Popcorn Cupcakes!

It's become somewhat of a tradition at my house to invite friends over each year to watch the Oscars. Of course, it wouldn't be an Oscar party without a red carpet and lots of yummy treats! I made these fun little treats in celebration of the 84th Annual Academy Awards.

The great thing about these cupcakes is that anyone can make them. There is very little skill involved; one would almost have to make an effort for them to NOT turn out cute. The downside is - I found them to be fairly time consuming. Do not attempt these if you are in a hurry!

So, how were these cupcakes made?

First of all, I have to admit, they weren't my original idea (I wish they were!) I found the idea on another blog. The ones I saw online used cupcake wrappers cut out of red and white striped scrapbook paper. Since I didn't have any on hand, and was unable to find any at the craft store near my house, I decided to make my own. I designed the cupcake wrappers on photoshop and printed them at home off my computer. They were then taped to the outside of the plain, white liners I baked the cupcakes in. Note: I found it easier to tape the wrappers around the cupcakes before decorating them. Please check back in about a week or two for a FREE DOWNLOAD of the cupcake wrappers I designed! (The dimensions need a little adjustment, otherwise I would post the link right now)

To decorate these cupcakes...

Frost with your favorite buttercream frosting. I added a touch of yellow food coloring and Wilton brand butter flavoring to make the frosting extra buttery. Use a generous amount of frosting on top - enough to stick the "popcorn" to.

About the popcorn...

Okay, it's not actual popcorn on top. They are actually mini-marshmallows, cut in half, with the ends squished back together. This is the most time-consuming part of the whole process. I recommend doing this while the cupcakes are baking and cooling. You can put the finished "Popcorn" kernals in an airtight bag until the cupcakes are ready to decorate. It takes a lot of marshmallows! I used about 1 1/3 bag just to make 24 cupcakes. Place the "popcorn" on top of the buttercream icing.

The final step...

Mix a couple drops of yellow food coloring with some vodka. Use a food-safe brush to paint coloring over the top of the marshmallows to create that buttery look.

Enjoy!