Cupcake Garden
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: Makes 24 cupcake plants
- Total: 1 hr 32 min
- Prep: 50 min
- Cook: 42 min
Ingredients
1 tube (16.5 oz.) refrigerated cookie dough
1/2 cup flour
1 box confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons egg white powder
6 tablespoons water
Yellow, orange and red food coloring
1/2 cup M&M'S® Brand MINIS®
1/4 cup M&M'S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies
1 box (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix
1 can (16 oz.) chocolate frosting
Other supplies:
Printable template or your favorite flower cookie cutter
24 (6-inch) lollipop sticks
2 cookie sheet pans
1 resealable plastic bags
2 (12-cup) cupcake pans
24 paper cupcake liners
12 (3 1/2-inch) decorated terra cotta flower pots
Floral clay
Directions
- Press a cupcake into a flowerpot. Insert the flower cookie stick in the center and decorate the cupcake with 2 green M&M'S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies.
- What to Do For Cookie Flowers:
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
- 2. Knead the flour into the dough, and roll it out to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using the printable template, cut out 12 cookies, re-rolling the scraps. Transfer cookies to cookie sheet and slip lollipop stick underneath each one.
- 3. Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven, transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.
- 4. Beat the confectioner's sugar, egg white powder and water until fluffy. Spoon 1/2 cup of the frosting in a resealable plastic bag with a small corner snipped. Set aside. Divide the remaining frosting into 3 cups and tint one yellow, one orange and one red. Spread cookies with frosting.
- 5. Pipe a small circle of white frosting in the center of each cookie and decorate with M&M'S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies using the photograph as guide. Set aside.
- What to Do For Cupcakes:
- 6. Meanwhile, line the cupcake pans with paper cupcake liners. Set pans aside. Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake pans. Bake for approximately 19-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Spread the top of the cupcake with the chocolate frosting.
- 7. Press a nugget of floral clay into the bottom of each flower pot. Press a cupcake into a flowerpot. Insert the flower cookie stick in the center. anchoring it in the clay for support. Decorate the cupcake with 2 green M&M'S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies.
- TIP: You can also make jumbo cupcakes as well as miniature cupcakes for a varitey of "plant" sizes.