Flamingos

Ingredients

12 mini vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1 cup pink candy melting wafers
12 thin pretzel sticks
12 large pink jelly beans
6 banana-shaped candies (Runts), halved crosswise
1/2 cup pink decorating sugar
1 cup canned vanilla frosting
Black food coloring

Directions

1. Line a cookies sheet with wax paper. Place the pink candy melting wafers in a 1-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave for 10 seconds to soften, stir, return to the microwave, and repeat until the candy is smooth. about 1 minute total.

2. For the necks and head, hold the end of the pretzel stick and tip the measuring cup; dip the stick into the melted candy to cover almost completely. Allow the excess candy to drip off back into the cup. Transfer the coated pretzel stick to the wax paper. Dip one end of a jelly bean into the melted candy and attach to the coated end of the pretzel at an angle to make the head. Repeat with the remaining pretzels and jelly beans. For the beaks, dip the cut ends of the halved banana candies into the melted candy. Attach to the other end of the jelly bean to make the beak. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

3. Spoon the remaining melted candy into a small ziplock bag; do not seal the bag. Reheat in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds if necessary. Press out the excess air and seal. Place the wing templates on a cookie sheet and cover with wax paper. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag and pipe the outline of the wings, then fill in with melted candy. Tap the pan lightly to smooth surface. Repeat to make 12 sets of wings. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

4. Place the pink sugar in a shallow bowl. Tint 1 tablespoon of the vanilla frosting black with the food coloring. Spoon into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air, seal, and set aside. Spread the remaining vanilla frosting on top of the mini cupcakes, mounding it slightly in the center. Starting on the edge, roll the cupcakes in the pink sugar to cover completely.

5. Gently peep the chilled flamingo head assemblies and wings from the wax paper. Insert the pretzel stick all the way into each cupcake close to one side. Press the wings into each cupcake on either side of the neck. Snip a very small (1/16-inch) corner from the bag with the black frosting and pipe dots of fronting for the eyes and a line on the banana candy to mark the tip of the beak.

Source:What's New Cupcake, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010

I made these for my friend Travis' 22nd birthday at his house. He asked me to make him cupcakes for his birthday and of course I said yes! It was myself, Travis, Randy, and Jayson. They were actually really easy to make, not hard to all!