PEEPS® Nest Cupcakes for Easter
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I can’t believe Easter is almost here. I’m not ready! I know that’s pretty ridiculous because I’m not hosting Easter here at my house but I really feel like it snuck up on me this year. Whenever I think of Easter I think of my mom’s birthday and I certainly haven’t found anything to buy her yet this year. What do you get the woman who has everything she wants? I have no idea. The only thing I have for her so far are PEEPS®. She loves them so I got her a huge package of them this year for her birthday.
First thing I wanted to do was to make a fun Easter dessert that could double as a birthday cake or cupcake for my mom and I turned back to the PEEPS®. I wanted to make a cute cupcake but didn’t know how I wanted to make it. I started with a vanilla cupcake batter but before I poured the batter into the muffin tin I decided it needed some color. I dyed the cupcake batter half blue and half pink. It looked so much better with those bright colors.
While the cupcakes baked I worked on a decorating scheme. I wanted to put the PEEPS® on top but I needed something for them to sit on. After a lot of thinking I determined I wanted them to be sitting on a birds nest complete with eggs. Easier said then done.
I whipped up a batch of vanilla buttercream frosting and colored it brown. You can just as easily make chocolate frosting but I gave up chocolate for Lent and my brother can’t eat chocolate so I usually try to make at least one non-chocolate dessert for family holidays. I spread a thin layer of frosting on top of each cooled cupcake then used a small tip to pipe on a “nest”. I put a few chocolate eggs in the nest and set the PEEPS® chicks on top.
The cupcakes were totally adorable! I loved the little nest with the eggs inside and the PEEPS® on top. Plus, it’s a surprise biting into them and seeing the bright pink and blue colors. They are totally perfect for the Easter holiday.
PEEPS® Nest Cupcakes for Easter
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 1/4 c. flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 c. butter softened
- 2/3 c. sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 c. milk
- blue and pink food coloring
For the Frosting:
- 1 c. 2 sticks butter, softened
- 3-4 c. powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
- brown food coloring
For decoration:
- 1 bag chocolate eggs
- 12 PEEPS® chicks in assorted colored
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. I used half blue and half pink to match the cupcakes.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add in half the flour mixture and stir well. Mix in the milk and stir until combined. Stir in the remaining flour mixture.
- Divide the batter into two bowls. Color one pin and the other blue.
- Pour into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, beat the butter in a large bowl. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Stir in the vanilla and milk and beat until smooth.
- Add in brown food coloring.
- Place a thin layer of brown frosting on top of each cupcake. Place remaining frosting in a piping bag with a small tip. Pipe it on in a circle, making a nest. Fill each nest with 3 chocolate eggs.
- Top with a PEEPS® chick.
Notes
These are absolutely adorable. My son would love them!
These are TOO cute! I love how simple they seem too. Definitely storing this away for next Easter.
The little nest and eggs are so cute! Have a great Easter Heather!
Those Easter cupcakes look too good to eat! You did such an awesome job decorating them. Peeps are definitely more enjoyable served this way. 🙂
Thank you!
These are so stinking adorable! I love how you swirled the two shades together for a cool effect.
oh wow these look absolutely delicious and I am sure your mum will love them. I too know what you mean about easter snicking up on you, I can not believe it at all, it feels like yesterday I was celebrating first of January 2015
It is so many things you can do with cupcakes! Your cupcakes look so delicious and scrumptious! My girls love making cupcakes so I will past this recipe on to them and see if they can make theirs look like the one in the pictures. Thanks for sharing!
These are adorable! I personally can’t stand Peeps, but I love how creative people get with them. I didn’t even notice the nest part until you explained it, but I think it’s perfect! Fun Easter treats.
Those are cute! We recently made cupcakes for my toddler’s preschool and he had a ball helping. But we kept it a bit simpler,… just sprinkles on top. I’m not sure these fancy cupcakes would have lasted long though… his classmates would have inhaled them 🙂
These Peeps Nest Cupcakes are so cute and perfect for Easter. I will plant to make these with my son later this week. Thanks so much for this easy recipe.
What cute cupcakes! I love the idea of the nest. Although, we don’t eat peeps so would have to find an alternative. Still a great concept though. Will definitely look into making these. Thanks so much for sharing.
I love the nest cupcakes! What a clever idea. I have really been in a baking mood this week and I love cupcakes – so I may need to add this to my 3-day weekend to do list. Thanks for sharing, Heather!
Those came out so adorable! I love how you put the little eggs under the Peeps, such a nice surprise! My son loves Peeps, he eats the different types for every season. He doesn’t remember a world where you could only get them at Easter. Love those cupcake liners, too! So pretty, yet not overly pastel.
Awh, these cupcakes are just adorable! I love that they have bright pink or blue sponge on the inside and the little birds on top are just too sweet. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe 🙂