Recipe: Christmas tree cupcakes

These cupcake toppers make for a fun seasonal twist on a kid favorite!

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Special equipment needed: pastry bag or gallon-sized sealable plastic bag; small star-shaped pastry tip (such as Wilton #18)

If the cupcakes are not level, slice the top off of the cupcake to create a level surface. Put a small portion of the frosting on the cupcakes to create a base atop which to position the sugar cone tree. This helps act like “glue” to hold the sugar cone in place.

To make the green icing, simply stir the food coloring into the icing, adding more food coloring as necessary to achieve your best green color. Apply a thin layer of frosting on the exteriors of the sugar cones with a flat knife. For the remaining frosting, fill a pastry bag fitted with the star-shaped pastry tip. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can use a plastic bag instead.

Put the sugar cone on top of the cupcakes and then use your pastry bag with the tip to pipe leaves onto the tree. Use edible silver or red ball sprinkles before the icing dries. Add powdered sugar to create a “snow dust” effect.