Apple Cupcakes

With red frosting, green leaves and a brown stem, these little guys really do look like a red apple, and when you cut into them, they even contain chocolate chip “seeds” in their center.

They were so easy to make…let me show you how to do it!

For this project, you will need…

1 white cake mix, prepared according to the package directions (or your own white cake recipe, if you’re feeling ambitious)

Red cupcake liners

Mini chocolate chips

Flour

1 can white frosting (or one recipe of your favorite white frosting)

Red gel food coloring

Tootsie Rolls

Green Fruit Roll-Ups

Place the cupcake liners in your cupcake pans. Spoon enough prepared batter to fill about the bottom third of each liner.

Measure approximately 1 tablespoon of flour into a small bowl. Toss 3 tablespoons or so of the mini chocolate chips with the flour, so that they are evenly coated.*

*Note: It might not be necessary to toss the chocolate chips with the flour before spooning them on top of the batter. I did this to help ensure they didn’t sink or rise to the surface while baking, much like I toss blueberries in a bit of flour to keep them evenly distributed in my blueberry muffins.

Spoon a small amount of chocolate chips onto the center of the cupcake batter before topping each one off with the remaining batter, filling each one about 2/3 full. Pop into your heated oven and bake according to your cake mix package directions.

While the cupcakes are baking, use kitchen shears to cut leaves from your green Fruit Roll-Ups. You will need two leaves per cupcake. Cut your Tootsie Rolls into quarters lengthwise to create apple “stems.”

Allow your cupcakes to cool completely, then mix your frosting with the red fool coloring. It takes a ton of red food coloring to create a vivid red color instead of bright pink. I’ll add more the next time I make these! Frost each cupcake with the red frosting.

Pinch one of the bottom corners together on each of your leaves

Press two leaves on top of each of your frosting cupcakes, and then finish with one of your Tootsie Roll stems.

#cupcakes #chocolate #vanilla