27 Ridiculously Creative Ways To Decorate Cupcakes

1. Obsessed with cookie dough? Use it instead of frosting.

The best ideas are amazing *and* insane.

Get the recipe at Gimme Some Oven.

2. Serve some milk (-y chocolate) and cookies atop a cupcake.

It’s like two desserts in one!

Get the recipe at Raspberri Cupcakes.

3. Transform black licorice wheels into records.

♫ You spin me right round, baby ♫

Get the tutorial at Studio DIY.

4. Make a batch of maple breakfast cupcakes that Ron Swanson would approve of.

“There has never been a sadness that can’t be cured by breakfast food.”

Get the recipe at Tattooed Martha.

5. Unwrap some Dum Dums and turn them into beautiful flowers.

The petals = snipped up marshmallows. The dirt = cookie crumbs. The results = delicious.

Get the recipe at Domestic Fits.

6. Or cut up a few Airheads and turn them into an edible garden.

Get the tutorial at Proper.

7. Create a field of toadstool cupcakes with white chocolate spots.

These would be great for an Alice in Wonderland themed party.

Get the recipe at K Bakes.

8. Make “rings of fire” out of pipe cleaners for a circus party.

Make sure to pile up the frosting into little mountains so you have enough to stick the rings into.

Get the tutorial at Proper.

9. Create a flock of fluffy sheep using marshmallows.

Baaaaaaaa baaaaaa chocolate sheep, can I eat your wool?

Get the tutorial at Wine and Glue.

10. Use almond slices to make feathers for a cupcake owl.

For your next hootenanny.

Watch the tutorial at Nerdy Nummies.

11. Create a school of fish with M&M scales.

Get the recipe at Two Sisters Crafting.

12. Turn pretzel rods into fishing rods.

What a catch!

Get the recipe at Oh, Sweet Basil.

13. Transform vanilla coconut frosted cupcakes into sugary sushi rolls.

Want some more “dessert sushi” options? Take a look at these.

Watch the tutorial at Nerdy Nummies.

14. Prepare a tray of cupcakes that look like apples.

Get the recipe at Baked Bree.

15. Or hunks of watermelon.

*Almost* as healthy as the real thing. Haaaaaaaaaaaa.

Get the recipe at Cincy Shopper.

16. Make a banana split with cupcakes instead of ice cream.

Get the recipe at Crazy For Crust.

17. Or arrange a bunch of cupcakes into a giant ice cream cone.

Complete with a cherry on top.

Get the tutorial at Life in the Lofthouse.

18. Pull a Jackson Pollock and splatter-paint your cupcake tops with frosting.

For anyone who gets impatient when trying to place things *just so*.

Get the recipe at The Sugar Hit.

19. Use number sparklers to make countdown cupcakes.

Order them here and learn more at Sugar and Cloth.

20. Make ornaments using miniature M&M’s and a ROLO.

These reindeer cupcakes are also pretty darn cute (and pretty darn easy to replicate).

Get the recipe at Your Cup Of Cake.

21. Cover your cupcakes with edible confetti.

How do you make edible confetti? With rice paper!

Get the tutorial at Aww, Sam.

22. Top a fluffy white cloud of frosting with a candy rainbow.

You may not find a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, but at least you’ll find a cupcake.

Get the recipe at Oh So Delicioso.

23. Coat a cupcake with “dirt” and fill it with “mud.”

The gummy worms are a bonus.

Get the recipe at Inside BruCrew Life.

24. Top pink lemonade cupcakes with some citrus slice gummies and a smattering of sprinkles.

Bright delights.

Get the recipe at A Spicy Perspective.

25. Using a piping bag *seems* intimidating, but it’s not!

Here’s a post at Sprinkle Bakes that’s full of very forgiving techniques for beginners.

26. Once you learn the piping basics, try your hand at these cupcakes topped with layers of rainbow-hued frosting.

This is rather time consuming, but the results are totally worth it.

Get the recipe at Sprinkle Bakes.

27. Or forgo elaborate edible decorations and print out some monster cupcake paper covers and toppers.

Get them here.