Paw Print Puppy Cupcakes

After a few parties of experimentation, I can officially conclude that if you are only going to have one dessert at a kid’s birthday party, stick with cupcakes. They are easy to make (or buy at a bakery in a pinch), less messy than cake and their single serving size makes them perfect for little hands.

The best part about cupcakes is that you can make simple edible embellishments for the top to match any party theme.  For Little Bug’s party, we used a boxed mix for the cupcake and homemade cream cheese icing. I created these adorable paw print puppy cupcakes to add some sweet puppy themed fun to the party.

You Will Need:

Cupcakes
White frosting – I recommend this easy cream cheese icing
Peppermint patties
Chocolate chips

1. To make your paw print puppy cupcakes, first frost your cupcakes with white or vanilla frosting.

2. Add a peppermint patty to the center of the cupcake.

3. Press chocolate chips around the edges of the peppermint paddy to form a paw print.

Although I love creating decorations for parties (and cupcakes) from paper, I love the edible variety too. Less waste and much more tasty. The best part… I frosted and decorated these cupcakes within fifteen minutes of the party. It would have been even faster if I’d picked some up pre-frosted from the bakery.

We did get a surprise cupcake treat for Little Bug – a large sprinkled cupcake from her favorite cupcake bakery Crumbs. It was better than a slice of birthday cake! And, of course, we couldn’t celebrate turning two without an Elmo candle. Happy Birthday Little Bug!

Happy Celebrating,

Natalie