resealable plastic bag, press out air,
seal and set aside. Using an offset
spatula, spread each of 7 cupcakes
with 112 tsp vanilla frosting and top
each with a doughnut half, cut side
down. Spread vanilla frosting over
douglmuts and top with a doughnut hole. Spread vanilla frosting up
sides ofdoughnut holes, smoothing
to fill the gap. Freeze until frosting
is slightly hardened, about 10 min.
• In a microwave-safe cup, stir
together chocolate frosting and
food coloring. Microwave on High,
stirring frequently, until thinned,
about 35 sec. Holding bottom of
1 chilled cupcake, dip top into
black frosting, allowing excess to
drip back into cup. Place upright
on a baking sheet. Repeat with
remairling 6 cupcakes. (If frosting
becomes too thick, microwave on
High about 10 sec and stir well.)
• Using clean scissors, cut a
1/a-inch slice offboth flat ends of
each marshmallow. Trim 1/4 inch
off one side of 7 marshmallow
slices to create a straight edge.
Press 1 marshmallow slice onto
black frosting of each cupcake,
straight edge along baking cup,
for penguin's belly.
• Using a serrated knife, make 2
FOOD JOURNAL
parallel cuts in each cookie, 112 inch
in from opposite sides. Working
with curved outside pieces, trim
1/4 inch from one end ofeach for
wings. Press the trimmed end of
wing into frosting just below each
side ofpenguin's head, securing
with a dot ofblack frosting.
• Diagonally cut 4 fruit chews
in half to form beaks. For each
penguin, press cut side ofone
beak onto head. Horizontally cut
remairling 31/2 fruit chews in half,
then cut into 14 triangles. Cut
2 triangles out of wide ends for
feet. Snip off a 1/a-inch comer
from bag of vanilla frosting. Pipe
2 white dots over beaks and
press chocolate chips, pointed
end in, into centers ofdots, for
eyes. Pipe a small white highlight
on each eye. Place 2 feet in front
of each penguin and tuck a fish
candy under the wing.
• MaRe iabergs: Place coconut in
a small bowl. Spread remairling
vanilla frosting on remairling 5
cupcakes and press tops into
coconut. Arrange rock candy on
top for ice.
• Place iceberg cupcakes around
penguins on a platter sprinkled
with fish and rock candy.
Ihj.com I56june2008
OLD SWAMPY
MAKES 1 ALLIGATOR
Q) Work: 50 min Total: 50 min
(.NOt including timefor baking cupcakes)
24 standard vanilla cupcakes in
white paper baking cups
2 cans ( 16 oz each) vanilla
frosting
Green, yellow and red food
coloring
36 square chocolate cookies
(such as Newman's Own
Chocolate Alphabet Cookies)
6 marshmallows
2 mini chocolate-covered mints
12 banana-shaped hard candies
2 small dark-green jelly beans
• Place 1 tbsp frosting in a small
resealable plastic bag, press out
air, seal and set aside. In a large
bowl, stir together remaining
frosting and 1 to 2 drops each of
green, yellow and red food
coloring until a murky green
color. Divide between 2 small
resealable plastic bags; press out
air and seal. Using a serrated
knife, diagonally cut cookies in
half to make triangles; set aside.
• Arrange cupcakes in the shape
ofan alligator: 2 end to end for
snout; 6 rows of2 cupcakes side
by side for head and body; 6 end
to end for tail; and 1 on each side
of the second and fifth rows of
double cupcakes for feet.
• Snip off a 1/4-inch corner from
each bag of green frosting.
Starting at bottom edge of one
cupcake and working from one
side to the other, pipe a row of
small folds of frosting by placing
tip ofbag on cupcake, then
squeezing and pulling about 1/4
inch of frosting toward you,
lifting the tip slightly and
squeezing and folding the ribbon
offrosting back onto itself,
ending where you started. Pipe
8 or 9 rows, each row moving in
the same direction CONTINUED
