Stranger Things Christmas Lights Cupcakes

Stranger Things Christmas Lights Cupcakes

These Christmas lights decorations have taken a bit more of a sinister turn with the tribute to Stranger Things! But that doesn’t make them any less sweet! These chocolate cupcakes have Christmas Oreos hidden at the bottom and are topped with a traditional vanilla buttercream along with the candies.

Bake these up and enjoy with a Stranger Things marathon! They’re an 11/10!

Servings: 12-16 Cupcakes

Prep Time: 1.5 Hours

Total Time: 4 Hours

Ingredients

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 egg whites
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons melted chocolate
1 package of Oreos

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Christmas lights sprinkles
Black licorice laces
Black fondant

Instructions

Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare cupcake tins with 16 liners. Set aside.
Cupcakes: In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Cupcakes: In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup of unsalted butter until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes). Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar and beat until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes). Add 2 egg whites and beat until white and fluffy (1-2 minutes). Add 1/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup milk. Melt 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second increments. Add to the batter. Beat until well-combined (2-3 minutes).
Cupcakes: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Cupcakes: Put 10-14 Oreo cookies in a food processor (or put in a plastic bag and crumble with a rolling pin) until you have 3/4 cup of crushed Oreos. Don't worry about removing the cream from inside the Oreos before crumbling - we left ours as is! Fold the crushed Oreos into the batter. If you would like, add black food coloring to the batter.
Cupcakes: In the bottom of each of the cupcake liners, put 1 Oreo. Put a spoonful of batter over the top of the Oreo. Be careful not to overfill. These cupcakes are easy to overfill because the Oreos take up so much space.
Cupcakes: Bake for 5 minutes at 375°F. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Buttercream: In a large bowl, beat 1 cup of unsalted butter on high speed until smooth and creamy (2-3 minutes). Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Add 4 cups total of powdered sugar in increments.
Assembly: Pipe a triple donut of buttercream over the top of each cooled cupcake. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to help the buttercream keep its shape.
Assembly: Carefully line up a black licorice lace along the grooves of the cupcake. Place Christmas lights along the licorice line, pressing just enough to get it to stick to the buttercream.
Assembly: If you'd like the letters on the top of the cupcakes, spread out black fondant and use letter cut-outs for each letter you'd like. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up, and then press onto the top of the cupcake.
Enjoy!