Sweet Treats: Cotton Candy Cupcakes

This past weekend I took the girls to see Disney on Ice: Princesses and Heroes.  Although I promised myself that I wouldn’t buy them any extra treats while we were there, it didn’t take long before we were in the concessions line for popcorn and cotton candy.  But as it turns out, the girls were so enamored with the show and so tired afterwards that the majority of their treats went uneaten.  Naturally, the popcorn couldn’t be salvaged, but I tucked the cotton candy bag into my purse and decided to bring it home.  Surely, the girls would want it the following day.

After the girls went to bed that night, I remembered that I had purchased a can of Frosting Creations with a few different flavor packets at the grocery store a few weeks earlier.  I knew I was going to make something with them, but I wasn’t sure what yet.   And sure enough, when I checked, I had picked up a Cotton Candy flavored packet.  So I decided to use an extra cake mix I had on hand, the Frosting Creations, and the left over cotton candy from the show to make a very sweet treat at home the next day!

For this recipe you will need:

1 box vanilla cake mix + ingredients required on the box (water, oil, eggs)
1 box instant vanilla pudding (4 oz size)
1 packet Frosting Creations Cotton Candy flavoring
1 can Frosting Creations starter
Sprinkles
Cotton candy for garnish

Step 1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place liners in cupcake pan.

Step 2 – Combine box mix, ingredients listed on the box, and box of instant pudding mix.  Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Spoon batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full.

Step 3 – Bake according to instructions on the box – be sure not to overcook.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Step 4 – Open the can of Frosting Creations starter and using a knife, create a hole in the middle of the frosting.  Pour the packet of cotton candy flavoring into the center of the Frosting Creations and stir until completely combined.

Step 5 –  Frost cupcakes, cover in sprinkles, and decorate with cotton candy.  Enjoy!

As expected, my girls went absolutely wild for these cupcakes.  They particularly loved the sprinkles and cotton candy, but when you serve them, make sure that you put the cotton candy on last.  I found that after about 30-45 minutes the frosting began to break down the cotton candy.  It tasted the same, but didn’t look as pretty.  And trust me, they tasted pretty darn delicious…even to me, who might have sampled more than one!