Start with

• 12 unfrosted standard-size vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
• 12 unfrosted mini vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
  

You can either bake these from scratch or use a boxed mix.

Decorating ingredients
12 vanilla wafers
1 can (16 oz.) vanilla frosting plus 1 cup
Blue or red food coloring
12 mini marshmallows
2 tbsp. light blue or pink decorating sugar
1 tube brown decorating frosting (not the gel)
24 mini chocolate chips
12 each brown and red or blue mini candy-coated chocolates

Decorating instructions
1. Cut the vanilla wafers in half with a serrated knife. 

2. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the vanilla frosting into a small, freezer-weight resealable (Ziploc type) bag; set aside. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting either light blue or pink with a few drops of food coloring. Spoon 1 cup of the tinted frosting into a larger resealable bag.

3. Cut the mini marshmallows in half crosswise with clean scissors. Dip the cut side into the desired colored sugar.

4. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of each mini cupcake with a butter or other smooth knife. Place a mini marshmallow, lengthwise on the bottom third of each mini-cupcake. Cover with tinted frosting. Snip a very small corner from bag with white frosting. Use it to pipe white circles for eyes and then add 2 mini chips, pointed side down, as the pupils. Pipe a mouth with the tube of brown decorating frosting. Add 1 mini brown candy chocolate for the nose. Add marshmallow pieces, sugar-side front, for the ears.

5. Spread the tops of the regular cupcakes with the remaining tinted frosting. Place the decorated mini cupcakes on their sides on top of the standard cupcakes. Press the cookie pieces, cut side in, on either side of mini cupcakes as the arms. Add a dot of frosting if necessary to secure. Snip a very small corner from bag with the tinted frosting and pipe over the cookies to cover. Pipe over the top edge of the mini marshmallows. (Frosting can also be spread with a knife.)

6. Use one colored candy chocolate as the belly button. Add an extra candy for the birthday child's cupcake.


Looking for ways to make these cupcakes a little less sugary? Check out Healthier First Birthday Cakes.

Make your own edible photo-treats in Our Shop. Use any picture in your gallery to make a photo-lollipop or Rice Krispie Treat!.