Grad cap cupcakes

Happy Graduation to a lot of people this weekend!  Now to celebrate...  I think cupcakes are in order.  Of course they are!

Step one:  Bake some cupcakes.  I love cupcakes from a mix.  Why ruin a good thing?  It is cheap, simple, idiot proof... DO IT.  You know you want to.  If you use a cookie/muffin scoop you always get exactly 24.  Awesome.

I baked one batch of chocolate and one batch of white... you never know.  This way most of your bases are covered.  If in doubt bake a batch of Rainbow Bit or a Cherry Chip.  Those are my favorites.  

Step two:  Icing.  You can not go wrong with the classic Wilton Buttercream Icing. 

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Because we will be adding chocolate to the top of the cupcake I like to do a classic white icing.  If you do chocolate icing then you won't be able to see the grad caps as well.

Step 3:  Making adorable grad caps.  

You will need square chocolate covered wafers and mini Oreo cookies.  It has taken me a few tries and these are my favorites.  You can use After Eight Mints for the top of the grad cap.  You can also use mini peanut butter cups as the bottom of the cap.  Due to allergies and living somewhere where it usually a billion degrees on grad weekend, peanut butter cups did not make me happy.  They were cute and delicious but getting less and less practical.  Some of my favorite kids have peanut allergies and I like to bake for them too.  Cost becomes an issue if you want to make 100 as well.

Using an icing bag, pipe a bit of icing on the top of the mini oreo.  Place a square cookie on the top.  Use your decorating bag and tip to pipe a little tassel on the cap.  Let harden.  I usually do up the caps the night before.

Step 4:  Ice the cupcakes.

You can ice them flat, pipe icing on with a round or star tip... go wild.  I like to pipe on an icing swirl because then you get more icing.  Mmmmmm icing.

Step 5:  Put a grad cap on top.

Step 6:  Go and give them to your favorite grad.  Congratulations!!!