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How-To

Butterfly Cupcakes

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Happy times with kids call for cheerful cupcakes. Easier to serve than cake, cupcakes require no slicing, no plates, and no forks -- and every child gets her fair share of icing.

These sweet treats start as Chocolate Cupcakes or Vanilla Cupcakes iced with Swiss Meringue Buttercream -- perfect for spreading in thin layers or sculpting into thick mounds (and licking from the bowl).

The cupcakes can be baked a week ahead and frozen, but decorate them no more than a day before serving. Set up an assembly line, and put kids in charge of affixing candy eyes, gumdrop cheeks, and other trimmings. Pack the cupcakes in a shallow plastic container, and stuff crumpled waxed paper in between. Then dole them out and watch kids marvel for a second before opening wide!

Butterfly Cupcake How-To
Come April, pretzel-winged butterflies take flight; their bodies -- piped dots of blue buttercream -- end in candy-coated- chocolate heads and licorice antennae.

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Comments

  • RDudekScott
    15 Oct, 2011

    I hand-dipped the pretzels in white chocolate and put purple sprinkles on them, pink m&m candy heads and lavender icing for my daughter's birthday. Such a hit!

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  • wilsonnb
    29 Jul, 2011

    How do you get the pretzels to stand up like that? Won't they fall down into the icing?

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  • laurabro3
    12 Jun, 2011

    where do you find black licorice? is there anything else you can use for the antennas?

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  • AllyPally
    23 Oct, 2010

    These cupcakes turned out really cute. I used skittles instead of chocolate candies and it was really yummy. I think they would look great with white, yogurt covered pretzels too. Great idea! Thanks.

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  • ktangerine
    26 Mar, 2010

    I made these the night before and found that the pretzels got soft over night. I'd recommend either assembling these last minute or using chocolate covered pretzels so they stay crunchy.

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  • cupcake-ideas
    28 Jan, 2009

    This has to be one of the cutest cupcake ideas I have seen for kids. This looks so easy and even more fun. I will be sure to feature this and other ideas on my next post for all the many unique cupcakes for kids.

    T2 | www.cupcakeideasforyou.com

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  • lry103
    14 Jul, 2008

    I thought it worked great to cover the pretzels with colored white chocolate. If I ever do this again, I may add colored sugar sprinkles to the pretzels, too. Also, I used a blueberry for the head instead of the m

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  • NatLizAn
    8 May, 2008

    Great idea Julie! Different colored white chocolate covered pretzels would be great! I wonder if they sell like that? If not, could make 'em.

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  • michellelee
    23 Apr, 2008

    Great idea!

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  • Julie
    31 Mar, 2008

    These are cute cupcakes. When I do make these, I'll use chocolate-covered pretzels (white or dark) instead of plain.

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