How ToDesign

Puppy-Dog Cupcakes

From the Kitchen of…

Kathryn,Kate

&Chelsey

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Have you ever gone to a party where the desserts looked too cute to eat? To impress your guests, get together a few common ingredients, follow these simple steps, and transform ordinary cupcakes into cute puppies.

To complete this creative dessert:1. Learn how to frost your cupcake like a pro.2. Add embellishments to create puppy faces.

Time: 30-45 minutes per dozen cupcakes

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Materials

CupcakesBaked and cooled

FrostingFlavor and style of your choiceBrought to room temperature

Approximately 1 Tbsp. per cupcake

Spreading UtensilFrosting spatula (may substitute

with a knife)Decorating Icing

Colored black

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In a tube with pointed decorating tip

M&M’s or like candiesOne brown candy per cupcakeOne yellow candy per cupcake

Chocolate medallions Flat and approximately one inch in diameter

One candy per cupcake

CookiesFlat oval-shaped cookies

(i.e. Nutter Butters, Vienna Fingers or like cookie)5

Two cookies per cupcakeNote: If you have chosen a sandwich cookie like either cookie suggested above, sides of the cookie should be

separated and icing removed creating two cookies from one.

OptionalOther edible decorations like sprinkles, coconut, etc.

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First, be sure to have a clean, flat, open workspace.

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Instructions

Frosting your Cupcake The goal of frosting your cupcake is to neatly spread the frosting to cover the top of the cupcake.

1. Make sure frosting is at room temperature and stir it so that it is easier to spread.

2. Place approximately 1 Tbsp. of frosting in the center of the top of the cupcake using the frosting spatula.

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3. Gently spread the frosting from the center of the top of the cupcake toward the edge. Try to get the frosting as close to the paper liner as possible without going over.

4. Hold the spatula (or knife) at a slight angle and remove any excess frosting to smooth the frosted cupcake top.

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Note: It may help to spread the frosting using small circular motions.

Decorating your Cupcake The goal of decorating your cupcake is to creatively design a puppy face.

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Note: Though frosting can be intricate, for the purpose of the design, it should be relatively smooth.

1. Attach the first ear. See picture below.

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Note: If you have chosen a sandwich cookie, you need to carefully separate the two cookies. Without breaking the cookies, gently twist the cookies apart and remove the icing from the backs of the cookies. This now provides the two cookies needed to make the ears.

As though the top of your cupcake is a clock, place the narrow oval end of the cookie at one o’clock. This end is the top of the cookie and designates the top of the puppy’s face.

Half of the cookie should be balanced on the cupcake and secured with icing.

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The cookie should be tilted 60 degrees away from you so that the other half of the cookie is hanging off of the cupcake. This end is the bottom of the puppy’s ear.

2. Use the other cookie to symmetrically attach the second ear.

3. Now, move on to making the eyes.

Attach the chocolate medallion on the right side of the face so that the edge of

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the circle is in the middle of the cupcake. The lower half of the medallion will be in contact with the frosting and the upper half will overlap the cookie.

To create the left eye, carefully place the yellow M&M between the right eye and the left

ear.

4. Add the nose by placing the

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Note: If needed, sparingly add frosting to the back of the medallion to adhere to the cookie.

chocolate M&M just below the center of the cupcake so that it is

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below the eyes and centered.

5. Use the Black Decorating Icing to finalize the puppy’s face. (Attach decorating tip if necessary.)

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Warning: Icing may be runny. Shake and knead the closed icing tube. Test it on a paper towel before using it on your cupcake.

Add two tiny dots of black icing for pupils — one on the yellow M&M and the other toward the bottom of the chocolate

medallion.

To create half of the mouth, draw a J-like shape beginning from the center of the nose toward the

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bottom of the cupcake. To create the other half of the mouth, make a symmetrical shape on the other side of the face.

Congratulations!Your cupcake should now look like a cute puppy!

Now you use your imagination and be a bit

more creative!

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For instance, add a red candy to the mouth and coconut to the face and ears for a panting, white, fluffy puppy.

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