Bot Cupcakes

Kids can practice their mighty math skills while helping bake Bot's cupcakes.

All new math-minded missions starting 2/4 @ 9:30am

Ingredients

• 12 vanilla cupcakes baked in foil liners
• 1 can (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
• 6 whole graham crackers
• 12 blue fruit chews, (Jolly Rancher fruit chews)
• Green and yellow food coloring
• 12 green fruit gummy rings, (Life Saver fruit chews)
• 12 orange spice drops
• 12 light-green licorice pastels
• 48 yellow and 24 brown mini candy-coated chocolates, (mini M&M's)
• 1 tube (4.25 oz.) brown decorating frosting

Supplies

• Bot cupcake template
• Resealable plastic bags
• Wire cooling rack

Directions

1. Step 1

   Tint 1 1/2 cups of the vanilla frosting light green--just mix the green and yellow food coloring. Spoon 3/4 cup of the light green frosting into a resealable bag. Next, tint 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting bright yellow and spoon into a resealable bag.

2. Step 2

   Heat the remaining 3/4 cup of light-green frosting in a shallow bowl in the microwave for 10 seconds, stir well. Continue to microwave at 5-second intervals, stirring well, until frosting is similar to the thickness of slightly whipped cream.

3. Step 3

   Dip the top of a cupcake in the melted frosting up to the foil liner. Allow the excess frosting to drip off. Invert and place on a wire cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

4. Step 4

   Heat the blue fruit chews in the microwave for no more than 3 seconds to soften. Press two fruit chews together and roll into a 2 1/2- by 1-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise. Continue with the remaining fruit chews to make 12 pieces. Cut the gummy rings in half to make 24 pieces.

5. Step 5

   Cut the graham crackers with a serrated knife using the Bot cupcake template to make 12 pieces. Spread some of the vanilla frosting on top of the graham crackers. Use the remaining vanilla frosting to attach the graham cracker on top of the cupcake, allow 1/3 of the narrow end to over hang the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and graham crackers.

6. Step 6

   Snip a small corner from each of the bags containing the yellow and green frosting. Pipe several lines of green frosting around the outside edge of the graham crackers. Place a strip of the blue fruit chew along the top edge of graham cracker. Pipe a yellow line on the inside of the green frosting. Place a yellow candy in each corner. Pipe the brown decorating frosting as the mouth over the blue fruit chew. Add the small chocolate candies as the eyes. Attach the gummy pieces, cut-side against the cupcake, using some of the green frosting to help secure the gummy pieces.

7. Step 7

   Cut the spice drops in half crosswise. Press the licorice pastel onto the flat end of one piece and the side of the round end at the other end of the licorice pastel. Attach at the top of the cupcake as the antennae. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

8. Play & Learn Together

   Practice early math with cupcake decorations! Try counting and sorting the candy ingredients with your child. Help your child count out each of the candy ingredients and then sort them into separate piles by color and then by ingredient. When it's time to add these ingredients, read aloud how many pieces will be needed and ask your child to count out and retrieve the ingredients from their piles.

Nurtition Facts

• Calories: 357
• Total Fat: 11g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 30mg
• Sodium: 98mg
• Total Carbs: 63g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 47g
• Protein: 2g