Chicky Cupcakes Recipe 455

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until creamy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk. Beat until just combined.
• Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake until the tops spring back when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to the rack to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: Beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium high, add the vanilla and beat until creamy, 3 minutes. Beat in the milk until fluffy, 1 minute.
• Decorate the cupcakes: Using kitchen shears, cut the circus peanuts lengthwise into thin slices, then trim to make 12 beaks and 24 feet. Frost the cupcakes, then dip in sanding sugar to coat. Top with the candy eyeballs, beaks and feet. Insert the candy melts for wings.

Steps:

• Bake cupcakes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Tint coconut to desired shade of yellow. (I used 5 liquid drops in 1 cup of small cut coconut flakes.) Set aside. Slit orange gumdrops in the center but not all the way through. Sprinkle a little sugar in the slit so the "beak" won't seal back up. Set aside. Flatten and shape the yellow gumdrops into wing shapes. You will need a right and a left "wing" for each cupcake. (I paired them up as I went along.) Set aside. ASSEMBLY: Working on one cupcake at a time, generously frost a cupcake. Pile on a thick layer of the yellow coconut. Use 2 upside down chocolate chips for the eyes. (You may need to move a little of the coconut out of the way first with a toothpick then dab a bit of frosting on the chip.) For the beak, center a split orange gumdrop just below the eyes. For the wings, I used a dab of frosting on the bottom side of the edge that joins onto the cupcake then inserted 2 toothpicks into the cupcake for support until set. Allow several hours to set.

Steps:

• Frost a cupcake with fluff frosting. Press a circle of coconut grass on top. Nestle the malted eggs on top of the grass. Gently press the peep onto the center of the grass. Cut the white Airhead into a 1/2 oval shape; trim one side so it has a cracked egg jagged edge. Place egg next to chick.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners. (To avoid cupcakes sticking if they overflow slightly, lightly spray the tops of the pans.) Put tins on a baking sheet. Set aside.
• Process sugar and butter in a food processor until very creamy, scraping sides as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the milk, water, and vanilla and process to blend.
• Whisk both flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients, in 3 batches to the wet, pulsing, and then scraping batter off the sides of the processor as needed after each addition. Process until the batter is very smooth and pourable like pancake batter, about 2 minutes.
• Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cups, filling them 3/4 of the way full. Bake until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and the tops are golden, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly in tin, and turn out of tin when cool enough to handle. Cool cupcakes completely on a rack before frosting.
• Whisk the milk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.
• Slowly beat the butter and sugar, in another medium bowl, with an electric mixer until incorporated. Raise the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula.) Add the fluff and salt and reduce the speed to low. Add the milk and vanilla mixture, scrape the bowl down, and mix until fully incorporated. Raise the mixer to high and beat briefly until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Frost cupcake immediately.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a mesh rack on top, if available.
• Put coconut in a shallow bowl. While tossing with a large spoon, add food coloring drop by drop until the desired color is reached. A little more green than yellow makes a pretty grass color. Add a few tablespoons water to moisten the mixture and help disperse the color evenly. If the color is too dark, add additional water, as needed, to dilute to the desired color. Drain the coconut in a sieve or strainer.
• Spread the coconut in an even layer on the rack, or directly on the lined baking sheet. Place in the oven until dry, about 10 to 15 minutes. Use immediately, or store in covered container for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Place coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add about 8 drops yellow food color; seal bag and shake to mix. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Top with yellow coconut. For eyes, add brown baking bits. Cut orange gumdrops to look like beaks; place on cupcakes. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Frost cupcakes with 1 container of frosting.
• Stir a few drops yellow food color into other container of frosting. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoonful yellow frosting on center of each cupcake. To make beak, cut orange jelly bean lengthwise to within 1/8 inch of end; spread apart slightly. Press into yellow frosting as shown. Add orange candies for eyes. Store loosely covered.