The Keeper of the Cheerios

Valentines Day Bear Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake Ingredients
1 box of French Vanilla cake mix
1 C Whole milk
1/2 C unsalted sweet cream buttersoftened
3 large eggs
V-day cupcake liners
Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:
1C unsalted sweet cream buttersoftened
3 1/2C powder sugar
1/2C cocoa
2tsp vanilla
3-5TBSP heavy whipping cream
1 disposable piping bag fitted with star tip
Reese bear Ingredients:
21 regular size Reese peanut butter cupsunwrapped
1 package of small edible eyes
2 8oz bag of Ghirardelli chocolate wafersset aside 42 for the ears
1 bag of pink wilton candy melts
21 brown M&M’s
1 mini circle fondant cutter
1 container of Nerdy Nummy heart sprinkles
1 disposable piping bag

Instructions

Cupcake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners
Using a standing or a hand mixer, beat together all cupcake ingredients until combined
Scoop cupcake batter into liners, filling about 3/4 way full and bake in the oven for 21 minutes
Allow to cool completely
Chocolate Frosting Directions
Using a standing mixer, beat together the butter, powder sugar, cocoa, vanilla and heavy whipping cream until combined and stiff with peaks
Scoop the frosting into the piping bag and set aside
Bear Directions
Remove 42 chocolate wafers from the Ghirardelli bags and place onto a cutting board.
Using a microwave safe bowl, melt 1 cup of the chocolate wafers in increments of 30 seconds, mixing after each time until melted and smooth
Scoop into the piping bag and set aside
Place one unwrapped Reese peanut butter cup onto the cutting board
Cut the tip off the piping bag and pipe a small dollop of chocolate onto the lower center of the peanut butter cup
Place a pink wafer onto the chocolate dollop. This is the mouth and nose of the bear
Pipe two dollops of chocolate above the pink wafer for the eyes
Place two eyes onto the two chocolate dollops
Pipe a small dollop of chocolate onto the “M” side of the “M&M” and then place onto the center of the pink wafer
Using the small round fondant cut out a half shaped moon out of the bottom of the chocolate wafers.
Pipe a line of chocolate onto the cut part of the chocolate wafer
Place the chocolate wafer onto the upper left and right corner of the peanut butter cup for the ears
Repeat steps with remaining Reese cups
Allow to dry for 10 minutes
While the bears are drying, pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcakes
Once the 10 minutes is up, carefully place the bears onto the middle of the frosting and lightly push down into the frosting.
Enjoy!