Easter Bunny Oreo cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

3/4 cup / 180 grams unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/4 cup self-raising flour

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 Oreo Cookies – I used the new Oreo Choco Crème

For the icing:

3/4 cup / 180 grams unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoon hot water

4 Oreo cookies, cream filling removed and cookies crushed

For the Bunny Bums

12 large marshmallows, cut the corners off so it is rounder

1 cup chopped up white chocolate

1 drop Pink food colouring

3/4 cup desiccated Coconut

METHOD:

1. Line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cupcake holders. Preheat the oven to 180° C
2. Put the butter, caster sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat with an electric beater for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
3. Place one spoonful of cake batter into the bottom of all the paper cases. Then place one Oreo cookie on top. Divide the remaining cake mixture evenly among the cases on top of the Oreo cookie.
4. Bake in the oven for 18-20 mins until risen and just firm to the touch (mine were in just under 18 minutes, I have a fan assisted oven).
5. Transfer to a wire rack to cool
6. Now to make the butter cream. Place the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and beat well with an electric beater until smooth and creamy.
7.  Add the vanilla extract and hot water and beat again until smooth – the hot water made such a difference to the consistency of the icing.
8. Spread however much icing you want onto the top of the cupcakes. I used a small pallete knife, you can also use a butter knife.
9. Dip the iced cupcakes facedown into the crushed Oreo cookies until the surface is all covered, then set to one side.

How to make the pieces and then build your scurrying bunnies:

1. To make the bunny bums and feet you will need to melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave (if you use the microwave melt it in small increments so that it doesn’t burn).
2. Transfer two tablespoons of white chocolate into a separate bowl and add a tiny amount of pink food colouring to colour the chocolate, stir and set aside (if the chocolate has hardened when it comes to using it then microwave for 10 secs until soft again).
3. With the melted white chocolate use a teaspoon and drizzle oval shapes on baking paper in the shape of feet. Allow to harden. (Make x 24 feet for x 12 cupcakes). This step was a bit hard, my bunny feet came out slightly big. I think next time I will let the chocolate cool a little before I attempt to make them so that they hold their shape more.
4. Snip a tiny hole in a corner of a small ziplock bag with the pink coloured chocolate in it then squeeze the chocolate out onto the bunny feet to make the pads and toes. Allow to harden.
5. For the Bunny bodies – Skewer the marshmallows with a toothpick then dip them in the white chocolate until coated then immediately coat them with desiccated coconut and set onto baking paper to harden.
6. For the Bunny tails- I used leftover icing in a pipping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. I then just added a small amount to the back of the marshmallow AFTER I placed it on the cupcake.

How to assemble the cupcakes: 

1. You have to use your melted white chocolate as glue, so you may need to top that bowl up a bit at this stage (I had to add more chocolate). Smear the bottom of the marshmallow bunny body with chocolate and then place it on top of the cupcake. Then pipe the tail on the body using your buttercream frosting. After that again using the melted chocolate as glue, place two little feet onto the back of your marshmallow to create your little scurrying bunny.