Easy Cupcakes

A mess ‘o marshmallows makes this silly sheep.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; chocolate frosting; about 20 mini marshmallows; 2 black, candy-covered licorice pieces (such as Good ‘N Plenty); 2 blue mini M&Ms; bit or red licorice or other candy.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Arrange marshmallows in two concentric circles, leaving a little space in the middle for eyes and mouth. Add M&M eyes and red candy mouth. Add candy-covered licorice for legs.

No, not cupcakes made with chicken. A cupcake of a chicken. Enjoy them at a farm-themed party or anytime.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; 2 red Swedish fish; 2 black (or brown, or blue) M&Ms; candied orange slice; kitchen shears or knife.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Cut tails and heads off Swedish fish (it won’t hurt them). Stick head into frosting at center top of head and put the tails, which are smaller, on either side. Cut triangle shape from orange candy for beak and place near center of cupcake. Place M&Ms, upside down, directly above beak.

Sometimes simple is best. If you have a bag of mellowcreme Easter shapes, some shaved coconut and green dye, you can make these cupcakes in minutes.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; pink frosting (it comes in a can, too) mellowcreme Easter bunny or other shape; shaved coconut; green dye.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Tint coconut green and place a bit in the center of the cupcake for grass nest. Add bunny.

Give your Easter Peep cupcakes more dimension by raising your chick up on a toothpick.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; shaved coconut tinted green; 1 Easter Peep chick; toothpick.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Sprinkle coconut on cupcake. Stick Peep on toothpick and insert in cupcake. That’s it!

Snip up a marshmallow to make this sweet Easter bunny cupcake.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; green frosting (or any color except white); 1 marshmallow; pink sugar; chocolate sprinkles; brown mini M&Ms; pink jellybean; 2 tear-shaped or heart-shaped candies for bow tie (ours are Cry Baby candies); kitchen shears or regular scissors.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. using shears or scissors, cut marshmallow in half down the middle (long) side. Your scissors will get sticky, so if you’re doing a lot, you’ll need to clean them off or perhaps try spraying them with cooking spray before cutting. Cut one of the marshmallow halves into two half-circles. Dip sticky sides in pink sugar as shown. Position face and ears on cupcake. Use dabs of icing to attach M&M eyes, jellybean nose and chocolate sprinkle whiskers. Arrange tear-shaped candies below head to form bow tie.

Put all your Easter eggs in one basket with this cute, chocolately Easter basket cupcake.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; chocolate frosting; shredded coconut tinted with green dye; candy eggs (we used Robin’s Eggs); red, twisted licorice whip; butter knife.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Sprinkle bit of tinted coconut in center of cupcake. Use butter knife to make slots at two opposite sides of cupcake so you can insert the licorice handle. Add eggs.

With some mellowcreme Easter bunnies (and chicks and so on) and some Easter themed sprinkles, you can make classy, quick Easter cupcakes that make great favors or centerpieces.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; pink frosting; Easter sprinkles (I used bunny shapes); toothpick; mellowcreme candy bunny.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake pink and sprinkle with Easter sprinkles. Impale rabbit with toothpick (ouch!) and stick in center of cupcake. You could also add a guest’s name to a piece of paper around the pick.