With Sprinkles on Top

I have made these Disney princess cupcakes twice over the past few months. Once for the girls I babysit and once for my friend’s daughter, who just turned four. Just about every little girl loves princesses – or at least goes through an intense, princess-obsessed phase. I know there’s another side to this story though – the people who are frustrated by the fact that many little girls look up to princesses.

Disney fairytales are unrealistic and imperfect, but I’m alright with that. To a five year old kid, all things Disney are magical in which good always wins over evil — and that is pretty special.

I think Kelly Oxford (who wrote the great “Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar”) sums up my feelings toward Disney more eloquently that I ever could:

“I suddenly feel a weird sense of community with the other parents in our fake Jeep, helmed by my unskilled and vomit-prone son. All of us laughing and whoa-ing together. All of us spending more money than we should, gambling on a chance to create memories in this place built on make-believe. The best parts of childhood, adulthood, and parenthood are those pure moments of bliss, when you completely forget about your future and past and live in your moment. That, I realize, is why I loved Disneyland as a preteen: it was an escape from that time, from the fears of never getting my period, of being pressured into trying cigarettes, and of liking Days of Our Lives. That’s why there are moms who are itching to dress up like Snow White for an entire day, in public, with zero shame. It’s the best kind of lie. To stop thinking about the shit in our lives for a day and pretend that a princess is real, that the Beast is in the castle, and that they never take off their costumes or meet for some crappy cafeteria lunch and a cigarette behind the facade walls of Main Street.” — Kelly Oxford

These cupcakes were heavily inspired by Erica’s beautiful blog. I encourage you to read her post as well, as she had a heartwarming reason for making the cupcakes.

Disney Princess Cupcakes
Print Recipe
Recipe source: Erica’s Sweet Tooth

24 cupcakes (any kind you would like; I used box mix funfetti)
A batch of buttercream icing (I used the white buttercream icing recipe here)
A large petal tip, Wilton #127
Disposable pastry bags
Food coloring: pink, yellow, buttercup yellow, leaf green, kelly green, and blue
Lollipop sticks, cut in half
Tape
Disney princess pictures
Edible glitter (optional)

A note about the Disney princess pictures: I searched for each individual princess using Google, save the corresponding images, and resized them all so that they would be proportionate. I then printed 4 of each on cardstock. I cut them out and attached them to the lollipop sticks using tape. I do not want to post the princess images on my blog (because it might be a murky area, copyright-wise). But don’t fear – just use Google (ex: search for “cinderella”) and you’ll find the exact same cartoon images that I used. You’ll just need to do a little trial-and-error with resizing them so that they are proportionate. If you have questions about this step, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

1. Bake your cupcakes and allow them to cool entirely. While they are cooling, make a batch of buttercream icing. You may want to make an extra 1/2 batch, especially if you are doing these for the first time and haven’t gotten a hang of using the petal tip.
2. Divide the icing into six small bowls. Use the food coloring to dye each batch a different princess skirt color.
3. Fit a pastry bag with the large petal tip and fill the bag with one of the batches of colored icing. Pipe two layers of petals onto the top of each cupcake. I would highly suggest practicing this on a napkin first. It took me a few tries to get the petal look just right. You will want the wider end of the tip pointing out.
4. Once all of the cupcakes are frosted, stick the Disney princess toppers into the cupcakes.
5. If you have edible glitter, you can add some of that to each cupcake to give them a little sparkle.

Enjoy!

I could spend this post writing about childhood nostalgia and oatmeal cookies. But I didn’t like oatmeal cookies when I was a kid. I could spend this post raving about the flavor combinations and texture of the cookies. But that’s boring. I could tell you a silly story from my life and somehow relate it back to these cookies. But, nahh. I’ll just say that I loved these cookies. They are plain, they are simple, and they are a classic. And they involve icing. Always a bonus!

Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe source: The Novice Chef
Print Recipe

Cookies:
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and butter two cookie sheets. Set aside. [I used parchment paper instead of butter]
2. In a food processor, pulse oats until partly ground. You don’t want a fine powder, you want a coarse meal. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the melted butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix in the dry oat mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined.
4. Drop dough by (heaping) rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 14-16 minutes, rotating halfway through, until browned. Let cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Once cookies are completely cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Generously frost each cookie and allow the glaze to harden completely before storing. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Makes 18-20 cookies.

If you need a last-minute idea for your holiday BBQ, here are some ideas! Hope you’re all having a great summer!

1. Bomb Pop Cupcakes
2. Corn on the Cob Cupcakes
3. American Flag Cake
4. American Landmark Cupcakes
5. Sparkler Cupcakes
6. Ants at a Picnic Cupcakes
7. Sno-Cone Cupcakes
8. 4th of July Cake
9. 4th of July Mini Cupcakes
10. Watermelon Cupcakes
11. Red & Blue Poke Cake
12. Patriotic Punch

Who doesn’t love Bomb Pops? And who doesn’t immediately think of their childhood upon seeing one? Bomb Pops are just one of those iconic American treats. I used to (and still do) prefer the red and white portion to the blue. I was never much of a blue raspberry fan. What other summertime treats remind you of being a kid?

Bomb Pop Cupcakes
Print Recipe

24 cupcakes (I used a box mix, but feel free to make any kind you’d like)
1 batch of buttercream frosting (I used the white buttercream icing recipe here)
AmeriColor Super Red food coloring
AmeriColor blue food coloring
A large star tip (I used an Ateco large fine cut star tip)
Popsicle sticks

1. Divide your batch of icing into thirds. You’ll want a bit more for the portion that will be blue. Dye the frosting red, blue, and the rest plain white.
2. Pipe the frosting onto each cupcake, starting with the blue on the bottom. Then the white. Then the red.
3. Stick a half of a popsicle stick (I cut them in half with a scissors) into each cupcake.

Enjoy!

The 4th of July is rapidly approaching and it’s one of my favorite holidays. I love America. I really do. Getting to celebrate the United States through summertime cookouts, fireworks, and family togetherness is my idea of a great holiday. I also love the holiday because it happens in July, when the weather is warm and everyone can be outside (because if you live in Wisconsin, almost all other special occasions happen in chilly weather!).

I found these adorable cupcake toppers through Pinterest (where else?). They are FREE to print out from thedecoratedcookie.com! So many of America’s best landmarks are included. Leave them in black/white or have your kids color them in.

I taped each landmark onto a toothpick and stuck them into a buttercream-frosted cupcake. The only thing that bugged me is how the moisture from the frosting seeped up through the toothpick overnight…and created a spot on the printed landmark. You can see this in the photo. Ahh, you live and learn, right?

So if you make these for your 4th of July picnic, wait until the last minute to add the toppers to the cupcakes!

Here’s some more info on how I made these:

• I used a box mix and added red, white, and blue sprinkles. I wouldn’t recommend, as they turned the batter a little pink. Ooops!
• I used the white buttercream icing recipe that can be found here.
• The candy stars are made by Wilton. I purchased them at Jo-Ann Fabrics.