Peanut Butter Bunnycakes

These hippity hoppity Easter cupcakes are topped with a yummy bunny made with Reese's chocolate and peanut butter egg!

Recipe Ingredients:

Royal Icing:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons pasteurized dried egg whites (meringue powder)
Additional water

Peanut Butter Egg Bunnies:
24 REESE'S Peanut Butter Eggs
Royal Icing
Decorative candies (see photo)
Large marshmallows for ears
Miniature marshmallows for tails

Tinted Coconut:
1/2 teaspoon water
Food color
1 cup MOUNDS Sweetened Coconut Flakes

Cupcakes:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk

Vanilla Frosting (ready-to-spread or your favorite recipe)

Cooking Directions:

1. Prepare Royal Icing: Stir together powdered sugar, warm water and dried egg whites. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until spreadable. Add additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if too thick. Transfer icing to pastry bags with desired tip. Cover icing and tip of pastry bag with damp paper towels to keep icing from drying out. (Some icing garnishes may need a firmer icing to hold their shape. Stir in small amounts of additional powdered sugar to get the desired consistency.) Makes about 1/2 cup icing.
2. Prepare Peanut Butter Egg Bunnies: Unwrap REESE'S Peanut Butter Egg. Using sharp knife cut away about 1/4 inch of the top curved egg section creating a level edge. (This will be the top of the bunny.) Do the same thing for the bottom of egg if planning to attach to hard surface such as a cookie.
3. Using icing and decorative candy pieces add facial features to egg bunny. Allow features to harden slightly before continuing.
4. To make bunny ears, cut large marshmallows crosswise into 4 to 5 sections. Take each section and using wet knife cut through center to within 1/4 inch of edge; separate and shape to look like bunny ears. Press one side of ears into pink sugar and if other side is sticky, press that side into untinted sugar. Attach ears to top of bunny with frosting. Allow frosting to harden slightly before finishing bunny.
5. Attach miniature marshmallow to backside of bunny for tail and to help bunny stand up on cupcake or cookie base. Press bunny into cupcake frosting or glue with frosting to cookie base.
6. Prepare Tinted Coconut: Combine water and a few drops of food color in small bowl or small jar with cover or re-sealable plastic food storage bag. Add coconut. Toss with fork or shake closed jar or plastic bag until coconut is evenly coated; store in airtight container.
7. Prepare Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 24 muffin cups (2 1/2 inches in diameter) with paper or foil bake cups.
8. Beat butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, blending well. Spoon batter into prepared cups, filling about 3/4 full.
9. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.
10. To Assemble: Frost cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Sprinkle Tinted Coconut over frosting and garnish with Peanut Butter Egg Bunny.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of the Hershey Kitchens, and reprinted with permission of The Hershey Company. © The Hershey Company.