Sesame Street Characters Cupcake Tutorial

I've posted a detailed 4 part series on how to make the Sesame Street Character Cupcakes that I made for my nephew's 1st birthday party, but thought it might be a good idea to post a condensed version here, to make it easier for someone doing all four characters - Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar and Big Bird (for the detailed version, click on the preceding links).  Once again, thank you to Emma (11 yrs old) for helping me with the facial features on Elmo, Cookie Monster and Oscar, and Sophia (9 yrs old) for being my tutorial photographer.

Supplies Needed
cupcakes: my Hershey's awesome chocolate cake recipe here
icing: delicious icing recipe here (I use a little bit of cream cheese to cut the sweetness)
Wilton no taste food colouring - red, yellow, blue, green
white chocolate wafers (candy melts) - two per cupcake
chocolate icing for pupils
light blue icing (small amount)
light pink icing (small amount)
chocolate chips
orange peanut M&Ms
Oreo cookies
mini chocolate chip cookies - one for each Cookie Monster
marshmallows - one per Big Bird cupcake
red fruit roll up
star tip
leaf tip (optional but awesome for Big Bird's feathers)
round tip
icing bags (make your own like I do - see tutorial here)

Elmo Decorating Instructions

Pipe red icing onto the cupcake using a star tip.  

Break apart some Oreo cookies, remove the icing (eat it!) and split them in half. One Oreo goes a long way - in case math isn't your strong suit, one Oreo makes 4 smiles! Place the Oreo smile near the bottom of the cupcake.

Add two white chocolate wafers (sometimes also called candy melts) which are basically pieces of white chocolate that look like Elmo eyes. Place them protruding slightly off the top and make sure they're touching.

Using a small round tip, pipe chocolate icing on Elmo's eyes - for the most realistic eyes, make sure to pipe the pupils in the centre and slightly cross-eyed. 

 Then place an orange peanut M&M in between the eyes. If you have peanut allergies, other options would be orange jelly beans or other orange coloured candies. And yes, I totally picked through our local grocery store's bulk bin section, only taking the orange ones!

And voila!  Elmo!

 Cookie Monster Decorating Instructions

Pipe blue icing onto the cupcake using a star tip.

Place white chocolate wafers (candy melts) at the top of Cookie Monster's head 

Then shove a mini chocolate chip cookie into Cookie Monster's "mouth area". 

Using a round tip, pipe chocolate icing onto the white chocolate wafers, making sure the pupil is at the bottom right "corner" for the left eye, and the top left "corner" for the right eye.

And voila! Cookie Monster!

Oscar the Grouch Decorating Instructions

Pipe green icing onto the cupcake using a star tip.

Break apart the Oreos, scrape off (and eat!) the icing, break the Oreos in half and shove the cookie right into Oscar's mouth area. You want him to look like he's grimacing, not smiling! I tried the upside down smile-turned-frown, but that just looked weird. We did this and it worked for me! 

 Also put the white chocolate wafers (aka candy melts) on for his eyes. Oscar's eyes are not on the top of his head like Elmo and Cookie Monster, so make sure to put them lower down, and make sure they are not touching each other. Perfectionist, anyone?! 

I wasn't sure I'd have enough chocolate icing left to use for Oscar's unibrow, but Emma came up with a fantastic idea - use upside down mini chocolate chips! Stagger them close together to get that accurate bushy unibrow. 

Pipe chocolate icing for the pupils - centred and not as cross-eyed as Elmo's. 

And voila! Oscar the Grouch!

Big Bird Decorating Instructions

Note:  Big Bird takes forever!  Consider yourself warned.

Now, technically you could just pipe yellow icing on top of the cupcake like we did with the other characters, but not if you're wanting realistic looking feathers!

So, first start by taking a large marshmallow and cutting a triangle off one end to make the beak shape.  I also ended up trimming the bottom off slightly because it looked too tall.  This also had the added benefit of exposing the sticky inside of the marshmallow, helping it to stick to the cupcake.  You could also make it stick by applying icing in between the marshmallow and the cupcake, but I found that this was sufficient. Make sure to place the beak near the bottom of the cupcake to leave room for the eyes and for the proportions to look right.

Next, take some red fruit roll up (Fruit by the Foot) and put it on the inside of the marshmallow beak, trimming it to the right shape.  I found I had to take the marshmallow off to do this well, but you  might be able to do it with it on.
Next, slather some yellow icing on the outside of the beak and smooth it out as best you can with a knife dipped in warm water.
Using a leaf tip, pipe yellow icing on the cupcake in layers, starting with the outside and working your way in. Totally looks like feathers!!
Place the white chocolate wafers (aka candy melts) on top of the beak and have them slightly separated.  Then, using a round tip, pipe light blue icing as the lower eyelid, light pink icing as the upper eyelid (both directly on top of the white chocolate wafer) and chocolate as the pupils, near the bottom of the eye and very slightly cross eyed.
And voila!  Big Bird!

With that, may I present to you the Sesame Street Character Cupcakes - Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird!

Big Bird: Sesame Street Characters Cupcake Tutorial - finale!

Yes, I saved the best for last.  Or rather, the worst.  By far the worst.  You have no idea.  Well, you will if you try this.  Big Bird was almost the death of me.  Actually, scrap that.  I almost killed Big Bird.

Hey, nobody said this was a kid-friendly post.

Either way, yes, this is the finale to my Sesame Street Character Cupcake Tutorial.  So far we've done Elmo, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch.  All three of these characters were fairly simple and followed the same basic steps - star piped icing and awesome candy facial features.  But with Big Bird, we're moving into different territory.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  Big Bird took me longer than Elmo, Cookie Monster and Oscar put together.

That being said - here goes!

For Big Bird you will need....
cupcakes (see subtle hint recipe here)
one large marshmallow per cupcake
red fruit roll up
icing coloured with Wilton's no taste yellow food colouring
two white chocolate wafers (aka candy melts) per cupcake
light blue icing (small amount)
light pink icing (small amount)
chocolate icing (small amount)
leaf tip

Now, technically you could just pipe yellow icing on top of the cupcake like we did with the other characters, but not if you're wanting realistic looking feathers!

So, first start by taking a large marshmallow and cutting a triangle off one end to make the beak shape.  I also ended up trimming the bottom off slightly because it looked too tall.  This also had the added benefit of exposing the sticky inside of the marshmallow, helping it to stick to the cupcake.  You could also make it stick by applying icing in between the marshmallow and the cupcake, but I found that this was sufficient. Make sure to place the beak near the bottom of the cupcake to leave room for the eyes and for the proportions to look right.

Next, take some red fruit roll up (Fruit by the Foot) and put it on the inside of the marshmallow beak, trimming it to the right shape.  I found I had to take the marshmallow off to do this well, but you  might be able to do it with it on.

Next, slather some yellow icing on the outside of the beak and smooth it out as best you can with a knife dipped in warm water.

Using a leaf tip, pipe yellow icing on the cupcake in layers, starting with the outside and working your way in.

Totally looks like feathers!!

Place the white chocolate wafers (aka candy melts) on top of the beak and have them slightly separated.  Then, using a round tip, pipe light blue icing as the lower eyelid, light pink icing as the upper eyelid (both directly on top of the white chocolate wafer) and chocolate as the pupils, near the bottom of the eye and very slightly cross eyed.

After about 3 1/2 hrs of work, don't they look fantastic?!

And here are all four characters displayed together at the party (my brother made the tiered cupcake holder).

 Aren't they adorable?!

And, other than Big Bird, they're actually surprisingly easy to make!

DIY Ziplock Icing Bag Tutorial

I used to have a reusable icing/pastry bag, but the hole at the tip wore out so much the shaped tips slid out too much and icing oozed out the sides.  Not exactly conducive to decorating with any sort of detail.  I found a rather inexpensive set at the local grocery store and figured it was worth a try.  Yeah, not so much.  So, there I was, about to decorate 60+ cupcakes with no icing bag.  

Insert panic mode here.

So, I improvised, and it worked like a charm!  So, here are instructions on how to make your own icing decorating bag out of a large zip lock bag.

First reinforce the two sides with tape to prevent the seems from splitting as you squeeze out the icing. Do not skip this step.  If you do, make sure you decorate cupcakes with said faulty icing bag out of earshot of any impressionable children.  Or be prepared to have a tongue that hurts from biting it shut. Your choice. 

Trust me.  Your bag will split.  Icing will be everywhere.  Ask me how I know. 

Thankfully I already learned that lesson previously, so no extra panic was added to this particular venture.

If all you need is a round tip, simply snip the corner tip off to size.  

If you're needing a shaped tip, you can try cutting that yourself (ha, ha, ha) or simply snip the corner off (make sure the tape goes all the way to the snipped portion), large enough to insert the coupler.  Attach the pastry tip you've chosen to the pastry coupler and tighten the coupler ring over the tip, just like you would when using a "real" decorating bag.  As an extra precaution to avoid oozing icing and sore tongues, tape the outside of these joints well.

Fill your pastry bag with icing and you're ready to roll!

Not Me Monday

This didn't happen today, but I've been thinking for awhile that I should do another of those "Not Me Monday" posts, so here goes.

I did not drive my daughter to the wrong house for a birthday party.  Not me.  Especially because I've been to this particular house several times before and would obviously recognize it.

And I certainly didn't knock on the wrong house and stand impatiently waiting as no one answered.

And I didn't go back to the van trying to remember this friend's phone number because I wouldn't have left the invitation sitting on the kitchen counter at home - because I've been to this house and did not need directions.

Therefore, I did not have to drive back to my house to get the phone number.  Not me.  And I didn't phone up the friend and ask them why they weren't answering the door when we came to the party.

I didn't drive back, to the wrong again, because that would be ludicrous!  I didn't doublecheck the street (bay!) address and even though I couldn't see the house number I didn't assume it was the right one - because we all know what assume means.

I didn't march back up the driveway and ring the doorbell and knock again on the wrong house, even after noticing that I thought it was odd that they had removed their neat school bus shaped garbage bin holder from the end of their driveway.  Not me.  I have a firm grasp of the obvious and would never put two and two together to make 5.

I didn't have to try to mask my growing irritation as I asked my daughter how much she really wanted to go to this birthday party.  Not me!  I'm the epitome of patience and grace, always.

I didn't call the parents back again to tell them politely but stiffly that they still weren't answering the door.  To which I obviously would not have heard them tell me that I was at the wrong house and the dad was on his way to direct me to the right one...... on the other end of the bay.

No, not me.

I didn't watch in horror as said dad's van pulled in behind me while still on the phone, and therefore did not meekly have to follow him to his house, that I've been to numerous times.  Not me.

I didn't have to apologize profusely and wonder at my own idiocy, not me.

And I certainly was not annoyed at myself for wasting 1/2 an hour of an incredibly busy day driving my daughter to a party that was only a 2 minute drive away.  Nope, not me.

Oscar the Grouch: Sesame Street Characters Cupcake Tutorial

Welcome back to my four part series: Sesame Street Character Cupcake Tutorial. So far we've covered Elmo and Cookie Monster.  Today?  Oscar the Grouch!

Once again, begin by baking awesome cupcakes using my Hershey's awesome cake/cupcake recipe.  Yes, I am going to beat this to death and mention it in every post.  It's that good. 

For Oscar, you will need....
cupcakes (see above recipe hint)
icing coloured with Wilton's no taste green food colouring
2 white chocolate wafers (aka candy melts) per cupcake
Oreo cookies
chocolate icing
mini chocolate chips or more chocolate icing

Using Wilton's no taste green food colouring, pipe Oscar's fur onto the cupcake using a star tip.

Break apart the Oreos, scrape off (and eat!) the icing, break the Oreos in half and shove the cookie right into Oscar's mouth area.  You want him to look like he's grimacing, not smiling!  I tried the upside down smile-turned-frown, but that just looked weird.  We did this and it worked for me!  Also put the white chocolate wafers (aka candy melts) on for his eyes.  Oscar's eyes are not on the top of his head like Elmo and Cookie Monster, so make sure to put them lower down, and make sure they are not touching each other.  Perfectionist, anyone?!

I wasn't sure I'd have enough chocolate icing left to use for Oscar's unibrow, but Emma came up with a fantastic idea - use upside down mini chocolate chips!  Stagger them close together to get that accurate bushy unibrow.

Pipe chocolate icing for the pupils - centred and not as cross-eyed as Elmo's.

And voila!  Oscar the Grouch!

Stay tuned for the Sesame Street Characters Cupcake Tutorial finale - Big Bird.  By far the most difficult character to create.  Seriously y'all, I almost killed him. (And yes, that was a fake Texas accent.  Y'all know I'm from the Great White North!)

Book Review: One Call Away by Brenda Warner

About the Book: Brenda’s life has taken twists and turns that are stranger than fiction. It always seemed as if she was just one phone call away from the next explosive change. Each time her plans fell apart, she had a choice: would she give up, or would she press forward and learn from the unexpected? One Call Away is the inspiring story of a woman who has prevailed through many of the circumstances that discourage women: tragedy, poverty, betrayal, and humiliation. But unlike most women, her life has been on display in the media.

Brenda’s faith and God’s strength enable her to face challenge after challenge: an accident that leaves her son blind and brain damaged, a crumbling marriage, a tornado that kills her parents, a new relationship with promising football player Kurt Warner, and the pressures his sudden success brings to their growing family.

Through food stamps and funerals, Super Bowls and serving others, Brenda’s strength is unwavering. Her determination to dream new dreams, willingness to learn from her mistakes, and commitment to giving back to her community make her a role model for women of all backgrounds.

Her dreams haven’t materialized as she had imagined, but Brenda has found that God has a much bigger plan for her. Conversational and candid, One Call Away invites readers facing their own difficulties to trust God and discover hope in the future.

My Thoughts:  I like football (though I do prefer the CFL over the NFL, eh) and I like autobiographies, so this book was very appealing to me from the get go, and I was not disappointed.

I was captivated by Brenda's incredible story and how she did not allow her circumstances to crumble the tenacity of her faith.  I love how candid she is about her mistakes, and the way she faced adversity head-on.  She seems like such a down to earth woman that anyone would be proud to call friend.

I did find that throughout the book I had some questions that were not answered, but overall, I really enjoyed this look into the life of someone who is much more than just another rags to riches gal.

Thank you to the Booksneeze program for providing me with my complimentary review copy of this book.

Cookie Monster: Sesame Street Characters Cupcake Tutorial

Welcome back to my four part series: Sesame Street Character Cupcake Tutorial.  Yesterday featured Elmo and today I bring you - Cookie Monster!

For Cookie Monster you will need....

my Hershey's awesome cake/cupcake recipe
Wilton's blue no taste food colouring
2 white chocolate wafers (aka candy melts) per cupcake
brown icing for pupils
mini chocolate chip cookies

Using Wilton's blue no taste food colouring, pipe your Cookie Monster blue icing onto those delicious cupcakes using a star tip.

Place white chocolate wafers (candy melts) at the top of Cookie Monster's head (nicely done Emma!)

Then shove a mini chocolate chip cookie into Cookie Monster's "mouth area".

Using a round tip, pipe chocolate icing onto the white chocolate wafers, making sure the pupil is at the bottom right "corner" for the left eye, and the top left "corner" for the right eye.

And voila!  Cookie Monster!

Stay tuned for Oscar the Grouch tomorrow!

One thing I may have forgotten to mention.  This food colouring may be no taste, but it's definitely not no stain!

Book Review: The Haven by Suzanne Woods Fisher

About the book:  When Sadie Lapp steps off the bus in Stoney Ridge after being in Ohio for the winter, she is faced with a decision–one that goes against her very essence. Yet it’s the only way she can think of to protect a loved one.

Schoolteacher Gideon Smucker has been crazy about Sadie since boyhood. But his response to her surprising decision undermines his own reputation–and his relationship with Sadie.

College student Will Stoltz is spending the spring at the Lapp farm as a guard for a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons–courtesy of the Lancaster County Game Warden. Will needs to get his life back on track, but his growing friendship with Sadie threatens his plans.

The lives of these three individuals intertwine, and then unravel as unexpected twists create ripples through the town of Stoney Ridge . . . and through Sadie’s heart.

Once again, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher intrigues and delights with a story that explores the bonds of friendship, family, and true love. Readers will enjoy every surprise in Sadie’s story as they search for the truth hidden within these pages.

My Thoughts:  I've really come to enjoy reading these works of Amish fiction by Fisher and this book hit the mark once again.

One thing I love about this book was how realistic it is about the realities of some very common character flaws.  Pride, assumptions and jumping to conclusions, usually caused by our self-absorption, is something I'm fairly sure has happened to all of us at one time or another (and another!).  While reading, it was easy to have the gift of "omniscience" when it came to the storyline, and because of that these assumptions were somewhat humourous and, it would be easy to think, ridiculous.  Until you compare it to your own similar failings and realize it's far too human than we'd sometimes like to admit.

Thanks, Fisher, for that little toe tromping!

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.

Elmo: Sesame Street Cupcake Tutorial

Just over a week ago, I made Sesame Street Character Cupcakes (Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar and Big Bird) for my youngest nephew's 1st birthday party.  And they turned out amazingly well, if I do say so myself.  (No false modesty here!! Ha ha)

Wanna know how to make 'em?  Then you've come to the right place!

Welcome to my four part series - the Sesame Street Cupcake Tutorial.  I got my inspiration for these cupcakes from these two blogs, but I made several changes.  The biggest thing was that I didn't use fondant for anything.  I've never actually tried it, but I've heard that it doesn't taste great - and, call me crazy, but what good are cupcakes that don't taste great?!

Yeah, my thoughts exactly.  So, no fondant.  But never fear, equally impressive facial features were found that still taste good!

I should also give some credit to my two helpers, Emma and Sophia.  Emma helped me do the facial features for Elmo, Cookie Monster and Oscar, while Sophia was my tutorial photographer - thanks girls!

Today we'll begin with lovable Elmo!

To make Elmo, you will need....
cupcakes
icing coloured with Wilton's red no taste food colouring
2 white chocolate wafers (aka candy melts) per cupcake
Oreo cookies
chocolate icing for pupils
orange peanut M&M's

First step - bake awesome cupcakes using my awesome cake/cupcake recipe.  Ok, it's not actually mine, it's Hershey's, but it's the one I use.  And it's awesome.  Seriously, you need to use it. Best. chocolate. cake. recipe. ever.

Note: I used Wilton no taste food colourings for all these awesomely bright colours - I found them at Walmart and was very impressed with them - particularly that normally oh-so-difficult red.

Pipe red icing on the cupcake using a star tip.  

At first I was disappointed that my icing wasn't a bit more firm, but then decided that it actually looked shaggier and more "realistic" this way!

Now, for the fun part - decorating Elmo's face!  Break apart some Oreo cookies, remove the icing and split them in half.  One Oreo goes a long way - in case math isn't your strong suit, one Oreo makes 4 smiles!  Add two white chocolate wafers (sometimes also called candy melts) which are basically pieces of white chocolate that look like Elmo eyes.

Using a small round tip, pipe chocolate icing on Elmo's eyes - for the most realistic eyes, make sure to pipe the pupils in the centre and slightly cross-eyed.  Then place an orange peanut M&M in between the eyes.  If you have peanut allergies, other options would be orange jelly beans or other orange coloured candies.  And yes, I totally picked through our local grocery store's bulk bin section, only taking the orange ones!

And, voila!  Elmo!

Once you have all your supplies ready to go, Elmo is actually pretty easy.  Try it, you'll see!

Book Review: The Choice by Robert Whitlow

About the Book:  One young woman. Two very different roads. The choice will change everything.

Even as a pregnant, unwed teen in 1974, Sandy Lincoln wanted to do the right thing. But when an ageless woman approached her in a convenience store with a mysterious prophecy and a warning, doing the right thing became even more unclear. She made the best choice she could . . . and has lived with the consequences.

More than thirty years later, a pregnant teen has come into her life, and Sandy’s long-ago decision has come back to haunt her. The stakes rise quickly, leaving Sandy with split seconds to choose once more. But will her choice decision bring life . . . or death?

My Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I think I've enjoyed every book by Robert Whitlow that I've read and this was certainly no exception.

One thing I was quite surprised at was how well Whitlow (a man) could write from a female perspective, in fact, several different female perspectives, especially when it came to something as personal as this topic.  The write up on the book makes it very unclear what the girls' choices are, so I'll also leave it unclear, but it certainly made me read faster and faster to discover what happened.

The book is divided into two sections and I'd be hard pressed to say which one I liked better.

This is a fantastic read!

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.

Book Review: Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble

About the Book:  Welcome to Hope Beach. A place of intoxicating beauty . . . where trouble hits with the force of a hurricane.

Inheriting a beautiful old hotel on the Outer Banks could be a dream come true for Libby. The inn cries out for her restorer’s talent and love of history. She’s delighted to learn of the family she never knew she had. And the handsome Coast Guard lieutenant she’s met there on the island could definitely be the man of her dreams.

But Libby soon realizes that the only way she can afford the upkeep on the inn is to sell it to developers who are stalking the island. The father who willed her the inn has died before she could meet him, and her newfound brother and sister are convinced she’s there to steal their birthright. Worst of all, her best friend and business partner has been kidnapped before her eyes, and Libby’s under suspicion for the crime.

Libby’s dream come true is becoming a nightmare. Her only option is to find her friend and prove her innocence, or lose everything on the shores of Hope Island.

My Thoughts: I've enjoyed reading several books by Colleen Coble and this one did not disappoint.  I couldn't put it down.  Literally.  I read it in one sitting.  And stayed up way too late in the process.

Coble's ability to describe the scenic setting without being too wordy or flowery makes you feel like you're right there with the characters.  The storyline is interesting on several different levels and keeps the novel moving quickly without becoming overwhelming.  The characters are very realistic and believable - especially the reactions of Libby and her newfound brother and sister to the fact that the other even existed. 

Definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.