Easter Basket Cupcakes

I apologize for my absence these past few months.  Between a surgery, a miscarriage, and a move, life has not been conducive to blogging.  But I am back.  (Thank you for the concerned emails.)  And what better season to return than Easter!?  This Easter treat is extremely easy and rather inexpensive to do.

Materials:

Baked cupcakes in pastel wrappers

Jelly beans

Airheads Rainbow Extremes (or similar candy)

Green icing

Wilton grass piping tip

Instructions:

1.  I begin with a baked cupcake (one that I don’t fill all the way with batter so it bakes lower than the edge of the wrapper to give it a lip).  Insert the Wilton grass piping tip (easy to find at craft stores and under $2) into a plastic bag or piping bag then fill with green icing.  When you squeeze, it will come out in strings (think play dough fun factory).

2.  Start piping green all over the cupcake without lifting the tip, so it looks like yarn.  Then, to create the grass effect, put the tip down, apply pressure for about 1 second then stop and lift the tip away from the cupcake.  Repeat this all over the cupcake, and voila!  You have grass… yummy, yummy grass.

3.  Next, put your “eggs” on the grass.  I like using Jelly Bellies because they have such color variations and spots on them.  (These are actually the “Belly Flops” from the Jelly Belly Factory, how great are those?!)

4.  For the handle of the “basket”, I used Airhead Rainbow Extremes but there are a variety of things you could use here.  You could use colored twizzlers,  licorice, or sour punch straws.  The key is to match the handle with the cupcake wrapper so they look consistent.  Cut it down to the length you want.  Then insert it into both sides of the cupcake inside the wrapper and into the cake.  Be careful what candy you choose.  If it is too flimsy, it won’t hold shape.

Super easy!  Happy Easter!