Treat a class full of budding paleontologists to a bunch of cupcakes topped with colossal brachiosaurus cookies and dinosaur eggs. The gingerbread cookie that adorns each cupcake is cut out with a large dinosaur-shaped cutter, then pressed onto a lollipop stick before it’s baked. (See Sources, page 342, for where to find the necessary tools.) You could also use any other animal or insect cookie cutters they come in all shapes and sizes), and omit the candy eggs.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 24
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Make gingerbread cookie cutouts, using a 5- to 7-inch dinosaur-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes, and placing a lollipop stick under each shape, in the center (press lightly to adhere), before chilling and baking as directed.
Step 2
Using gel-paste food colors, tint 1 cup buttercream pale orange, 1/2 cup deep orange, and the remaining pale brown. Transfer pale orange buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip (#7), and dark orange to a pastry bag fitted with another small plain tip (#3). Using an offset spatula, spread pale brown buttercream over each cupcake. Insert the stick of a cookie into each cupcake. Pipe small pale orange spikes along the top ridge of each dinosaur cookie (squeeze out a dot of frosting, then release while pulling up to end with a pointed peak), and pipe tiny deep orange spikes alongside, at the point where the larger ones meet. With a paring knife, cut “grass” from green gummy candy, with some spears longer than others. Arrange 3 candy eggs beside each dinosaur cookie, and stick a few pieces of candy grass in among the eggs. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes are best served the same day they are decorated; keep at room temperature.
