Easter Basket Cupcakes

Easter baskets, jelly beans, egg hunts, picnics, family gatherings … just some of the things that make up Easter. I usually bring a sugar filled treat to our family events … maybe it will be cupcakes this Easter. These were very simple to make … easy enough for kids to make!

The directions are for the supplies that I had or chose to use. If you don’t have something that I used, improvise! The handles are made with marshmallow poles that I found at Dollar Tree, but other candies (Sour Punch Straws?) would work well. The chick is a mini version (substitute a large marshmallow for the jumbo one) of my “Mallow Yellow Chick” that I posted a few weeks ago. Jelly beans come in so many different colors, it was hard to choose! (I chose ones that I don’t like the flavor of, so that I don’t eat them.) Sprinkles of all types are available at so many grocery and craft stores. Let’s get started …

First, bake your favorite cupcakes and let them cool completely. Make buttercream icing and color it green (start with a drop or 2, you can always add more if necessary).

Some other things that you will need are a decorating bag, a small spatula or butter knife, a round tip (#12), a multi-strand tip (Ateco #133) and a coupler (if you want to change tips). I think it is easier to use a glass to hold the bag as I fill it with icing …

To cover the cupcake in sprinkles … frost the cupcake using the round tip or a spatula … then dip it in the sprinkles …

To make grass … frost the cupcake … then with the multi-strand tip (grass tip) close to the cupcake, squeeze the icing, stop squeezing and pull your hand away. So … squeeze, pull … squeeze, pull …

Prepare the handles … I inserted small pretzels sticks into the ends of the marshmallow handles and stabbed them into the cupcakes … you may need to shorten the pretzel a little if it is too long for your cupcake … NOTE: You may want to insert the handles at the last-minute if you are planning to take the cupcakes to a party or make them a day ahead. (The handles flopped around during transportation … it was not a pretty site!)