How to make jungle animal cupcakes

Prepare Frostings    

• In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup chocolate frosting with black food coloring to make black frosting. Place in resealable food-storage plastic freezer bag; cut small tip off 1 bottom corner of bag. You will use black frosting to decorate lions, tigers, monkeys and zebras.
• For Lion and Tiger Cupcakes: In medium bowl, mix 1 cup vanilla frosting with enough yellow and red food colors to make orange. In small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon orange frosting with 3 tablespoons white vanilla frosting to make lighter orange for muzzles.
• For Monkey Cupcakes: In small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon chocolate frosting and 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting to make light brown.

Decorating the Animal Cupcakes

• Frost 12 cupcakes with darker orange frosting. For muzzle, spread or pipe small circle of lighter orange frosting on each cupcake.
• Lion Cupcakes: Place caramel corn around edges of cupcakes for mane. For eyes, add brown candy-coated chocolates. For whiskers, break about 1/2-inch pieces off each end of pretzel sticks and insert in cupcakes. For ears, add cereal pieces. Using black frosting, pipe on mouth and nose.
• Tiger Cupcakes: Use black frosting to pipe on stripes, nose and mouth. For eyes, add brown baking bits. For ears, add gumdrop halves.
• Monkey Cupcakes: Frost 6 cupcakes with chocolate frosting. For muzzle, spread or pipe circle of light brown on each cupcake that starts in middle and extends to edge; pipe small tuft of hair on opposite edge. For each eye, attach brown baking bit to marshmallow half with frosting; place on cupcakes. With black frosting, pipe on nose and mouth. For the monkey's ears, add mints.
• Zebra Cupcakes: Cut small horizontal slit in top of 6 cupcakes near edge of paper cup. Insert edge of vanilla wafer cookie into each slit to create elongated face, adding small amount of vanilla frosting to cookie before inserting to help stick. Frost cupcakes with vanilla frosting. For muzzles, frost cookies with black frosting. With black frosting, pipe on stripes and mane. Add brown baking bits for nostrils and eyes. For the zebra's ears, add black gumdrop halves, cut sides down.

This jungle animal cupcakes recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

24    cupcakes
1 1/4    cups Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting (from 1-lb container)  
2 1/2    cups Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting (from two 1-lb containers)
1 1/2    cups caramel popcorn
12    brown miniature candy-coated chocolates
12    pretzel sticks
12    pieces Cheerios® cereal (any flavor)
12    brown miniature candy-coated chocolates
12    orange chewy fruit-flavored gumdrops (not sugar coated), cut in half crosswise, top halves discarded
12    brown miniature candy-coated chocolates
6    miniature marshmallows, cut in half crosswise, pieces flattened
12    small round chocolate-covered creamy mints
6    round vanilla wafer cookies
24    brown miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
6    black chewy licorice-flavored gumdrops (not sugar coated), cut in half vertically
Black food coloring
Yellow food coloring
Red food coloring