Easy Cupcakes

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.

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.

This sweet Easter bunny cupcake is my twist on a design by Betty Crocker. I just use whatever candies I have on hand, which cuts down on costs and trips to the store.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; pink frosting (I just used strawberry in a can); white frosting; 1 marshmallow; 2 brown mini M&Ms; 1 small pink candy or jellybean; chocolate sprinkles; pink sugar.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake pink. Drop a scoop (for uniform size, use a cookie scoop, melon baller or similar implement) of white frosting in center of cupcake. Cut marshmallow in half crosswise. Dip sticky part in pink sugar. Stick into back of white frosting for ears. Add eyes and nose. Choose longest sprinkles for whiskers.

These bunnies are all worn out from delivering eggs, so they’re taking a rest on a bench made of sugar wafer cookies.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; 2 sugar wafer cookies; white frosting; shaved coconut; green food coloring; 2 gummy bunnies; small pastel candies.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake white. Use some frosting to attach one sugar wafer cookie to the other in an L shape to make a bench. Let set and place on cupcake. Use dabs of icing to position bunnies on bench. Add small candies or any other decor you would like. Tint coconut green and sprinkle on cupcake for grass.

I combined ideas from a few different Easter bunny cupcake designs I’d seen online and in magazines to make this cupcake, who has two unusual features: pretzel whiskers and paper ears. For best results, insert the paper ears just before serving.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; pink frosting; 4 stick pretzels; 1 red jellybean; mini blue M&Ms; pink cardstock; scissors.

How to Make It: frost cupcake. Place red jellybean in center for nose. Add blue eyes directly above nose. Break or cut off a bit of pretzel ends if you think they’re too long (I did). Cut ear shapes, both at once, from pink cardstock, fold slightly and insert between cupcake and paper liner.