Butterfly Wings
24 cupcakes of your choice
2 cups dark or milk cocoa melting wafers
2 cups colored melting wafers
3 tablespoons white nonpareils
1 batch of frosting (or 1 16 oz can vanilla frosting)
3/4 cup dark chocolate frosting
72 chocolate chips or M&M's
Note: I used about 3/4 of the cream cheese frosting to frost the cupcakes. With the remaining frosting I added cocoa powder to make the chocolate frosting.
1- Trace enough butterfly wings for 24 butterflies onto parchment paper leaving a small space between the wings. I made some large and some small ones ( with the small ones I placed two butterflies on one cupcake). Also trace 24 antenna's on parchment paper then place the parchment on 2 or 3 cookie sheets, upside down (this is very important as tracing directly onto the right side will transfer the ink or pencil to the butterfly wings).
2- Place 1 cup of the dark cocoa and colored melting wafers into separate ziplock bags. Do no seal the bags. Microwave for 10 seconds to soften. Massage the wafers in the bags, return to the microwave, and repeat teh process until the candy is smooth, about 1 minute total. Press out the excess air and seal the bags.
3- Snip a 1/16-inch corner from each bag. Working on one wing at a time and using the melted cocoa, outline the template on wax paper. Go over the outline several times to thicken. Fill in the the colored melted candy. Tap the pan slightly to flatten. Using a round toothpick, pull the dark cocoa into the colored portion to create the wing design. While the candy is still liquid, sprinkle with nonpareils if desired. Repeat with the remaining melted candy, melting additional wafers as needed. Reheat the candy in the microwave for several seconds if it becomes too thick (be careful not to overheat). Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator until set, about 5 minutes. (Or just leave it out and it will still set up fairly quickly). Follow the same procedure to make the antennae, using the melted cocoa.
4- Frost the cupcakes as desired.
5- Carefully peel the chilled wings and antennae from the parchment paper. Place two M&M's or chocolate chips 1/2 inch apart, on the top of the cupcakes to form supports for the wings. Press the inside edge of a pair of wings into the frosting about 1/4 inch apart, allowing the wings to lean on the chocolate candies (some cupcakes can have 2 small butterflies). Gently press teh antenna into the frosting at the head of the butterfly.
6- Place the chocolate frosting into a ziplock bag, fitted with a tip if desired. Snip a 1/8 inch corner from the bag (not if you have a tip in place already). Starting at the antennae, pipe 4 or 5 beads of frosting down the length of the body, drawing the frosting into a small point on the last bead. Arrange teh cupcakes close together on a serving platter.
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