Whiskey, a distilled alcohol, comes from fermented grain mash. The grains used in whiskey production can vary and may include barley, corn, rye and wheat. Whiskey can be aged for varying lengths of time, ranging from a few years to several decades, depending on the desired characteristics. Some popular types of whiskey include Scotch whiskey, Irish whiskey and Bourbon. Tell us your favorite type of whiskey in the comments! Want more boozy cupcakes? Check out our recipes for Cocktail Cupcakes and Mojito Cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• ⅓ cup oil
• 1 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1 lb. butter, at room temp.
• 1 (13.4) oz. can dulce de leche 
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup white chocolate shavings

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line 20 muffin cups with cupcake liners. On low speed, beat cake mix, 1 cup water, eggs and oil until blended, 30 sec.; on medium, beat 2 min. Stir in zest. Evenly divide batter among liners. Bake until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, 18-20 min. Cool 10 min. Transfer from pans to rack; cool.
2. On medium speed, beat butter and dulce de leche until smooth. On low, beat in confectioners’ sugar, sour cream and extract until combined. On medium-high, beat until fluffy, 2 min. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with star tip. Pipe on cupcakes. Sprinkle with white chocolate shavings.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. French vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup oil
• 1½ tsp. rum extract
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup butter, at room temp., cut into pieces
• Red M&M’s and leaf-shaped spearmint gumdrops (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners. On low speed, beat cake mix with 1 cup water, eggs, oil, extract and nutmeg until blended, 30 sec.; on medium speed, beat 2 min. Divide among cupcake liners. Bake until pick inserted into centers comes out clean, 20–25 min. Cool 10 min. Transfer from pans to racks.
2. On low speed, beat pudding mix with milk until blended and smooth; let stand until thickened, about 5 min. On medium speed, gradually beat in butter until smooth. Dividing evenly, spread over cupcake. If desired, garnish with M&M’s and gumdrops.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. devil’s food cake mix
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup oil
• 1 (1.38 oz.) env. cocoa mix
• 1 tsp. peppermint extract
• 1 (1 lb.) pkg. unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 1 (16 oz.) cont. Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Red concentrated food coloring
• 24 mini candy canes
• 24 miniature marshmallows

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners. On low speed, beat cake mix, coffee, eggs, oil, cocoa mix and peppermint extract 30 sec.; on medium speed, beat 2 min. Divide among liners. Bake until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, 17–21 min. Let cool 10 min. Transfer from pans to racks and let cool completely.
2. On medium speed, beat butter until fluffy. Add Fluff; on low speed, beat until combined. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, then vanilla. On medium speed, beat until fluffy.
3. Prepare large pastry bag as directed at right. In batches, fill bag with frosting. Pipe over cupcakes; garnish each with a candy cane and a mini marshmallow.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. French vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup oil
• 1⅓ cups butter, at room temp.
• 4 oz. white chocolate, melted and cooled
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¾ cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
• Sugared cranberries (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Prepare cake mix according to package directions with eggs, oil and 1 cup water. Divide among liners. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 15–18 min. Let cool 5 min. Transfer from pans to rack; let cool.
2. On medium speed, beat butter and melted white chocolate until smooth. On low, gradually beat in sugar, then sour cream and vanilla until combined. On medium-high, beat until fluffy, 2 min. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with star tip.
3. Using paring knife, cut 1¼”-wide, 1″-deep cylinder of cake from each cupcake center; remove cylinder. Fill centers with cranberry sauce; top with cylinders. Pipe on frosting. If desired, garnish with sugared cranberries.

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cups sugar
• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1½ tsp. vanilla bean paste
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup milk

Frosting:

• ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 Tbs. milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Decoration:

• Pretzel sticks
• 1 cup green candy melts, melted
• Wilton snowflake mix, confetti, candy cane
  and gold pearlized star sprinkles
• White nonpareil sprinkles

Instructions

1. For cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; reserve. In large bowl, on medium speed, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla extract and bean paste until combined. Add butter, milk and reserved flour mixture; on low, beat until blended. Evenly divide batter among cupcake liners. Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Transfer from pan to racks; cool completely.
2. For frosting: On medium, beat butter until creamy. On low, gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, then milk and vanilla until smooth
3. To decorate: On sheets of paper, draw 3½”x3 ½”x3 ¼” triangles; place on baking sheets. Top drawings with wax paper. On wax paper, place 2 pretzel sticks side by side in center of each triangle, as shown. Transfer candy melts to disposable pastry bag; snip 1/8″ opening in tip. Using drawings as guides, pipe candy melts in tree shape over pretzels. While still wet, decorate with sprinkles. Refrigerate until set, 20 minutes. 
4. To assemble: Spread frosting over cupcakes; sprinkle with nonpareils. Insert trees into

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz.) pkg. French vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup oil
• 1½ tsp. rum extract
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3 cups butter, at room temp.
• 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. red concentrated food coloring
• 10 mini marshmallows, halved crosswise

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 20 muffin cups with liners. On low speed, beat cake mix, 1 cup water, eggs, oil, rum extract and nutmeg. On medium, beat 2 min. Divide among liners. Bake until pick inserted into centers comes out clean, 18–20 min. Let cool 10 min. Transfer from pans to rack; let cool.
2. On medium, beat half of butter until fluffy, 2 min. On low, gradually beat in half of sugar, then half of milk and vanilla. On medium-high, beat until fluffy, 2 min. Repeat with remaining butter, sugar, milk and vanilla. Transfer 5 cups to bowl; stir in food coloring. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with medium plain tip. Transfer remaining frosting to pastry bag fitted with 3⁄8″ star tip. Starting at edge of each cupcake, pipe red frosting in spiral for hats. Using white frosting, pipe stars along edges. Add marshmallows.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (16.5 oz.) French vanilla cake mix
• 3 eggs
• ⅓ cup oil
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• Leaf green concentrated food coloring
• 1½ cups butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups Marshmallow Fluff, from 16-oz. cont.
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• Green edible glitter
• Wilton green leaves sprinkles
• Red Celebration pearls candy

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners. On low speed, beat cake mix, 1 cup water, eggs and oil until blended, 30 seconds; on medium, beat 2 minutes. Transfer half of batter to separate bowl; stir in ginger and cinnamon, then tint green with food coloring. Evenly divide plain batter among liners; top with green batter. Lightly swirl with spoon. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. Transfer from pans to racks; cool completely.
2. On medium speed, beat butter and Fluff until blended, 2 minutes. On low, gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. On medium-high, beat until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.
3. Reserve 1½ cups frosting. Tint remaining frosting green with food coloring; in batches, transfer to large disposable pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Spread white frosting over cupcakes. Pipe 1″-wide ring of green frosting around edge of each cupcake. Sprinkle with edible glitter. Decorate with sprinkles and candy.

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 pkg. (15.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
• 1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
• ¾ cup eggnog
• ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup pecans, toasted, finely chopped
• ½ cup light rum

Frosting*:

• 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1-2 Tbs. eggnog
• Kelly green concentrated food coloring
• Pearlized sugar pearls sprinkles, such as Wilton
• Green Sixlets candies

Instructions

1. Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 60 mini muffin cups with mini cupcake liners. On low speed, beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggnog and butter until blended, 30 seconds. Add eggs; on medium, beat 4 minutes. Fold in pecans. Evenly divide among liners. Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. While still warm, with toothpick, pierce cupcakes several times; brush with rum. Cool completely on rack.
2. Frosting: On low speed, beat together confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla and nutmeg; on medium, beat, while adding eggnog, until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Transfer half of frosting to separate bowl; tint green with food coloring. Transfer each frosting to separate small disposable pastry bags. Snip ½” opening in tip of each bag. Place bags side by side in larger pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe frosting over cupcakes. Garnish with sprinkles and candies.

*Frosting recipe makes enough for 12 mini cupcakes. To frost more cupcakes, increase recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (15.25 oz.) white cake mix
• 3 egg whites
• ⅓ cup oil
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 ½ cups butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups Marshmallow Fluff, from 16-oz. cont.
• 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• Rainbow sour belts candy
• 36 Necco wafers
• ½ cup white candy melts, melted
• 18 marshmallows
• 1 tube (4.25 oz.) black decorating icing, fitted with plain tip
• 3 orange gumdrops
• Black licorice laces
• Snowflake sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners. On low speed, beat cake mix, 1 cup water, egg whites, oil and extract until blended, 30 seconds; on medium, beat 2 minutes. Evenly divide batter among liners. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. Transfer from pans to racks; cool completely.
2. On medium speed, beat butter, Fluff and cream cheese until blended, 2 minutes. On low, gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. On medium-high, beat until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.
3. For earmuffs, lengthwise trim off all but 3 colors from sour belts; discard trimmings. If desired, for brighter color, lightly brush remaining 3-color-wide pieces of sour belts with water to remove sugar coating. Cut pieces into 18 (2½”) long strips. Using toothpick with candy melts, attach 1 sour belt strip to 2 Necco wafers. Refrigerate until set, 15 minutes. Attach earmuffs to marshmallows with candy melts. Refrigerate until set, 15 minutes. Pipe on icing eyes and mouth.
4. For noses, cut triangles from gumdrops; attach to marshmallows with candy melts. Dry 5 minutes. For arms, cut 36 (1¼”) pieces from licorice laces. In batches, transfer frosting to large pastry bag fitted with medium plain tip (such as Wilton #1A). Pipe frosting over cupcakes in layers to form snowman body. Top with marshmallow heads; for arms insert licorice laces. Decorate with sprinkles.