How to make super easy, adorable panda cupcakes.

Why hello Ms. Cutie-Patootie Panda.

      

I made these for a friend’s twin girls who were graduating from kindergarten. Their class mascot was a panda… how about some panda cupcakes to celebrate!

These were really easy to make. With that said - I've included a few tips how to make them way more complicated than necessary because that's how I roll. Why make them easily when you can make them the OCD way?

Go get your cupcake pans and let's get started. What you'll need:

Pandas

• Cupcakes (I like to use brown cupcake liners)
• White frosting (I used 1 tub of frosting per 2 dozen cupcakes)
• Chocolate frosting (just need a little bit for the mouths)
• Mini oreo cookies
• Junior Mints
• 1/4" White And Black Icing Eyes (or white frosting and brown mini M&Ms)
• Icing flowers (or color frosting your favorite color and use a star tip)

• ***OCD item*** mushroom brush

Bamboo

• Green frosting (I like Americolor gel colors - this was a blend of Leaf Green & Electric Green)
• Wilton Grass Tip #233
• Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes

 

That sounds like a lot but let's get started because I'm serious they're really easy. Here we go:

Voila!!! Wasn’t that easy? If you’d like to add a flower you can just add a little white frosting to the back of the flower and press on.

For the bamboo cupcakes – use the green frosting with the grass tip to create the grassy base.

 

(doesn’t that look super cool??!)

Press in your varied lengths of pirouette cookies then cover the bases with more grass. Add leaves if you’re feeling frisky.

 

 

Couple of tips:

- “Mise en place” works for decorating cupcakes as well as cooking. Have all of your toppings ready to go in little bowls and everything within reach so you can decorate while the frosting is still “wet” and everything will stick. The actual decorating will be quick and easy this way.

- ***OCD Tip*** If you’ve ever eaten mini oreo cookies, you know that they are particularly crumbly. Well all those crumbs can mess up your clean white frosting face so I separated all the cookie sandwiches, scraped off the filling and brushed off the crumbs from each and every one.

  

 

Yes – it actually made a difference. It kept those cute faces nice and clean with no stray crumbs.

Look at all those crumbs!!! Sweetboy makes fun of me for my OCD tendencies but I tell you what – it’s all about the details sometimes and this was one of those times.

These were so much fun and really tasty. I hope you’ll try them.

 

 

Here are some sweet shots of The Boy enjoying a panda cupcake. When I saw them in sequence I nearly hyperventilated from laughing so hard because the panda eyes are staring up at him while he nibbles.

 

Geez, is this kid cute or what??

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Comments

[Yayaxbabe]

What a great idea, I will make them next month for my grand daughter.

[Lisa Thill]

Great idea! I just made these tonight for my 8 yr old daughter and her 3rd grade class. She loves and collects pandas. All I did differently was, colored eyes- pink, teal.or purpl, with matchimg noses. Cute!! <3

[supersue]

You're welcome! Glad you tried them out :)

[MJ Moffat]

Thank you so much for this ... 9th birthday party next week and this solves the problem of Panda themed ideas!

[Ab5ter]

These are amazing! My little sister LOVES pandas her birthday is next weekend I am definitely using this :) Thanks!