Flower Garden Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Fill the cupcake liners to the top with batter. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
• For the icing, mix the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, mixing just until smooth. Spread the frosting generously on top of each cupcake.

Steps:

• Starting at edge of an unfrosted cupcake, pipe 3 to 4 circles of petals with buttercream, working inward and overlapping, leaving center empty. Fill center with chocolate-covered sunflower seeds.

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 min. Pierce tops with fork.
• Add boiling water to gelatin mix in small bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Spoon over cupcakes. Refrigerate 30 min. Tint COOL WHIP with food coloring(s) as desired; spread over cupcakes.
• Decorate as desired. (See tip.)

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line regular or miniature cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down bowl, and beat in vanilla.
• Alternating, add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure batter is thoroughly mixed.
• Divide batter evenly among liners; fill regular pans three-quarters full and miniature pans to just below the top. Bake until golden and tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes for regular and 15 minutes for miniature. Rotate pans once while baking. Turn out, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
• Fill pastry bags fitted with couplers with buttercream. To shape the petals: Use an Ateco #104 flat-petal tip. With the wide edge of the tip in the center of the cupcake, pipe the petal by making a halfmoon motion with the outer, thinner edge of the tip. Repeat until you have 5 or 6 petals forming a flower. Garnish the center with a candy. To shape the leaves: Use an Ateco #68 leaf tip with green icing to make the leaves by piping from the flower towards the edge of the cupcake, lifting off as you reach the end. Place iced cupcakes in refrigerator until ready to serve.