Penguingenius!

Penguin Cupcakes!!!

At a recent stop into my local Home Goods store I found myself in the baking aisle (shocker!) and was immediately drawn to the stack of cookbooks. And what did I find there??? Hmmmm???

Well I will tell you! There sat a deliciously adorable book entitled, "Hello Cupcake". You HAVE to get this book! Puppies, panda bears, little people in blankets, corn on the cob...all made out of cupcakes.

And for just over $10 I will have a book that gives me step by step instructions on how to make penguin cupcakes!

My nephew picked these out of the book for his birthday and I got right to work. Six hours later they were finished...but not perfect. Let me enlighten you on some tips I picked up while embarking on my first themed-cupcake adventure!

1. Nothing is ever as easy as it looks in the book!

2. Cut and shaped Starburst candies (the beaks and feet) WILL pick up the crumbs of ANYTHING in their path, making them appear as though your penguins have been playing in the dirt! Not a particularly appetizing look.

3. A one-hour car ride to your birthday destination is not conducive to stacked cupcakes of any kinds. Slippery little suckers!

4. Canned melted frosting (I know, canned, ew, but it was what the recipe called for) takes FOREVER to dry. And by forever I mean longer than I had time to wait!

5. Penguins in any shape or form (even slightly lumpy, melty ones) are adorable!

And now I'm inspired to make all kinds of little confectionery creations. With this book and my overactive imagination my kitchen will soon be filled with cupcakes of many different shapes and sizes. And I"ll have the pictures here to prove it!

Bake on, bakers!