Cupcake Toppers in ... 1 - 2 - 3

I have to confess that I am generally not a fan of cupcake toppers.  It is the snobby cake decorator in me that wants everything on a cake (or cupcake) to be edible.  Last year, when the craze for cupcake toppers hit, I was less than thrilled.  I like to expend creative energy on edible decorations.

However, I finally gave in.  Last August, my niece and nephew had a superhero birthday party.  They wanted cupcakes with "the little toothpick things" as the 3/4 year old described them.  I was walking down the kids craft aisle of the craft store, when I saw these foam stickers, and...BAM I knew what I was going to do.  I grabbed a bag of the stars, a paint pen, and headed to the checkout.

When I got home, I couldn't wait to get started.  I used the white paint pen, and a fine black sharpie to write on the foam stars.  I wrote superhero words like "bam," "pow," and "zap."  I also added a few "happy birthday's" and many letter "m's" for their names.  The stars already came with that fantastic border, so no other decoration necessary.  When I was done, I had a pile of stickers that looked like this:

To construct the topper all I had to do was pull the back off the foam stickers, and place a toothpick between two stickers (sticky sides together).

Stick in a cupcake, and you are ready to go!  How easy was that?  I used the "Grasshopper" (mint chocolate) cupcakes from this post, and chocolate cupcakes with strawberry icing.

Grasshopper Cupcakes

Mint and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations.  Andes mints, junior mints, peppermint patties, thin mints, etc.  Is there anything more yummy and refreshing?  My favorite treat at Dairy Queen is a mint cookie dough blizzard (I know, I know, everyone always asks for clarification that it is mint and cookie dough, but trust me it is fabulous).  The grasshopper blizzard was the inspiration for this delectable treat.  A few weeks ago, Adam and I went to a barbecue and brought these.  They were the hit of the party!  Are you salivating yet?

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon peppermint extract
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 36 mint oreos (I like the double stuff)

Frosting

• 14 oreos
• 2 cups shortening
• 1 Tablespoon peppermint extract
• 2 lbs powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• green food coloring (optional)
• chocolate jimmies (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix all ingredients for cupcakes together (except for the oreos).
3. Place one oreo in the bottom of each cupcake liner, then scoop 2 tablespoons of batter on top of the cookie.

4. Bake for 18-25 minutes (test with toothpick - if it comes out clean, they're done).

5. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.  Begin by taking four whole oreos, and the filling from the other 10 oroes and mix together.

6. Add the shortening and peppermint extract and mix.  If you want a darker green, add food coloring at this point.

7. Slowly mix in powdered sugar to taste.  Use the milk to help keep the frosting creamy if it becomes dry from the powdered sugar.  When you are finished, it should be a creamy, but fairly stiff consistency.

8. Frost cupcakes as desired.  I used a large piping bag with a large circle tip to frost the cupcakes.  I added the jimmies (sprinkles) as I frosted.

9. I like to let the frosting set and get a little stiff on the outside before serving.  Now share with your friends and family, or keep them all to yourself (although it makes 36, so you might get a little full).