One of the benefits of being a blogger of sweets is eating said sweets–in this case, chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting–at any time of the day. Another benefit? Joining a community of like-minded sweets makers and bloggers. Today I join 20 other bloggers as we craft cupcakes to match our bella cupcake couture cupcake wrappers. Hosted by Carrie Middlemiss from Bella Cupcake Couture and Betsy Eves, of JavaCupcake.com & Cupcakes Take the Cake, it’s a Cupcake Couture Blog Party to show you how good cupcakes can look, and how easy it is to make them wow. And there’s a giveaway. A giveaway of over 500 bucks worth of cool stuff!  To enter the GIVEAWAY, scroll to the end of this post.

UPDATE: And we have a winner of the giveaway! Over 7,000 entries, wow! Congratulations to Sara, her entry number 5321 was drawn to win.

Visit everyone to see what they did with their cupcake wrappers:

Bella Cupcake Couture

Chronicles of a Foodie

Crazy for Crust

Creative Food

Cupcakes Take the Cake

Diary of a Mad Hausfrau

Eat Your Heart Out

Haniela’s

Hoosier Homemade

In Katrina’s Kitchen

Inside BruCrew Life

Java Cupcake

Love From the Oven

Make Bake Celebrate

Not Just a Mommy

Sugar Daze

Sugar Swings! Serve Some

The Baked Equation

The Baking Cup

The Decorated Cookie

I got these colorful polka dots. I had a bunch of ideas to decorate the cupcakes in polka dots. Icing dots, sprinkle dots, candy dots, fondant dots. But I wanted to use the actual cupcake wrappers in the decorating. So I made these super-easy polka dot cupcake wrapper cupcake toppers. Just use cardstock in coordinating colors to any cupcake wrapper, or buy an extra set of cupcake wrappers and use those.

For the cupcakes, make your favorite recipe or just use store-bought cake mix. I then prepared my buttercream frosting, added a bit of white food coloring to brighten the frosting, and prepared a disposable decorating bag with a size “1M” tip. Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcake and let set a bit.

For the polka dot cupcake toppers…

you will need:*

cupcake wrappers and/or coordinating cardstock

scissors or a 1 1/2-inch circle punch

craft knife and mat

6-inch lollipop sticks

*Find the supplies in the craft store.

what to do:  Use the circle punch (or just trace a circle and cut out with scissors) to cut circles from extra cupcake wrappers and/or cardstock. With the craft knife, on a mat, cut a small “X” in the middle of a circle. Thread the lollipop stick through the “X” and repeat with more circles. Insert the topper into the cupcake.

More TIPS: To make the backdrop, I just cut out larger circles from the cardstock and glued to white paper. I also cut out circles to place on top of these cupcake stands.

And now… THE GIVEAWAY!!!

Look at all this cupcake coolness you can win from these great sponsors:

Thanks to our amazing Prize Pack sponsors for their generous donations! Please, visit their websites to see more of their fabulous products!

Cupcake Stand

Java Cupcake

Lil’ Punkin Creations

Sweets & Treats Boutique

To enter to WIN this Prize Pack, simply fill out the entry form below.

Contest opens May 21st at 07:00 am PST and closes May 27th at 11:59 pm PST. One winner will be chosen and announced within 24 hours of the contest ending. Winner will be contacted via email to claim their prize.

This contest is open to residents of the USA and Europe only.

Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!

I rarely sew. When I do, the results tend to be comical. Picture uneven hems, knots where there shouldn’t be knots, and thread stuck in the sewing machine. But a few stitches I can handle. And, I just re-took up needlepoint, which I find much more manageable than creating fashion or awe-inspiring home decor.

These stitched yarn monogram cupcake toppers are well within my range of do-able, because they are that easy to make. Use these to personalize cupcakes or to spell out a message. Or to write whatever your heart desires.

to make yarn monogram cupcake toppers…

you will need:

yarn

tapestry or embroidery needle

cardstock with a good thickness

white mailing labels

scissors

pencil

lollipop sticks

 cupcakes

what to do:

First, cut the cardstock to the size topper you want. I made rectangles 1 1/2 inches by 2 inches. Lightly sketch a letter in pencil. Thread the tapestry needle with the yarn and sew on the paper to cover the pencil. TIP: It helps to poke holes along the letter first where you want to sew. When the letter is finished, cut a piece of mailing label to cover the ends and attach the lollipop stick on the back. Stick in a cupcake and serve.

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Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!

Geez, I’ve done a lot for Spring in the past few years. Which is funny since I much prefer Winter. I know, I know, I’m the lone person out there for whom this is true. But snow is so dang pretty, I never tire of it. Just wish we actually got some this year. And I’m the type who doesn’t want the cold to end, I want to wear sweatshirts and sit in front of a fire. And the world is just quieter in winter, and gosh I like the quiet. And… enough longing for Winter. I need to psych myself up for Spring. Above are vegetable garden cookies. Ha, as if I actually “garden.”  As always, you’ll find everything seasonal in the Seasonal button up there, but below I’m linking to a few of my favorites.

I noticed a few themes in the collection. Each one is pretty predictable.

Cherry blossoms, of course, since I live in Washington DC and all. Cherry blossom cookies, painted cookies in cones, cherry blossom marshmallows, painted cherry blossom cookies.

Birds!   Bluebird brownie pops, poured sugar birdie cookies, painted birdhouse cookies, chicken (or hen?) cake pops.

Bugs! Bug marshmallow pops, butterfly cookies, bug topper printable on Oreo Cakester petits fours, bug cookies, easy Starburst dragonfly toppers, fondant bugs.

And of course, flowers.  Felt flower cupcake toppers, gerbera daisy cookie pops, carnation cookie pops, bite-size daisy cookies, how to make a flower cookie arrangement, springtime marshmallows.

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Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!

I’m still on my chocolate high from visiting HERSHEY’S headquarters and working in the HERSHEY’S test kitchens. And I’m still eating chocolate and making chocolate and… Well, actually, as you read this, I’ll be in the hospital having a kid. But before I came to the hospital I was eating and making chocolate. And through the magic of pre-posting, you get to read this after-the-fact.

One of my go-to, never fail recipes is an easy, chocolate fudge. It’s a standard I’ll make for parties, because it takes minutes and tastes delicious. Since I had a bag of  HERSHEY’S HEATH Bits O’ Brickle Toffee Bits, I thought I’d try and mix in some of those. The results: Yum.

Chocolate and Toffee Bit Fudge

2 Tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup evaporated milk

2 cups HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup HEATH Bits O’ Brickle Toffee Bits

confectioner’s sugar (optional)

holiday cupcake picks (optional)

Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside. In a saucepan on medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, salt and evaporated milk, stirring constantly with a large whisk until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn down the heat a bit, and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla with a spoon or spatula until the chips melt and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the Toffee Bits and pour the mixture into the baking pan. Cover and chill for at least two hours. Cut the fudge into squares. The fudge needs no additional sugar, believe me, but if desired for a wintery look, dust confectioner’s sugar over the fudge pieces and top with holiday cupcake picks.

Want more chocolate?

Visit HERSHEY’S Kitchens for tons of recipes and craft ideas.

Check out my fellow bakers at Cookie Headquarters.

And if you need more inspiration, I’m collecting holiday goodies made with HERSHEY’S on a Pinterest board.

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Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Melissa, Amber, Mikey, Stephanie and Carla! Their comments (numbers 5, 64, 65, 44 and 7) were randomly drawn to win and their prizes are on the way…

I know, it feels almost too early for Halloween, but the eerie chill you feel (right? that’s what I was going for) is actually meant to celebrate the almost-release of the 3D stop-motion family film, ParaNorman, from Focus Features, opening August 17. Focus Features asked me to help spread the word via sweets, and how can I resist this awesome combination of kid fun, dessert and movies? They created an uber-fantastic, supernatural decorating kit so you could create your own themed desserts. Scroll to the end to enter the GIVEAWAY!!!

ABOUT THE FLICK:

Before you do anything, watch the hilariously creepy trailer:

Quoted from Focus Features: “The film ParaNorman follows Norman, a misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead and his adventures as he takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups, in order to save his town from a centuries-old curse.  The film is rated PG and from the makers of Coraline.  It promotes the positive message of embracing the qualities that make each of us unique and not to shy away from our gifts, like the tagline says, ;You don’t become a hero by being normal.’ Leslie Mann, John Goodman, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck and Kodi Smit-McPhee lend their voices to the film.” Read more about the film HERE.

THE DECORATING KITS and WHAT I MADE:

Each kit includes: ParaNorman cupcake liners with character cupcake picks,  edible frosting toppers, and a custom-made ParaNorman cookie cutter.

I made some cookies on a stick with the cookie cutters, and given the film’s subject matter, I feel entirely OK about the whole head-on-a-stick thing. By the way, that red felt tie is supposed to represent Norman’s sweatshirt. I also used the edible frosting toppers to make cookie pops. And I used the cupcake liners and picks to make some neon green cupcakes oozing blood.

To make the cookie pops, I made my cookie dough, chilled, rolled out and cut out 2 1/2-inch circles for the frosting topper cookie pops and used my Norman cookie cutter to make Norman. For cookie pop how-tos, click here. I prepared my royal icing, divided and tinted using my Americolor Soft Gel Pastes (Bright White, Super Black, Peach, a mix of Sky and Royal Blue, and Chocolate Brown). To make Norman, I prepped decorating bags with couplers and size 1, 2, and 3 tips and piped my decoration. For the circle pops, I outlined each circle with white and flooded with white icing. (For basic cookie decorating how-tos, click here and to find supplies, click here.) Then I let the flooded icing dry overnight. I brushed the surface of the cookie with light corn syrup, then gently placed a frosting topper on top and smoothed with my fingers.

To make the cupcakes, I simply prepared white cake batter from a mix, and added some Electric Green Americolor Soft Gel Paste. I made some frosting, tinted it with the same Electric Green, and used a decorating bag with size 1M  tip to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes. Then I put some strawberry preserves in a decorating bag, snipped the tip and piped “blood” on the cupcakes. Insert the picks, and that’s it.

THE GIVEAWAY!!!

 Leave me a creepy comment (a non-creepy comment works, too) here before

Sunday August 12, midnight EST

and FIVE of you will be randomly chosen to win a

ParaNorman decorating kit.

Winners must have a US address.

Winners have 48 hours to respond after being notified before another name is drawn.

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Feel free to share (nicely)! While my blog's photographs and text are protected by copyright, I do allow (and encourage) you to share ONE photograph with credit to "the decorated cookie" and link to this blog post. PLEASE don't reprint any part of the blog post and PLEASE don't post a photo without credit. Thank you!