1.06.2010

You've Got Mail Cupcakes



Dear Friends,
These creations popped into my head one morning as I was contemplating the plight of the mail man  - the rude jokes, the snow-drifts to stomp through, the angry recipients. Think about it, who gets yelled at when there's postage due? Bad news by certified mail? Returned items? Missing packages?
They look hard. But they're not. If I can make them...


'nuff said.


Start with  pound-cake cupcakes.


They will look beautiful, golden and yummy. They are dense - so dense they won't mind if you drool as you stare longingly at them.


Whip up some basic cream cheese frosting.


Frost the cupcakes liberally. I gave them each a sorta drift-y look. They are supposed to look like fresh snow if you get me drift.


I love that they can be so messy. I've never been a perfect frosting person.


Ahhhhh... Just the look I was going for.


Now sprinkle them with some clear sugar sprinkles.


Gently break the tops off some candy canes.



Using a sharp paring knife, cut the ends off several Nestle Treasures, the 'Milk Chocolate Caramel Candy' variety. 


With the tip of your knife scoop out most of the caramel.


Melt some candy wafers, dip the tip of a peppermint stick into the chocolate and attach it to the bottom of each Treasure. You have to hold it on for a second while the chocolate sets. Place them carefully in the fridge to finish cooling.


Cut the bottom and sides off chocolate melting wafers.


Leave the top rounded.


Dip the flat end in the melted chocolate and attach like this.


Let the chocolate set up completely.


 Meanwhile, cut 3 Hot Tamales in to fourths (cut length-wise and then width-wise).


Also cut a stick of white gum into small strips (width-wise).


Put a dap of the melted chocolate onto one end of each gum strip and attach one Hot Tamale piece to each strip.


Use another dab of chocolate to attach the "flag" to the "mailbox".


You can add some "mail" by slicing some more gum into small rectangles of varying width and pushing them gently into the "mail-box", the caramel left inside holds them nicely. I also drizzled a bit of the icing over the top for a snowy look and added just a pinch of the sugar sprinkles for some sparkle. All that's left is to poke the peppermint stick into the cupcake. Now you know why that density was important, it holds the weight better.


I love them. They are seriously the cutest thing I've ever made


The sweetness is killing me. I'm not sure I can take it.



I feel like I just stepped into a mailman's nightmare.

"Aaaaaaaaa! Attack of the mailboxes"

 [Robotic voice] "You've got mail. You've got mail. You've got mail."

"Oh no! They are everywhere! They're going to get me! Help!"

Love,
Going Postal in NE

P.S. I gave one to our mailman for Christmas. I don't know what he thought, he didn't say. But it made me feel better for any impatience I've felt toward the US Postal service. I have a lot to atone for.

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Recipe Card:

12 Pound-cake Cupcakes
White Cream Cheese Frosting
Clear Sugar Sprinkles
1 Cup plus 12 Chocolate Melting Wafers, divided
12 Candy canes
12 Nestles Treasures Milk Chocolate Caramel Candies
3 Stick white chewing gum
3 Hot Tamale candies

Frost the cupcakes. Sprinkle the Sugar sprinkles over the cupcake tops. Cut ONE end off each Treasure. Remove the caramel filling. Melt one cup of Melting wafers. Break the curved end off the Candy canes. Attach the cane pieces to the bottom of each Treasure using the melted chocolate. Cut the bottom and sides off the twelve melting wafers. Attach to the mouth of the "mailbox" using the melted chocolate. Cut the Hot Tamales into fourths and one stick of gum into short narrow strips. Attach one Hot Tamale piece to the end of each gum piece with melted chocolate. Attach a "flag" to the side of each Treasures with the chocolate. Add a "mailbox" to each cupcake. Yield: 12 Cupcakes 

19 comments:

  1. YOU are way over the edge on having the creative gene. Those are just too cute!!!

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  2. Adorable! I wondered if you ate them all or if the lasted long enough for the mail man to arrive!

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  3. This was one fun/delicious project I got to witness and enjoy while you were here. Too bad your mailman did not react with the Ooohs and Ahhhs I would have predicted! And too bad our MailmanCraig never got his ....it must have got et, as I can not find the one we had hid in the freezer to save for him. I think you should print out a few pix of them and use them for darling fronts of Winter note cards. (I want some, hint hint)

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  4. WOW GIRL!!! My brain just does not think that way...I don't even know if creative is the right word to describe your talent. Awesome job!

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  5. So did you make the cupcakes? (versus buy them...) What did I hear you saying something about pound cake lately?

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  6. You mean they are the cutest things you've ever made BESIDES your children!! - Dee

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  7. Hey Rae!
    Thank you for letting Lan-the-man and I help with that...(and for letting me take pictures of you making them!) They look sooo scrum-dilly-umcious,hold on here a minute-they WERE scrum-dilly umcious!
    thanks for the recipe...I don't think that I helped MAKE the cupcake part, as in ,the dough.

    Thanks again for everythig!

    Kit-Kat
    P.S.I love you!

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  8. seriously CUTE.

    b

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  9. I HAVE to make these...they are too cute. And, the mailman's wife is my boss. Between your photography, and your creativity I think you should publish a book!
    Juli

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  10. You seriously invented those, Rae they are incredible. I agree, get those published.

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  11. Oh, my! You could win a prize for those! :-) Very cute and thanks for sharing the step-by-step for all of us who aren't so creative! :-)
    So, I'm wondering...did you eat them? :-)

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  12. oh wow! these are adorable! not to mention, they look delish!

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  13. These are so freaking cute!! What a great idea. :-)

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  14. YOU ARE A GENIUS!!
    coolest idea ever. ( get it.."cool"??) i'm sure you did.

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  15. Dear Readers,
    A huge thank you to Cakespy' for linking to this post today in her weekly 'Sweet links' list. Welcome to anyone who came here from there.

    To everyone else, thank you for your kind words about these cuties.

    Love,
    Rae

    p.s. The cupcakes were homemade, we ate them all (except 1 for my mailman), they tasted awesome, I'm gaining weight as we speak.

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  16. I forgot to comment on these, Rae, but you already know they are perfectly adorable so what more can I say? Love your creativity and patience at making all those tiny little cuts.

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  17. SO cute! You people who are overflowing with creativity need to share some with the rest of us! ;) (the creativity, not the cupcakes...although those look quite yummy!) :D

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Thank you for stopping by. Your comments make me smile.