Pansy Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup each pink, blue, yellow and purple candy melts*
• 3 cups Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
• Green paste (icing) food color*
• 12 Yellow Cupcakes
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate candy melts*
• small candies (such as Hershey’s Chocolate Shoppe Sprinkles)
• small artist’s paintbrush, green cupcake liners

Directions

Place each color candy melt (except milk chocolate) in a separate ziptop bag. Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper. Working with 1 color at a time, heat in microwave on high about 1 minute until wafers melt.

Cut a tiny tip off 1 bottom corner of bag and pipe about one hundred 3⁄4- to 1-in.-long teardrop shapes onto a lined baking sheet (see photo, above). Repeat with each color. Refrigerate until needed.

Spoon 1⁄2 cup frosting into a ziptop bag; set aside. Tint remaining frosting light green. Spread evenly on top of cupcakes.

Peeling petals from wax paper as you go, arrange 6 or 7 flowers, 5 petals (flat side up) for each, on each cupcake.

Melt chocolate candy melts in a small bowl in microwave. With paintbrush, paint chocolate on petals from center out (see large photo, page 135). Snip a small corner from bag with white frosting and pipe a dab in center of each flower. Glue 3 small candies in center. Cut top of green cupcake liners in a zigzag fashion; set decorated cupcake in each.

*Available in stores selling party and cake decorating supplies