Treasure Chest Beach Cupcakes Recipe

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Shane is about to turn SIX! We have just three weeks left before the big day so I’m doing what every mom does before her child’s birthday- looking at way too many baby photos and frantically searching Pinterest for birthday party ideas!

Now, I love to throw birthday parties for my boys and I always go all-out with their themes. I think my favorite part is deciding on the themed food. I’ve made Twinkies look like yellow hats for Shane’s Curious George party, and I made Hot Diggity Dogs for Zac’s first birthday party, but one thing that I tend to hire out is the dessert.

While I am a good cook, and even a good baker, I’m just not a good decorator. My mom has made many of Shane’s cakes, although recently we’ve begun hitting our bakery instead to make it easier on everyone.

I may not be great at coming up with cute baked goods, but luckily, I have plenty of friends who are- so I’ve asked one to share a delicious and super cute cupcake recipe here today that’s perfect for summer!

Whether you have a little one celebrating a summer birthday or just having a pool party, these Treasure Chest Cupcakes are the perfect treat! They’d even be great for a Pirate birthday party!

Treasure Chest Beach Cupcakes

Ingredients:

-24 of your favorite cupcakes- baked and cooled
-1 tub of Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Blue Raspberry Frosting
-1 package KitKat Bites
-1 package Vanilla Sugar Wafer Cookies {you’ll need about 12 cookies}
-2 tablespoons powdered sugar {Or, see below about white frosting}
-Silver Dragees {Note from Shell: I had never heard of these either. Apparently that’s the name of the edible balls- like these. Who knew, right?}
-Gummy Sharks or Fish {find them here.}
-Paper Umbrella Toothpicks {gotcha covered!}

Begin by making your treasure chests:

1. Place 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add a drizzle of water {start with 1/4 teaspoon of water and adjust as needed}. You want your mixture to be STIFF but not powdery- similar to a paste. This is a tricky situation, so a way to test it is to put the frosting on a spoon and hold it above the bowl. If it falls off, you used too much water and need to add more sugar.

{Shortcut: The other option is to open a tub of white frosting and use that instead of the powdered sugar frosting. However, you’ll have a lot of leftovers, so totally up to you!}

2. Smear powdered sugar paste onto a KitKat Bite. Dip into Silver Dragees to coat and create treasure. Put a small amount of powdered sugar frosting on the back of the KitKat Bite and affix another Bite on top to create a treasure chest. Let set on waxed paper to dry completely.

{Note: The treasure chests are the most frustrating part of this project! Your powdered sugar paste needs to be nice and thick or your treasure will slide right off. Try one, let it set for a minute and make sure it didn’t move too much. You can always nudge the treasure back onto the KitKat while it is drying.}

Prepare the Sand:

1. Crush about 12 cookies into small and fine pieces, using a rolling pin and Ziploc bag, food processor or wood tart shaper and a bowl. Set aside.

Finish Up:

Add the finishing touches! I do about 3 at a time, in this order:

1. Add sand to half of the cupcake.

2. Press treasure chest into sand and frosting.

3. Add gummy shark or fish and umbrella.

4. Enjoy!

Do you like to bake? Are you good at decorating cupcakes, or are you more like me & better at eating them?