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Lucky’s Golden Ticket Cupcakes. Sweet, simple, and delicious, every Leprechaun out there will love these cupcakes. Light and fluffy vanilla butter cupcakes generously frosted with the most delicious creamy caramel-like brown sugar and rich vanilla frosting. Then finished off with a sprinkling of sweet, colorful, crushed-up Lucky Charm Marshmallows and edible gold leaf. Sooo much here to love! You can’t beat these cute little golden ticket cupcakes. Fun for both St. Patrick’s Day and Easter.
I almost never share St. Patrick’s Day-themed recipes, but something in me this year wanted to have some fun and celebrate! It’s a combination of things. You see, I really need color in my life right now. Color and fun things to keep me from being completely bored out of my mind during these snowy Colorado days.
I’m at that point in our the long winters, where I really need to keep things exciting. I’ve been planning more travel and making an effort to create recipes that truly make me excited. And when it comes to sweet treats, we’re indulging a bit more than usual this year.
It’s just what we need!
And while these cupcakes are of course fun, I made sure that they’re delicious and easy to make too. If you can make a basic cupcake recipe, you’ve got these covered.
And decorating is EASY, almost effortless.
The idea behind this recipe came from that box of Lucky Charms we all grew up eating. I wanted to use the marshmallows to make these sweet vanilla cupcakes CUTE, and of course fun, for St. Patrick’s Day next week.
Growing up, I loved a bowl of Lucky Charms. But the thing is, I would always eat around the marshmallows. Is that weird or what. I’ve just never been someone who enjoyed overly sugary things, even as a kid.
But of course, I always found them so cute and fun, and I loved the sweet oat cereal.
Details
Start with the cupcake. This is the perfect light and fluffy vanilla cupcake. You need all the usuals: sweet butter, sugar, flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then of course eggs. Oh, and this recipe uses milk too.
Beat the butter with the sugar, then add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. This recipe is unique in that we’re not beating the butter with the sugar, then adding wet ingredients and then dry. We’re mixing the butter and flour first, then adding in the wet ingredients.
It’s this process that gives you such a light cupcake.
Once the flour is mixed in, mix the milk with the vanilla, then add this to the flour. Next add in the eggs, making sure to beat them in one at a time. Finish with either Greek yogurt or sour cream, but I use yogurt.
While the cupcakes bake, you can make the frosting.
This is the perfect frosting for these cupcakes. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, and the rich, light flavors of caramel pair so nicely with the vanilla cupcake.
The brown sugar melts down adding hints of warm molasses and really deepens the flavor to create a frosting that’s perfectly rich and caramel-like. And when you add a touch of vanilla and sea salt? Well, it’s hard to say no to a second cupcake.
Frost each cupcake and then use your fingers to lightly crush your favorite Lucky Charms marshmallows over top. If you want to get fancy, I love to add a few pieces of edible gold leaf too. I ordered mine on Amazon, it’s always so fun when I get to use them!
These cupcakes are delicious. Each bite is filled with sweet classic vanilla cupcake and light, fluffy, vanilla “caramel” frosting. Lucky is going to LOVE these. The perfect cupcakes to bake for both St. Patrick’s Day, and upcoming Easter! They’re pretty hard not to love.
Looking for other spring dessert recipes? Here are some favorites:
Double Strawberry Sugar Cookies
Giant Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tart
Strawberry Chamomile Naked Cake
Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby with Ricotta Cream
Lastly, if you make these Lucky’s Golden Ticket Cupcakes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lucky’s Golden Ticket Cupcakes
Servings: 24
Calories Per Serving: 197 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup milk, warmed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
CARAMEL FROSTING
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Lucky Charm marshmallows, for decorating
- edible gold leaf sheets, for decorating
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 24 cupcake molds with paper liners.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until mixed into small dry crumbs. 3. Combine the milk and vanilla, then pour in the flour, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the yogurt, beating until just combined.4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Transfer to the oven and bake 22-25 minutes, until the tops are just set, and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool.5. To make the frosting. Melt together 1 stick butter, brown sugar, and cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. Add a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl in the freezer (or fridge for longer) for 15 minutes or until cool to touch.6. Grab the cooled butter mixture from the freezer and add the remaining 1 stick butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar to the bowl. Beat together until well combined, adding more sugar as needed.7. Frost each cupcake. Decorate as desired with Lucky Charms. I lightly crush the marshmallows with my fingers, then sprinkle over each cupcake. You could use St.Patrick's Day sprinkles as well. Or do them up for Easter!
Hi! Could I adjust this recipe to make a layered round birthday cake? Would I need to double the recipe? Should I beat butter and sugar together first instead of flour so it’s a bit more dense to stack?
Hi Emily,
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you. What size pan are you wanting to use? If you are using 2 pans, then yes, I would double the recipe. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Made these yesterday for a small birthday party and they were a major hit. Not a single drop of icing left on any surface.
Wondering…is it as simple as adding cacao powder into the mix if I wanted to give the cupcakes a little chocolate flavor or does that throw off the chemistry entirely?
Hey Aleksandra,
Awesome!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! Here are some chocolate cupcake recipes you might like:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chocolate-celebration-cupcakes/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/the-best-chocolate-birthday-cupcakes-with-fudgy-chocolate-buttercream/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/valentines-surprise-chocolate-high-hat-cupcakes/
I hope this helps! xT
Can I use unsalted butter instead of salted butter?
Hey Ann,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
A very easy, fun, and delicious recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve made them two years in a row now to celebrate the holiday and I never have any left over! They’re always a huge hit.
Hey Lauren,
Happy Monday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! xT
Hi! What brand of butter do you use
Hi Stacy,
I love to use Kerrygold butter. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi,
Love these cupcakes! They were so easy and fast to make.
Hi Stacy,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was such a hit! Thanks so much for giving it a try!😎☀️ xT
Hi Tieghan,
I’m excited to make these cupcakes this weekend for St. Patrick’s Day! Question, you mention sweet butter in the description but salted butter is listed under the ingredients. Is there a difference?
Thanks!
Hi Anna,
For this recipe, you can follow the ingredient list and use salted butter:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
These cupcakes are delicious! Just wondering if I could make this as a cake instead? My daughter really wants a vanilla cake for her birthday. She also doesn’t like frosting. Any suggestions? Thanks Tieghan
Hi Susan,
Happy Monday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Sure, you could make this as a sheet cake:) Idk about the frosting, I guess just skip it! Have a great week! xT
So yummy! I did find that my cake came out the consistency of almost Angel food cake…I’m not sure what went wrong here? Maybe overcooked?
Hi Heather,
Lovely!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well:) Hmm, sounds about the right texture to me! xx
Hi Teagan! I want to make these cupcakes for my daughters birthday… Wondering how far ahead I can make them? And also, how do you recommend the best way to make them ahead of time?
Excited to make these, they look delicious! Thank you for always being such a great inspiration and positive influence.
Hi Cristen,
You can fully make the a day in advance and keep in an airtight container:) If you need to make 2-3 days in advance, I would wait to make the frosting the day of. I hope this helps! Happy Birthday to your daughter! xx
Made these for my family and kids’ teachers – big success! Frosting took more powdered sugar but otherwise, followed to a T. I topped with lucky charms marshmallows and green sprinkles. Perfect! Saving this recipe for next year.
Hey Erin,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xx
I made these a while back for an event at a gift shoppe and loved them and so did everyone else. I am making them again in a half batch for My sons 25 birthday!
Love to hear this Sommer! Happy Birthday to your son! xT
Made these with my kids today! They turned out great! I probably should have added more powdered sugar to the icing but they are so pretty and delicious! The gold is a fun touch!
Hey Katie,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! Have a great weekend! xT
When do you add the flour to this? It’s listed in both steps 2 and 3?
Hi Shelby,
You are going to add it in step 2 and then mix in the entire flour mixture in step 3. I hope this helps! xx
I made these last night and the batter was nice and light and fluffy. They rose while baking, but then completely sank after I took them out and are now super dense. They still taste delicious, but I’m a bit disappointed with how they sank. I did use oat milk instead of regular milk, so not sure if that affected it somehow? I didn’t think it would though. Still super yummy at least!
Hey Natalie,
Happy Friday!! ☘️🌈 So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! Sorry to hear they sunk, I wouldn’t think the milk would cause that! Was anything expired? xT
Made these today for St Pattys Day tmrw! Delicious!!
What is the best way to store them?
Thanks so much for making the recipe, Laura! You can store these in an airtight container on the counter:) xT