Mouse Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and 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 more minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and beat until just combined.
• Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops spring back when gently pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a rack and let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to the rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the bows: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the red candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and snip a small corner. Pipe 2 1/2-inch bows onto the parchment (make a few extra bows in case some break). Put the white candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth; let cool slightly. Transfer to another resealable plastic bag and snip a small corner. Pipe white dots on the bows; let set, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Make the topping: Finely grind 24 cookies in a food processor; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Wipe out the food processor. Make the frosting: Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Pulse the butter, confectioners' sugar, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla in the food processor until smooth. Spread on the cupcakes.
• Dip the cupcakes in the cookie crumbs, pressing to adhere. Separate the remaining 12 sandwich cookies; arrange 2 halves upright on each cupcake for the ears, pressing the cookies into the frosting. Carefully lift the bows off the parchment; lean them up against the cookies.

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter and bake according to package directions for cupcakes, using foil- or paper-lined muffin tins. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , Frost cupcakes generously with vanilla frosting. For ears, position two vanilla wafers on each cupcake. Add Red Hots for eyes and gumdrops for noses. Insert short pieces of licorice for whiskers and longer pieces for tails.

Steps:

• Frost tops of cupcakes with buttercream. For ears, make 2 small horizontal slits with a paring knife in top of 1 cupcake, just above paper liner, and then insert a wafer halfway into each slit.
• For nose, pipe chocolate frosting in an oval shape over lower half of cupcake, and spread smoothly; place a licorice round in the center.
• For whiskers, insert 3 licorice laces into frosting on each side of nose. For eyes, place 2 sunflower seeds directly above nose.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 36 cupcake cups with paper liners.
• Twist 36 cookies apart carefully. Break the side without cream into quarters and place in a bowl; toss in 2 tablespoons flour so that they don't stick together. Place the cookies with cream into the bottoms of each cupcake cup, cream-side-up.
• Whisk 3 1/3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.
• Beat butter using an electric mixer with a flex edge attachment in another bowl until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in sugar, milk, and vanilla extract using a wire attachment. Mix in flour mixture slowly until well blended using the flex edge attachment. Add egg whites and beat for 2 minutes. Fold in quartered cookies.
• Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Mix softened butter and vanilla extract together using an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until completely combined. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing slowly until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat, scraping the sides of the bowl often, until frosting appears dry.
• Dip 2 toothpicks into food coloring twice and mix into frosting. Frost cupcakes as desired and decorate using mini chocolate cookies.

Steps:

• Measure out 3/4 cup buttercream and combine with melted and cooled chocolate, stirring until smooth with a flexible spatula. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip (#6).
• Using an offset spatula, spread plain buttercream in a smooth, even layer over cupcakes. Pipe chocolate buttercream in a 2-inch oval in lower part of each cupcake. Place a licorice button in the center of the piped oval for the nose. Arrange three licorice pieces in the buttercream on each side of the nose for whiskers. Place two chocolate-coated sunflower seeds above the piped chocolate oval for the eyes.
• Using a paring knife, make two small slits, about an inch apart, in top of cupcake, just above the liner. Insert two candy wafers into slits for ears, securing with dabs of buttercream, if necessary. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes are best served the same day they are decorated; keep at room temperature.