Easy Cupcakes

You can make dozens of graduation party cupcakes quickly with just chocolate-covered graham crackers (mortarboard), licorice ropes (tassel) and M&M!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white or off-white frosting; 1 chocolate-covered graham cracker; red licorice ropes (such as Twizzlers Pull-N-Peel); 1 red M&M.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Use dab of frosting to attach M&M to center of cap. Cut three lengths of licorice and use tiny dabs of licorice to attach to cap, from centered M&M outward.

Magical for a little girl’s birthday party or any fantasy-themed event, these easy unicorn cupcakes feature a horn made from a Bugle snack!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white or off-white frosting; marshmallow; 2 blue mini M&Ms, 1 Bugle snack; 2 white jelly beans; black food-safe pen. (Ateco, Wilton and other companies sell food-safe writing tubes and food-safe markers with edible ink.)

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Cut marshmallow in half width-wise and use food-safe pen to make two nostrils on the side that’s not cut. Place marshmallow in center of cupcake. Add M&M eyes. Place Bugle horn at top of cupcake and then place white jellybeans on each side.

Here’s a pretty basket for Mother’s Day that includes a cute handle made from licorice.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; yellow frosting; shaved coconut tinted green; large confetti sprinkles (these are by Wilton); small candies or mini M&MS; colored licorice stick (this is a Twizzlers Rainbow Twist).

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Arrange large confetti sprinkles in flower shape, with five petals each, and place smaller candy in the center. Fill in with tinted coconut. Insert ends of licorice in either side of cupcake for handle.

Most moms would love to be presented with tasty, pretty cupcakes on Mother’s Day. But if you’re not up for fancy basketweave cake decorating techniques, try these easy flower basket cupcakes.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; chocolate icing; shaved coconut tinted green; candy flowers (any kind).

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Carefully position coconut grass in a dome shape so that what’s left (the brown background) is in the shape of a basket with handle. Add flowers and you’re done!

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with festive cupcakes featuring the colors of the Mexican flag. (Tip: You can buy little Mexican flag picks or simply search the Web for printable flags and make your own using toothpicks.)

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white or off-white frosting; green sugar; red sugar; Mexican flag pick; strip of cardstock or index card; scissors.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Cut a strip from cardstock or index card about 3/4″ wide. Holding strip slightly above cupcake to block off the center, sprinkle green sugar on the left side of the cupcake and red sugar on the right side. Add Mexican flag pick to center.

A mess ‘o marshmallows makes this silly sheep.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; chocolate frosting; about 20 mini marshmallows; 2 black, candy-covered licorice pieces (such as Good ‘N Plenty); 2 blue mini M&Ms; bit or red licorice or other candy.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Arrange marshmallows in two concentric circles, leaving a little space in the middle for eyes and mouth. Add M&M eyes and red candy mouth. Add candy-covered licorice for legs.