Valentine's Day Dessert Event - Day 2

I hope everyone enjoyed the first day of the Valentine's Day Dessert Event! (In case you missed it, you can find it here.) It's already day 2, and I'm going to share something quick, easy, and kid-friendly! Even better? DELICIOUS!

Ice cream cone cupcakes are just that... cupcakes baked right inside an ice cream cone! I don't remember where I first saw this idea, but I know it was on a baking blog during the summer. I actually tried it first on the 4th of July when I was 9 months pregnant and they were a huge success. I couldn't wait to try again and put a Valentine's Day spin on them!

What I especially love about this recipe is how easy it is! You can make any flavor you like and decorate them for any occasion! I used boxed funfetti mix this time because I had 2 boys under 3 years old and I wanted something quick. Of course you can use your favorite cupcake recipe if you would like to make it from scratch, it's totally up to you!


You will need:

• 24 ice cream cones
  1 box of your favorite cake/cupcake mix (& ingredients the recipe calls for)
• 2 cans of frosting
• Sprinkles and food coloring (if desired)

First, pre-heat your oven according to the package instructions. Then you're going to place ice cream cones so they are standing up in your muffin tin.

Then it's time to mix! Follow the instructions on the box and mix all ingredients together. This is so easy a 3 year old can do it. No, really, I had a 3 year old helping me...

Once your batter is ready you're going to fill your ice cream cones up to the first line on the ice cream cone. DO NOT OVER FILL. I did this the first time and it resulted in a cupcake explosion (which is yummy, but really a waste of time!).

Bake according to the package instructions, but keep your eye on them because they might be done slightly earlier. When they are ready to come out they should look like this.

Now it's time to frost! Let me just start by saying I CANNOT PIPE FOR THE LIFE OF ME. No, like REALLY. I've probably purchased 10 different decorating/piping kits and I've thrown them all away in frustration. If you are anything like me then you can use the old stand-by: a ziplock bag with the corner tip cut off. If you have piping skills, more power to ya sista!

You're going to pipe the frosting on, going around the top of the cupcake in a circular motion just like an ice cream cone. Your tip should be pretty large for this otherwise it will take forever. You can add food coloring to your frosting (I made some of mine pink) and then top with any and all kinds of sprinkles!

After you've decorated to your heart's desire, guess what? You are all done! Congratulations, you have made the cutest and easiest Valentine treats EVER. Kids love these because they look just like ice cream cones but they are cupcakes which is obviously WAY better.

Enjoy! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for our last dessert idea! It's a good one, I promise!