When it comes to celebrating Christmas, it’s fun to serve a special holiday treat. That’s precisely why we picked our brains and created chocolate reindeer cups (and hot chocolate peppermint mugs too!).
If we didn’t call them ‘chocolate reindeer cups,’ we’d have to call them ‘the wow factor’! Your guests will ooh and ahh over these bite-sized holiday treats. The mousse could not be easier to make and it’s simple to modify the recipe to make any flavor you desire. The sky is the limit!
If you’re worried about the mousse collapsing in the chocolate cups while you’re supposed to be enjoying the party—don’t! While milk is one of the ingredients in the mousse, the whipped topping and instant pudding will prevent your reindeer from losing his head if it sits out for a length of time.
At first we were worried that it might be difficult to find candy eyeballs for the reindeer, but as it turns out, you can find them in almost any supermarket. Just look in the section with all the cake frostings and birthday candles.
Whether kids scoop out the mousse with their candy canes, or adults pop the entire treat in their mouths (like we did), this dessert is a home run! The mini hot cocoa cups are a little easier to make because you don’t have to ‘glue’ on as many pieces as the reindeer, but the time spent is so worth it when you see everyone’s faces light up!
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Chocolate Reindeer Cups Recipe
what you'll need
chocolate reindeer cups
- 1 box dark chocolate candy cups
- 8 oz whipped cream or whipped topping, dairy or dairy-free
- 1 cup milk
- 1 small box instant chocolate pudding 3.4 oz
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips melted, or 1 tube royal icing
- 24 candy eyeballs
- 24 miniature candy canes
- 12 small red candies
hot cocoa mugs
- 1 box dark chocolate candy cups or white chocolate candy cups
- 8 oz whipped cream or whipped topping, dairy or dairy-free
- 1 cup milk
- 1 small box instant white chocolate pudding 3.4 oz
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips melted, or 1 tube royal icing
- 12 miniature candy canes
let's do it
chocolate reindeer cups
- You'll start by making the mousse. Whip the whipped cream and milk together in a large bowl (or your stand mixer’s bowl) until completely combined.
- Sprinkle the instant chocolate pudding mix (it must be instant or this recipe won’t work) over the whipped topping mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds then on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often to make sure everything’s evenly incorporated.
- Once you finish beating the mousse, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you’re finished making the reindeer.
- To assemble the reindeer, you will need to gather all of your components. Melt ¼ cup of chocolate chips to be used as ‘glue’ (it makes no difference whether you use white, semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips). Just melt them in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds and use a toothpick to apply the chocolate glue where needed.
- Choose where you would like to locate the eyes on the cup, apply a small amount of melted chocolate to the backs of the eyes then adhere them to the correct spot. Hold them in place for just a second until the chocolate sets then repeat for the nose (if you’re using a candy with a logo stamped on one side, just apply the melted chocolate over the logo so that the blank side is facing out). Allow the melted chocolate to set while you make the rest of the reindeer.
- After the reindeer have been made, place about a cup and a half of chocolate mousse into a zip top sandwich bag. Seal the bag, snip one corner and use the bag to pipe the mousse into the cups. Then place the candy canes inside the cup as ‘antlers’. They will displace a certain amount of mousse so make sure to fill the cups to the top or slightly below. You can always add more mousse after you put the antlers in place if needed.
- If you're not serving these little guys immediately, place them in the fridge without antlers until ready to serve. The candy canes will begin to melt into the mousse after a while, so keep them separate until just ready to serve.
hot cocoa mugs
- You'll start by making the mousse. Whip the whipped cream and milk together in a large bowl (or your stand mixer’s bowl) until completely combined.
- Sprinkle the instant chocolate or white chocolate pudding mix over the homemade whipped cream mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds then on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl often to make sure everything’s evenly incorporated.
- Once you finish beating the mousse, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you’re finished making the hot chocolate mugs.
- Make the mugs by unwrapping 12 miniature candy canes and bringing out your sharpest knife. On a cutting board, cut the hook end of the candy cane as the mug handle. We know, it sounds like it is going to be a mess, cutting hard candy this way, but it’s actually very easy! The only trick to cutting the candy cane smoothly is to use the back end of a sharp knife (the heavy end of the blade closest to the handle). Don’t be timid or anxious! Just place your knife where you want to make your cut then slice right through. If the ends are a little jagged, just rub them against the finest grater or microplane that you have. You should have no trouble turning 12 candy canes into 12 handles and 12 swizzle sticks.
- Adhere the handles to the side of the chocolate cup by dabbing a little melted chocolate to each side of the handle and holding it in place for a few seconds while the chocolate sets.
- The last thing to do is to fill each ‘mug’ with mousse and place the candy cane swizzle stick into the mousse with the cut side submerged. Remember if you’re not serving these immediately, refrigerate them without inserting the candy cane into the mousse. When its time to serve, just pop them in and you’re all done.
- Now, stand back and admire these adorable and easy little treats that will be the subject of everyone’s conversation long after they’ve been gobbled up.
One Last Thing
Nutrition
