Easy Cupcakes

My son was invited to a birthday party at a movie theater, and the mom had made these great popcorn cupcakes. The technique is similar to that seen in the Hello, Cupcake! book and Family Fun magazine: Snip mini marshmallows in half (or leave a few intact) and arrange on top of a cupcake that you’ve wrapped in popcorn bag paper. You can even drizzle yellow frosting “butter” on them if you’d like. What a great theme!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; mini marshmallows; printer paper; transparent tape, popcorn artwork (Google!).

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Wrap cupcake with popcorn-themed wrapper. Secure with tape. Arrange marshmallows to look like popcorn.

I like this lamb cupcake better than the marshmallow sheep I posted previously. By cutting the mini marshmallows in half (“shearing” the sheep, so to speak), you can make a cupcake that has dimension but isn’t overloaded.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; mini marshmallows; 2 brown mini M&Ms; 2 black candy-covered licorice pieces; red gel writing icing; kitchen shears or scissors.

How To Make It: Frost cupcake. Use scissors to cut each marshmallow in half and arrange as shown, circling the entire cupcake and then a couple of rows near the top. Add M&M eyes and licorice legs and then draw in the red mouth with gel icing.

Counter a winter cold snap with a tasty, cute s’mores cupcake. These are especially delicious with chocolate cupcakes, or get really adventuresome and try a rocky road cupcake. Scouts would love them, too.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; snowflake-shaped sprinkles; 2 squares Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal; 1 mini marshmallow; 1 chocolate chip.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake and sprinkle with snowflakes. Carefully sandwich the chocolate chip and marshmallow between the 2 cereal squares and microwave, on a safe plate, for a very short time — maybe 5 seconds. Press top square down a bit so the chocolate melts more and the marshmallow oozes out a bit. Place on top of cupcake.

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.

Having a ’50s party? Or making cupcakes with kids? These pink poodle cupcakes are quick, cute and simple.
What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted pink; pink mini marshmallows; pink mini jellybean or other small candy (for nose); black gel or writing icing; scissors.
How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Cut all but 2 mini marshmallows in half and place, sticky side down, all over cupcake except for a circle in the middle for the face. The 2 uncut marshmallows can be the dog ears. Add pink candy for nose. Use gel or writing icing to draw eyes and mouth, or use mini M&Ms or chocolate chips for eyes.