From HERSHEY’S

Makes about 30 cupcakes

These little love bug cupcakes are sweet way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Kid-friendly to make and feels like a kid to eat!

INGREDIENTS

HERSHEY’S RED VELVET CUPCAKES (recipe follows), or your favorite cupcake recipe

ROYAL ICING (recipe follows)

HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Hearts or REESE’S Peanut Butter Filled Hearts

JOLLY RANCHER Heart-Shaped Lollipops

1 can ready-to-spread vanilla frosting, or your favorite homemade frosting (about 16 oz.)

HERSHEY’S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates

DIRECTIONS

1.Prepare HERSHEY’S RED VELVET CUPCAKES (or favorite cupcake recipe); cool completely.

2.Prepare ROYAL ICING. Remove wrappers from desired number of chocolate hearts (faces) and lollipops (antennae and tails). Decorate chocolate hearts with facial features and draw hearts on lollipops. Allow frosting to harden. (If you want to change the design, wait until the icing has hardened, and then you can remove without damaging the surface of the heart.)

3.Frost the cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Assemble “Love Bugs” by placing “face” and “antennae” on each cupcake, or make a “Love Bug Caterpillar” by using one “Love Bug Cupcake” and adding desired number of frosted cupcakes to form body. Decorate caterpillar with alternating unwrapped HUGS and KISSES that form a stripe down the back of the caterpillar. Place additional lollipop on last cupcake to make the tail.

HERSHEY’S RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Makes about 30 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
2 tablespoons (one 1-oz. bottle) red food color
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon white vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1.Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups (2 1/2” in diameter) with paper or foil baking cups.

2.Beat butter and sugar in large bowl; add eggs and vanilla, beating well. Stir together buttermilk and food color. Stir together flour, cocoa, and salt; add alternately to butter mixture with buttermilk mixture, mixing well. Stir in baking soda and vinegar. Fill muffin cups about 1/2 full with batter.

3.Bake about 20 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost as desired.

ROYAL ICING

Makes about 1 cup icing

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons warm water

1 tablespoon pasteurized dried egg whites (meringue powder

DIRECTIONS

1.Stir together powdered sugar, warm water, and pasteurized dried egg whites (meringue powder). Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until spreadable. Add additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to get desired consistency.

2.Divide icing into small bowls for each color desired and tint with food colorings. Transfer icing to pastry bags with desired tip. Cover icings and tips of pastry bags with damp paper towels to keep icing from drying out. (Some icing garnishes may need a firmer icing to hold their shape. Stir in small amounts of additional powdered sugar to get the desired consistency).

*NOTE: To sour milk, use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.

Find this recipe and more holiday treats at hersheys.com