For Cupcakes & Decorating

• cupcake recipe of choice, baked in liners
• green buttercream frosting
• chocolate cookie crumbs
• buttercream frosting at stiffer consistency (mixed with more powdered sugar), colored yellow
• fondant flowers (watch "Fondant Flowers" video on how2heroes.com)

Equipment

• 2" - 3" mini flower pots
• piping bag fitted with grass tip
• piping bag fitted with rose tip
• flat head, stainless steel flower nail
• #47 piping tip
• offset frosting scissors

For Cupcakes

1. Follow your favorite cupcake recipe and bake in liners according to recipe instructions. Cool completely
2. Place cupcakes in mini flower pots

To Decorate

1. Make a batch of your favorite buttercream recipe, and color it green (for grass). For a classic buttercream recipe, click here. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a "grass" tip
2. Make another batch of buttercream for piping flowers (Renee colors hers yellow), but add more powdered sugar to the recipe for a stiffer consistency (to avoid flowers from wilting and melting). Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a "rose" tip or #47 tip
3. Pipe grass all around the top of the cupcake, starting from the outside, working in. Sprinkle with chocolate cookie crumb "dirt" if desired
4. Watch Renee's flower piping techniques and pipe desired flower style using a flat head, stainless steel flower nail. Transfer flowers onto "grass" using offset frosting scissors
5. In addition to frosting flowers, try decorating your flower pots with Fondant Flowers (a more forgiving decorating technique!)