Ladybug Cupcakes

I found these little beauties on Parenting.com. They are super adorable and I definitely plan on making them for Everleigh's 1st birthday! (Which isnt for another 6 months, but hey it doesn't hurt to plan ahead right?!)

Ingredients:



•1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting

•Green food coloring

•12 unfrosted cupcakes baked in green paper liners*

•½ cup green decorating sugar

•12 green gumdrops

•3 Tbsp granulated white sugar

•Red food coloring

•½ cup red decorating sugar

•12 Mallomars

•½ can (1 cup) chocolate frosting

•24 brown M&M's Minis

•1 Tbsp chocolate sprinkles

*Green paper liners.



What you'll need:


•A rolling pin or a heavy bottle

•Kitchen shears or scissors

•1 resealable sandwich-size plastic bag (Ziploc)


For the leaf cupcakes:


1.Tint 1 cup of the vanilla frosting green with the green food coloring.

2.Spread the green frosting evenly on top of the cupcakes.

3.Place the green decorating sugar into a small bowl. Roll the edge of each cupcake in the green sugar to coat.

4.Using a rolling pin or a clean, heavy bottle, roll out the green gumdrops in the granulated white sugar to flatten. Using kitchen shears or clean scissors, cut each flattened gumdropinto 2 leaves. Arrange the leaves on one edge of a cupcake. Repeat with the remaining gumdrops and cupcakes.


For the ladybugs:


1.Tint 1 cup of the vanilla frosting with the red food coloring.

2.Spoon the red sugar into a small bowl.

3.Cover each Mallomar with red frosting. Roll each frosted Mallomar in red sugar to coat completely.

4.Place one sugar-coated Mallomar on each leaf cupcake.

For the decoration:

1.Spoon the chocolate frosting into a resealable plastic bag and snip a small corner of the bag. Pipe a line of chocolate frosting down the center of the red cookie; pipe an oval onto the front of the red cookie for the ladybug's head.

2.Place 2 brown M&M's Minis on either side of the chocolate line; stick 2 chocolate sprinkles upright into the ladybug's frosting head.

3.Continue with the remaining cupcakes.


Cake Anatomy:

Happy Baking!