In Honor Of Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day I made some cupcakes!  I made them by making a basic chocolate cupcake, then making a glaze and putting green decorating sugar on it.  Then I took some sprinkles and put them in the shape of a flower.  The chocolate cupcake was the ground the decorating sugar was the grass and the sprinkles were a flower.  Now that I think about it I would have liked to make the sprinkles into an E for Earth.

How to Bake Tie Dye Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter
Food Coloring

Optional:
Frosting

Directions:

Separate Cupcake Batter into a couple different bowls.  Food color the mix in each bowl a different color.  Put your baking cups into the muffin pan and put tiny glops of batter into different cups and then mix around slightly with a toothpick until it looks like Trix Yogurt.  Do not mix very much or it will turn out brown.     Bake according to recipe.

Here is a link to the cooking video I made.  It offers visuals and tips, you can also click the video below the picture, or find it on the video bar at the end of the page.

Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cupcake Batter
1 cup Dried Coconut Flakes
Basic Glaze

or

1 egg
 1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup Dried Coconut Flakes
Basic Glaze

Directions:
FOR FIRST OPTION: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Take Chocolate Cupcake Batter and add 1/2 cup Coconut flakes.  Mix.  Bake until tops spring back when lightly tapped or 20-25 minutes.

FOR SECOND OPTION: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a mixing bowl mix egg and sugar until the mixture is thick and pale and forms a ribbon when mixer is lifted out.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.  With a rubber spatula fold about half of the flour mix into the egg mix.  Next fold in 1/2 cup coconut.  pour in melted butter and chill in fridge for about 25 minutes.  Put the batter in the muffin pan and bake until the tops spring back when lightly tapped, or just about 15-20 minutes.  Cool. 

CRUCIAL FOR BOTH! put the glaze in a small bowl and the rest of the coconut in another bowl.  Take the cooled cupcakes and dip the tops into the glaze.  Immediately after stick it into the cocontu so that the coconut sticks to the top.

 FOR AN EASTER TWIST!  Take the coconut and form it into a sort of nest shape.  Then take a couple small candy eggs and dip the bottom in the glaze.  Next stick them into the center of the cupcake.  It looks like a little nest!