Sunflower Cupcakes!

So instead of continuing the wedding cake thing, I am going to hold off on that, and show you a recipe and idea that I LOVE!  Its from the book, Hello Cupcake.  If you like to decorate, then you have to buy this book! Its amazing!

24 vanilla cupcakes baked in green paper liners
2 (16-ounce) cans vanilla frosting, divided
Green, yellow, orange and black food coloring
14-16 regular chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies (Oreos)
25-30 mini chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies (Mini Oreos)
1/2 cup table sugar
15-20 candy spearmint leaves or 2 rolls green fruit leather
2 tablespoons dark-chocolate frosting
6-10 red candy-coated chocolates (M&M's)

1. Tint 1 1/2 cups of the vanilla frosting green with the food coloring. Spread an even layer of the green frosting on top of the cupcakes and smooth. Arrange the chocolate sandwich cookies, regular and mini, randomly over the cupcakes, pressing them into the frosting to secure.

2. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting bright yellow with the food coloring. Remove { cup of the yellow frosting and tint it orange with the food coloring. Spoon 1/4 cup of the orange frosting into one side of a zippered bag and spoon half of the yellow frosting into the other side of the bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Repeat the process with another bag and the remaining orange and yellow frosting.

3. Reinforce the corner of each bag with 6 overlapping layers of transparent tape. Pinch the taped corners flat and cut a small V-shape in the corner to make a leaf tip. Pipe yellow-orange frosting around the edge of each cookie to make petals. Pipe another circle of petals just inside the first, slightly overlapping.

4. Sprinkle the work surface with the sugar. Roll out the spearmint leaves or fruit leathers, one at a time, to 1/8-inch thick. Using clean scissors, cut the candies or fruit leathers into 1 1/2-inch-long leaf shapes. Press the leaves into the cupcakes just under the petals.

5. Tint the chocolate frosting black with the food coloring and spoon it into a sandwich-size zippered bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Snip a 1/16-inch corner from the bag.

For each cupcake, pipe a dot of black frosting on one of the cookies and attach the red chocolate candy to make a ladybug. Pipe a line of black frosting down the center of each ladybug and add a dot for the head and a few dots on the back.

6. Arrange the cupcakes close together in a basket lined with green tissue paper, if you like, in small cups or on a platter.

Thanks for reading today!