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Purple People-Eater

Purple People-Eater
This googly-eyed cupcake will get tongues wagging! Pretzels, marshmallows and candy helps this monster come to life. —Karen Tack, Riverside, Connecticut
6 ServingsPrep: 45 min. + standing

Ingredients

  • 6 chocolate or vanilla cupcakes baked in black foil liners
  • 1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
  • Neon purple food coloring
  • 9 large marshmallows
  • 18 thin pretzel sticks
  • Black licorice laces
  • 12 mini marshmallows
  • 6 pink fruit chews
  • 18 brown mini M&M's

Directions

  • 1. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with a mound of vanilla frosting.
  • Spoon 1 tablespoon vanilla frosting into a small resealable bag.
  • Tint the remaining vanilla frosting neon purple with the food
  • coloring and place in a microwave-safe measuring cup.
  • 2. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Cut the large marshmallows
  • in half crosswise with scissors. Insert a pretzel stick into the
  • side of each marshmallow to create the eyes. Cut the black licorice
  • laces into eighteen 2-in. pieces. Cut the mini marshmallows in half
  • on the diagonal to make the teeth. Soften the pink fruit chews in
  • the microwave for no more than 3 seconds.
  • Roll out each fruit chew into a 3-in. length. Cut into a long tongue
  • with a rounded end. Press the back of a knife down the middle of the
© Taste of Home 2013

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Purple People-Eater (continued)

Directions (continued)

  • fruit chew to make the crease in the center of the tongue.
  • 3. Place a wire rack over a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Heat
  • the neon purple frosting in the microwave, stirring every 10
  • seconds, until the frosting is the consistency of slightly whipped
  • cream, about 25 to 30 seconds total. Holding the frosted cupcakes by
  • the foil liners, dip the cupcakes just up to the liners. Allow the
  • excess frosting to drip off before inverting cupcake. Transfer to
  • the wire rack to set.
  • Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. If the frosting becomes too
  • thick, return to the microwave and heat for about 5 to 10 seconds
  • longer, stirring well before dipping.
  • 4. Holding the marshmallow eyes by the pretzel end, dip the top half
  • of the marshmallows into the frosting to make the eyelids. Transfer
  • the marshmallows to the waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. While the
  • frosting is still wet, add the black licorice lace along the dipped
  • edge as the eyelid. Repeat with the remaining marshmallows. Snip a
  • small corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting. Pipe a dot of
  • frosting on the marshmallow area and add the brown M&M as a pupil.
  • Let eyes set for about 30 minutes before assembling cupcakes.
  • 5. Spoon some of the remaining purple frosting on top of the dipped
  • cupcakes and allow the frosting to drip over the sides.
  • 6. While frosting is still wet, add three to four cut mini
  • marshmallow pieces as the teeth along one edge of the cupcakes.
  • Insert three marshmallow eyes at different heights. Transfer to a
  • serving platter and add the fruit chew tongue under the teeth.
  • Yield: 6 cupcakes.
© Taste of Home 2013