Penguin Cupcakes

Today is my Mom's birthday. She was born in the parking lot during a blizzard. By the time the doctor arrived on scene, Christmas was over so he put her birthday as December 26. Would you prefer a Christmas birthday or a day right around it? 

To honor my Mom, I had to post a cupcake recipe. My sister has the book Hello, Cupcake! book. It is pretty amazing. My sister makes the creations from the book often. Since she is such a generous sister, she lets me borrow it from time to time. We would prefer the already completed cupcakes (hint, hint). As my sister warned me, these cupcakes take awhile to make. I did leave the wings off of the recipe.

Let's be friends!

March of the Penguins Cupcakes
12 cupcakes, baked and cooled in cupcake liners
12 cake pops (recipe found here)
1 (16 oz) can of vanilla frosting
2 (16 oz) can of dark chocolate frosting
4 marshmallows
7 yellow/orange Starbursts
24 mini chocolate chips
black food coloring gel.
7 thin chocolate cookies (if you prefer your birds with wings)

Directions:

1. Take about 1 tsp of vanilla frosting and dab it on a doughnut hole.
2. Place the doughnut hole onto the cupcake so the frosting glues the hole in place. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
3. Place the cupcakes in a freezer/refrigerator to harden.
4. Cut about 1/8th of the end of the marshmallows. Then cut off about 1/3 of the marshmallow piece to create the white belly part.
5. Cut the Starbursts diagonal. (I cut each diagonal in half vertically so the beak would not have so much weight.)
6. Remove the foil seal completely off one of the chocolate frosting container. Inspect the frosting container for any metal. If so, remove the metal before microwaving or add the frosting to a microwave safe bowl.
7. Add some of the black food gel to the chocolate frosting to make the frosting black.
8. Microwave the chocolate frosting for 30 seconds and stir. Microwave for about 20 seconds longer if needed for the frosting to be very runny.
9. Dip the cold cupcake into the runny frosting. Place the cupcake aside.
10. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
11. Place the cut marshmallow piece on to the chocolate covered cupcake just above the liner. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
12. Add the cut Starbursts to the bottom half of the chocolate covered doughnut hole. A little chocolate frosting may help adhere the pieces if needed. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
13. Place the cupcakes in the freezer/refrigerator to harden. 
14. After 30 minutes or longer, pipe two dots of white frosting above the Starbursts beak to form two eyes.
15. Place two mini chocolate chips with pointed side into the frosting for the pupis. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
16. If wings are desired (or if you have time), secure the cookie in place with some of the chocolate frosting.
17. Allow the cupcakes to rest for several hours before serving so the frosting can set. 
18. If the frosting on the cupcake is rough, take a dab of water on your finger and smooth out the rough areas.

Recipe adapted from Hello, Cupcake! cookbook.

I'm first in line.

Did you already know...............
-Penguins spend 75% of their time in the water.
-Penguins have a special gland in their body so they can drink salt water.
-A group of penguins are called rookery or colonies.
-A penguin born with brown and not black plumage are called Isabelline penguins. The odds of an Isabelline penguin is 1 out of 50,000.
-There are albino penguins but they are extremely rare.