Owl Cupcakes Recipes

OWL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Divide half of batter evenly among lined muffin tin cups (about a heaping tablespoon per cup). Press 2 cookie halves without frosting into each cup, then divide remaining batter evenly atop cookies. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Divide frosting evenly among cupcakes. Place 2 cookie halves with filling side-by-side in center of cupcakes, pressing to adhere to frosting. Press 1 button-shaped chocolate into center of each frosted cookie to mimic pupils. Press another chocolate into frosting perpendicular to the other candies and centered, just below cookies to mimic a beak. Press almonds, if using, into frosting above cookie-eyes in rows to mimic feathers, or scrape frosting with the tip of a paring knife in short, upward strokes to create a feathery look.

OWL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the eyes: Place the malt balls cut side up on the work surface. Attach a white sprinkle to each ball using a skewer dipped in the buttercream to adhere. Add a mini chocolate chip as a pupil to each white sprinkle using more buttercream. Set aside.
• For the ears: Unwrap the caramels and press with fingers to flatten. Warm the candies in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds if they are too hard to flatten at room temperature. Cut each caramel into 2 little triangles with scissors. Coat each triangle with frosting on one side and cover with chocolate sprinkles. Set aside.
• For the beaks: Place the small yellow gumdrops on the work surface standing upright. Snip each gumdrop with scissors straight down three-quarters of the way through the candy to make the open mouth. Snip to narrow the overall size and shape into a tapered beak.
• To assemble: Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons buttercream. Place the chocolate sprinkles in a small bowl. Invert each cupcake into the sprinkles and press gently to adhere. Attach the eyes and beak by applying small dollops of additional frosting and pressing gently. Push the ears into the edges of the cupcake. Repeat steps for all cupcakes.

HALLOWEEN OWL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Spoon white frosting into decorating bag fitted with round plain tip #804 or #4T (with 3/8-inch opening). Squeeze bag to pipe 2 large rounds, sides touching, on each cupcake to look like owl face. Pipe yellow decorating icing in center of rounds for eyes. Top with chocolate chips for pupils. Press candy corn between eyes for beak.