These do not go on your Christmas tree.

These DO go in your mouth.

These DO go best in your kids mouths due to the amount of frosting, sprinkles, and candy… with a little bit of cupcake.

These DO make adorable gifts, great centerpieces, and fantastic Christmas Party treats.

I decided to start off with Red Velvet Cake!

I made mine from scratch by following the recipe in “The Pioneer Woman Cooks.”

If you don’t DO “from scratch” you can still DO Red Velvet.

It’s the perfect festive Cupcake for these pretty little Ornaments.

This totally looks like icing.

It’s not.

This is my cake batter…. in a Ziploc.

Snip the corner off…

And pipe your batter into your cupcake papers.

I’ve found this to be the best method for getting equal portions into each cup, and avoiding a mess… well… almost.

Just look at these gorgeous little things!

The next step is to frost each cupcake with an even smooth layer, using a butter knife, and then roll the tops in bowls of colored sprinkling sugar.

If you want to get really fancy you can make different color frostings to match your sprinkles.

I didn’t have any food coloring on hand, so I just used white frosting for all of mine.

Store bought frosting, Homemade frosting, Creme Cheese frosting, Butter-creme Frosting, …. pretty much any thick, white, frosting will do.

What these cupcakes absolutely require, is a great candy supply for decorating.

I bought my sprinkles and dragees (the shiny ball sprinkles) at a JoAnne’s Fabrics and Craft Store.

The other great place to get AWESOME decorating candy for Cookies, Gingerbread Houses, and Cupcakes, is at your mall Candy Store.

You know… the one with all the bins you can scoop from.

It’s so convenient to be able to dish out just the perfect amount for your project.

Staring at all those bins of goodies is sure to spark all kinds of new decorating ideas.

What you absolutely must have for these cupcakes are:

Mini M&M’s

Smooth thin Licorice Rope in black and red (other colors too if you can find it)

Spice drops

Have you seen these before?

These are chocolate and candy coated Sunflower Seeds. Basically Sunflower Seed M&M’s… but not made by the M&M company.

These are also available at some mall candy stores… That’s where I got mine.

I love these for decorating Christmas treats because they are shaped just like Christmas lights. They look adorable on Christmas tree cookies, lining the roofs of Gingerbread houses, and on these Ornament Cupcakes.

Here are your ingredients for making the Cupcake Ornament Toppers.

Spice Drops, Black Licorice Rope, and Pretzels.

Poke a hole in the rounded top of a spice drop using a toothpick.

Insert the pretzel.

Make two more holes; one on each side of the top of the spice drop, with a toothpick.

Cut a small piece of black licorice rope, and insert it into the top holes so that it forms a rounded loop.

See?

Cool huh!

The pretzels allow you to insert the toppers into the cupcake and make them stick in place just where you want them to.

I ended up breaking my pretzel sticks in half so they didn’t poke out the bottom of the cake.

Next you need some good ol’ Fruit by the Foot.

These red ones were already cut in perfect ornament, decorating, shapes.

You can also use Starburst Chews for this and just flatten them out with a rolling pin.

The blue Fruit by the Foot was not already cut into shapes.

This nifty little Fondant Cutter that I found at the craft store came in handy for making elaborate edges.

You can also use fancy edged scrapbooking scissors, or if you’re really talented… a sharp kitchen knife and your own imagination.

There aren’t any rules.

Just cut some fun and frilly shapes to put on your cupcakes.

When you make (or buy) your frosting, set some aside in a Sandwich Bag. This will be the glue that holds all your decorations onto your sugar coated cupcakes.

Using your spice drop tops, bag of gluing frosting, candy, and Fruit Snack strips… start decorating.

They look really cute too if you put some of the spice drop tops on the edge, and others right in the middle of the cupcakes.

It gives a perspective that each one is laying differently.

Once again this idea orginated from my favorite Cupcake Book – “Hello, Cupcake.” (Which by the way would make a FANTASTIC Christmas Gift!)

When you’re done, line them all up and marvel at your masterpieces.

Here’s What You Need…

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Thick white frosting – store bought or homemade (Food Coloring if you want to use Colored Frostings)

Cupcake Papers

Pretzel Sticks

Fruit by the Foot

Fondant Cutter or Scrapbooking scissors

Colored Sprinkling Sugars

Spice Drops

Thin, smooth, licorice rope in red and black (more colors optional)

Mini M&M’s

Candy Coated Sunflower Seeds – optional

Dragees – Shiny ball sprinkles – optional

Whatever else your heart desires.

Fa – la – la – la – la…. la – la…. la…. la!

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