Favorite Ingredients Friday - Easter Edition

My kids are all teenagers now -- but each one of them still loves these cupcakes! I started making them about 10 years ago, maybe more? I originally made them first for my Sunday School class one Easter. I had a lot of fun! This would be a great recipe for kids to help with as well.

I normally just leave the frosting white and sprinkle the tinted coconut on top and add mini jelly beans or robins eggs. You can also make a handle by adding a red licorice. (the thin kind?)

While not very healthy -- this is a tradition around our house, plus they are easy to share with my little church friends.

Easter Nest Cupcakes with Speckled Easter Eggs

Ingredients:
• 1 or 2 boxes Plain white cake mix
• Ready made vanilla icing
• 1 cup Shredded coconut
• Green food coloring
• Food coloring (pastel colors)
• Easter muffin liners (optional)
• Jelly beans or robins eggs or M&M speckled Easter eggs(optional)
• String licorice (optional)

Directions: 1. Make up a batch (or two!!) of cupcakes; plain white cake mix is fine.
2. Take a tub of ready-made vanilla icing and divide into 4 or 5 parts. Leave one part white, and color the other icing potions in Easter-like pastel colors (pink, yellow, peach, lavender, etc)
3. Ice the cup cakes with various colors.
4. Put about a cup of shredded coconut into a small bowl. Add a few drops of green food coloring until a nice spring grass-like green color is obtained for the coconut. Sprinkle in a little bit of icing sugar and a few drops of water. (This will give the coconut mixture a 'stickiness' to it so it will set well on top of the cupcakes, and hold the mini-eggs).
5. Drop a teaspoonful or so of grass mixture onto each cupcake. Top each 'grass nest' with 2-3 M&M speckled Easter eggs (available in most grocery shops in the lead-up to Easter) or jelly beans.
6. Last of all take some string licorice to make handle of basket (insert into cupcake to form handle) they are colorful, fun and the kids love them!
7. Place in fridge which will allow the eggs to sit firmly into the nests.
8. Arrange on a platter covered in Easter basket 'hay'.

I tried to find an image -- but the closest I could find was this -- at least you can get an idea of the basket! (this cupcake looks kind of fun to make too!)

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Image courtesty of www.familyfun.com