to recreate these in miniature!!! (heck will probably make up a batch IRL too!!! =D)

  29. These are so cute! My kids are too old to take cupcakes to school so I'm racking my brain trying to think of an excuse to make them. They would be cute to give to neighbors! Are those mini choc chips that you used for the mouth?

  30. Avatar photo
    Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit

    You are the next super mom, I swear. Thanksgiving just wrapped up and you have snowmen up and posted already! I can't keep up! I love the use of yogurt in the cupcakes, I'm sure it pumps up the protein, too!

  31. Avatar photo
    Lisa at Dishes of Mrs. Fish

    I love how these are simple enough to decorate at my classroom's holiday party! Adorable!

  32. My daughter's 9th bday is Dec 1st and next Saturday I am taking her and two girlfriends to Snow Mountain (Stone Mountain, GA). Then, we'll spend the night in a hotel before heading home the next day. I HAVE to figure out how to make and take these safely. PERFECT!!! And so adorable!!! Can't wait to whip these up (and sneak one myself…shhhhhh!)!!

  33. Oooooohhhhh…my son's 5th birthday is next weekend and he wants to have these instead of cake! How fun!