Easy Cupcakes

This big-eyed owl cupcakes are a hoot (sorry!) on Halloween or anytime.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; chocolate frosting; 2 white fruit gels; 2 brown or black M&Ms; 1 banana candy (such as Runts).

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Arrange gels side-by-side. Use dab of icing to attach one M&M to each gel. Stick banana nose in center.

Three bluebirds await their mama bird in a nest on this cupcake, which features toasted coconut.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted green; toasted coconut; 3 pastel blue M&Ms; food-safe markers.

How to Make It: Toast coconut for 5-10 minutes in 350-degree oven. Let cool. Frost cupcake green. Sprinkle center with coconut for nest. Use food-safe markers to draw eyes and beak on each M&M. Arrange birds in nest.

No, not cupcakes made with chicken. A cupcake of a chicken. Enjoy them at a farm-themed party or anytime.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; 2 red Swedish fish; 2 black (or brown, or blue) M&Ms; candied orange slice; kitchen shears or knife.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Cut tails and heads off Swedish fish (it won’t hurt them). Stick head into frosting at center top of head and put the tails, which are smaller, on either side. Cut triangle shape from orange candy for beak and place near center of cupcake. Place M&Ms, upside down, directly above beak.

Add some texture to your baby chick cupcakes this Easter with shredded coconut! These cupcakes would also be fun at a party with a farm theme.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted yellow; shredded coconut; yellow dye (liquid or paste); orange candy fruit wedge; 2 brown, black or blue M&Ms; 3 red jellybeans; scissors or knife.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Put coconut in a bowl, add yellow dye and mix well. Sprinkle on cupcake for feathers. Arrange 3 red jellybeans at top of head. Cut triangle shape from candy fruit and place on top as beak. Add M&M eyes.

Here’s another cute cupcake from EasyCupcakes.com reader Emily K., who previously shared her fishbowl cupcakes. These owls would be great for a school party, graduation or anytime. (With white frosting, it could be a snowy owl for Harry Potter.)

What You Need: 1cupcake; tan frosting (tint white with chocolate, or chocolate with white); large twist pretzel; 2 green Runts candies or M&Ms; almond slices; candy corn.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Break off part of pretzel as shown and place near top edge of cupcake. Place green candies inside pretzel “glasses” for eyes. Add candy corn nose. Arrange almond slices near bottom edge for feathers.

Get those umbrellas out of drinks and onto cupcakes! You don’t have to use toucans; other animals would be just as cool.

What You Need: 1 cupcake (baked and cooled); white or off-white frosting; green paste or liquid icing; flower-shaped sprinkles; paper umbrella; mini toucan cookies (we found ours at Trader Joe’s.)
Make That Cupcake!: Tint icing green and frost cupcake. Add umbrella, toucan and flower sprinkles. That’s it!