Leprechaun Cupcakes

I completely love any excuse to make adorable treats... and having a daughter in 1st grade gives me that excuse! I love making special things and bringing them to share with her class because at this age they get so excited! As soon as you walk in the room their little eyes light up and they all start whispering to each other: "get your work done or we won't get them!" I love that I can impress them all with something as simple as a cupcake and I am not looking forward to the day when they are "too cool" to even eat a leprechaun cupcake. Right now I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts and realize that I have a baby boy coming soon that is going to be starting school eventually! Yay! I guess that's why I should keep having more kids, right? :)

Leprechaun Cupcake Instructions:

24 baked yellow cupcakes, in liners (cooled)

1 can *already prepared* vanilla frosting (like Betty Crocker) with 1 drop yellow food coloring and 1 drop red food coloring mixed in

1-1/2 cups bright orange buttercream frosting

1-1/2 cups bright green buttercream frosting

3 tablespoons yellow buttercream icing

48 Mini Chocolate chips

Place canned vanilla frosting (with food coloring mixed in) in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, until frosting is melted. Remove from microwave and allow to cool for a few seconds. Dip the tops of all cupcakes in the melted frosting, allow excess frosting to drip off, and place on parchment paper to dry. **Do not discard remaining frosting!

Once frosting has dried (about 20 minutes), use a star tip (I used Wilton Tip #21 to pipe on beard using orange frosting. Using another star tip, pipe on a cute green hat. Place yellow frosting in a small ziplock  bag and snip the tip. Pipe a small square on the hat rim.

Place mini chocolate chips in place for eyes. Use remaining prepared vanilla frosting to pipe on a nose. 

Ta-da! You now have cute little Leprechaun cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day!