Cookie Cutter Cupcakes

Every night when I open the freezer, I glance at a bag of leftover plain cupcakes and tell myself I've got to make use of those before they are covered with perma-frost.

To my kids, cupcakes are a treat no matter what's on top of them. But to me, their bare little tops scream out, "Decorate me!" And that takes supply-gathering and time, both of which I'm short on these days. And so they sit and shiver.

Until today. It started with Ellie rifling through a cabinet in search of a water bottle. Instead of the bottle, she spied our bin of cookie cutters and hauled them up onto the kitchen counter. Like a heap of magnets, they pulled Caitlin and Natalie in for a closer look. After they each had found their favorites, surprise, they wanted to make sugar cookies.

With a glance at the clock, I knew that wasn't going to happen, but then I remembered the cupcakes and had an idea. We had just enough confectioner's sugar to make a small batch of frosting, which the girls slathered on liberally.

Then they stuck a small cookie cutter on top of each cupcake, and dusted sanding sugar either inside or outside (or in Talie's case, all over) the form. Some of our smaller cookie cutters rarely get used. After all, who wants a one-inch heart cookie when you can make a four-inch one? But here they came in quite handy.

Without much effort, the cupcakes were quickly dressed up with glittery bunnies, stars, hearts — even a dog bone. And with even less effort, they vanished after dinner.