Christmas cupcakes: easy, delicious cheer

2 ½ cups vanilla frosting, divided

12 unfrosted cupcakes

2 drops green food coloring, or as needed

¼ cup sprinkles, colored sugar, or candies

12 unfrosted cupcakes, cooled

1. Spoon half cup vanilla frosting into a bowl. Spread a thin layer over the top of each cupcake with a knife. Refrigerate cupcakes for 30 minutes to make decorating easier.

2. Combine remaining two cups of vanilla frosting and green food coloring in a bowl; stir until frosting is uniformly green. Add more green food coloring, one drop at a time, until the frosting is the color you like.

3. Transfer frosting to a piping bag. Working perpendicular to the top of each cupcake; pipe the green frosting around the edge, working inward in a circular motion to create a tree shape. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

4. Decorate Christmas trees with sprinkles, colored sugar or candies as the ‘ornaments’ on the trees.

Cook’s note: You can use any colored sugar pieces to decorate the Christmas trees. White, red or silver dragees look really nice or larger round sugar candies, jellybeans or colored sugars.