Santa's Workshop Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients

Cupcakes and miniature cupcakes of your choice

1 to 2 cans vanilla frosting (16 ounces each)

New paint brush, pencil, paper and waxed paper

BEACH BALLS:

Fruit Roll-Ups

Sour fruit hard candy balls

BLOCKS:

Alphabet cinnamon-graham cookies

Assorted food coloring

CAR PULL-TOY:

Life Savers Gummies and circus peanut candy

Candy-coated sunflower kernels

Red shoestring licorice

DOG:

Tootsie Roll Small Midgees

Fruit Roll-Up

Dragee

DRUM:

Fruit Roll-Up

Dragees

PRESENTS:

Fruit Roll-Ups

Starburst candies

TEDDY BEAR:

Tootsie Roll Small Midgees

Fruit Roll-Up

TRAIN:

Individual cream-filled sponge cake

Sprinkles of your choice

Candy-coated milk chocolate miniature kiss and black licorice coin

Vanilla wafer and miniature peanut butter-filled sandwich crackers

Dragees

SANTA AND ELVES:

White and chocolate candy coating

Ivory and blue paste food coloring

Red and green sprinkles

Red shoestring licorice

Candy-coated sunflower kernels

Starburst candies

Miniature marshmallows

Corn syrup

White nonpareils

Dots candies and milk chocolate M&M's

LIST:

Ready-to-use white rolled fondant

Food writing pen

Directions

For beach balls: Cut wedge shapes from Fruit Roll-Ups. Position on each hard candy ball; press to attach.

For blocks: Attach four graham cookies with frosting to form the four sides of a box; attach another cookie to the top. Using a paint brush, brush food coloring over cookies to color as desired.

For car pull-toy: Using frosting, attach Life Savers Gummies to circus peanut, forming tires. Insert a sunflower kernel into center of each tire. For pull-rope, loop a 4 in. piece of shoestring licorice; insert into peanut.

For dog: Place two Tootsie Rolls on a small piece of waxed paper; microwave on high for 5-7 seconds or until softened. Break off desired amount for body; roll into a rounded triangle shape. Roll two smaller pieces into legs; press onto front of body to attach. Roll another piece into an oval shape for head; attach two small pieces for ears. Press head onto body; attach a small piece for tail.

For collar, wrap a thin strip of Fruit Roll-Up around neck. Form another strip of Fruit Roll-Up into a bow; press onto collar to attach. Attach a dragee to center of bow with frosting. Pipe a small amount of frosting for eyes.

For drum: Remove a miniature cupcake from paper liner. Place cupcake upside-down. Spread frosting over the top and sides. Decorate drum with thin strips of Fruit Roll-Ups. Using frosting, attach dragees as desired.

For presents: Cut a Fruit Roll-Up into thin strips. Place two strips widthwise around desired amount of Starburst candies; press together at base to attach. For bow, form two Fruit Roll-Up strips into figure eights; press together in center and press onto wrapped candy.

For teddy bear: Place a Tootsie Roll on a small piece of waxed paper; microwave on high for 5-7 seconds or until softened. Break off desired amount for the body; roll into a rounded oval shape. Roll two smaller pieces into arms and two pieces into legs. Press onto body to attach. Roll another piece into a ball for head; attach two small pieces for ears and one for nose. Press head onto body.

For bow, wrap a thin strip of Fruit Roll-up around neck. Form another strip of Fruit Roll-Up into a bow; press onto ribbon to attach. Pipe a small amount of frosting for eyes.

For train: Cut a thin slice from one end of sponge cake to allow it to stand. Frost top and sides of sponge cake; coat with red sprinkles. Stand on serving platter. Frost one cupcake; dip the top in red sprinkles. Place cupcake bottom against the flat side of sponge cake.

For smokestack, attach a miniature kiss to top of cupcake with frosting. Attach licorice coin to center of cupcake. Attach a vanilla wafer to sponge cake for large wheel.

For train cars, frost desired amount of miniature cupcakes; dip the tops in sprinkles. Arrange on their sides behind the engine car. Place a sandwich crackers at the base of each car. Pipe window and wheel details with frosting; decorate with dragees as desired.

For Santa and elves: With a pencil and paper, draw a beard, mustache, eyes, eye brows, ears and hair pieces. Melt white and chocolate candy coatings in separate microwave-safe bowls; stir until smooth.

Divide white coating into three portions; tint one portion ivory and another blue. Transfer each to a resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in the corner of each bag. Place waxed paper over the drawings. Working quickly, pipe coating over designs. Using chocolate coating, pipe a small dot into the center of each eye. Refrigerate until set.

Frost a cupcake; dip the top in red sprinkles. For each elf, frost a miniature cupcake; dip the top in green sprinkles. Tint a small amount of frosting ivory. Using ivory frosting, frost a cupcake and a miniature cupcake for each elf. Lay each ivory cupcake on its side on top of each sprinkled cupcake; secure each with a toothpick.

Gently lift candy features from waxed paper; arrange on cupcakes. Form smiles with shoestring licorice; use sunflower kernels for noses.

For Santa hat, place four red Starburst candies on a small piece of waxed paper; microwave on high for 3-5 seconds or until softened. Place candies side by side, using a rolling pin, roll candies together to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut into a triangle; form into a cone shape. Press seam to seal; gently form around a small ball of plastic wrap into a hat shape. Repeat for elf hats using three candies for each hat.

For pom-poms, cut marshmallows in half; roll each half in corn syrup then in nonpareils. Press onto the tip of hats and around brims. Attach Dots candies, M&M's or additional pom-poms to elves to form collars. Remove plastic wrap from inside hats; attach to heads with frosting.

For list: Roll out fondant; cut a strip to form list. Write names with food writing pen. Keep covered until ready to use.

Finishing touches: Arrange cupcakes on tiered serving platters. Decorate with balls, blocks, cars, dogs, presents, teddy bears and additional assorted candies as desired; gently drape list down tiers. Yield: varies.

Editor’s Note: This recipe was tested with Newman's Own alphabet cinnamon-graham cookies.