Spring Blossoms

• 1" flower-shaped cookie cutter
• Small scissors
• 5 green sour belt candies
• 1 16-oz. can vanilla frosting
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 small ziplock bags
• Red food coloring
• 3/4 cup each small pink, orange and yellow jelly beans
• 4 each small pink, orange and yellow candy-coated chocolates
• 4 red heart-shaped candies
• 1 4.25-oz. tube chocolate decorating icing
• 12 decorative cupcake liners
• 12 green sour straws

1. Using a flower-shaped cookie cutter or small scissors, cut 12 flowers from 2 sour belts. Cut as many 1" leaves as possible from the remaining sour belts with scissors. Pinch the end of each leaf to create a stem; set aside.
2. Blend frosting and lemon zest in a bowl; spoon 2 Tbsp. into a ziplock bag. Divide remaining frosting mixture among 2 bowls; tint 1 frosting pink with red food coloring. Spread a cupcake with pink frosting mixture. On top, form a ring of pink jelly beans, side by side, following outer edge of cupcake; add another ring just inside the first. Place a green flower in the center. Repeat with other cupcakes, alternating frosting and jelly bean colors.
3. Snip a small corner from ziplock bag filled with frosting mixture; pipe a dot in the center of green flowers and top with a candy-coated chocolate.
4. To make ladybug: Pipe a dot of frosting mixture on top of a cupcake and attach a heart-shaped candy. Squeeze chocolate frosting into a ziplock bag, snip off a tiny corner, then pipe on a head, a line and dots onto heart. Repeat with remaining heart candies.
5. Place each finished cupcake in a decorative paper liner and arrange on a serving platter. Use sour straws as flower stems and place reserved leaves along stems.

cutter, scissors, green sour belt candies, vanilla frosting, lemon zest, ziplock, red food coloring, pink, pink, candies, chocolate decorating, liners, green sour straws

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spring-blossoms (may not work)