An Apple for the Teacher Cupcakes

An Apple for the Teacher Makes 1 basket: 7 apple cupcakes I found this recipe and thought it would be a great appreciation gift for that special teacher. It's taken from the What's New Cupcake Book. The book says, "Whether you want to butter up your teacher, keep the doctor away, or tempt Adam, our apples do the trick. The cupcakes are topped with doughnuts coated in red frosting, rolled in red sugar, and adorned with Tootsie Roll stems and fruit-chew leaves. The tines of a fork make the impression of a bite, which is then coated in white frosting. The seeds are candy-coated sunflower seeds." For more pics, see this post. Ingredients: 7 vanilla cupcakes baked in red paper liners 7 mini plain or chocolate-covered doughnuts 1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting 4 chocolate chews (Tootsie Rolls) 4 green fruit chews (Jolly Rancher, Tootsie Fruit Rolls) 1 cup red decorating sugar Red food coloring (use paste food coloring for a darker red) 3 black candy-coated chocolate-covered sunflower seeds (Sunny Seed Drops) Instructions: 1. Cut 1/2 inch from the bottom of each mini doughnut with a serrated knife and discard bottom piece. 2. Spread some vanilla frosting on the cupcakes and place a mini doughnut piece, cut side down, on top of each. Place the cupcakes in the freezer for 10 minutes, until slightly frozen. 3. For the stems, cut the unwrapped chocolate chews in half lengthwise on the diagonal and shape into stems. For the leaves, roll out the green fruit chews 1/8 inch thick, then cut into ten 1 1/2-by-3/4-inch leaf shapes. Make a crease down the center of each leaf with the back of a paring knife and pinch one end of each leaf. 4. Place the red sugar in a medium shallow bowl. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the vanilla frosting into a small ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting in the can red with the food coloring. 5. Working on 1 cupcake at a time, spread some of the red frosting on the top and sides of the doughnut and cupcake to fill in the gaps and lightly coat, making the doughnut look like the top of an apple. 6. Roll the frosted cupcake in the red sugar to coat. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. 7. To create a bite from the apple, carefully remove a 1 1/2-inch-diameter divot from the top of 1 of the sugar-coated doughnuts, using fork tines or a paring knife. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting and pipe a thin layer of frosting to cover the exposed area inside the divot. Spread lightly with the back of a small spoon to smooth. For the apple seeds, arrange the sunflower seeds, pointed ends toward the center. 8. Insert the chocolate-chew stems with the green fruit-chew leaves at the top of the apple cupcakes. Arrange the cupcakes in a basket.

For this recipe or other recipes, consult the What's New Cupcake? book