Alligator Cupcakes and Cookie Pops

Do you have an alligator lover in your life? Ever since we went on an airboat ride, the kids wanted to see an alligator again. So I made alligator cupcakes and cookie pops!

I'll start with the cookie pops since they're less time consuming.
HINT: If you are going to make both, make extra alligators (minus the sticks) for the cupcakes. It took me about 3 hours from making the cupcakes to finish decorating.

ALLIGATOR COOKIE POPS


For the Cookie Pops, you will need:

• Nutter Butter Cookies
• Green Candy Melts (Candy coating wafers you heat up to mold candy or coat confections)
• Cookie/Lollipop sticks
• Brown or Black Candy Melts
• White Candy Melts
• Circus Peanuts (I love these! I bought the big bag so I wouldn't eat all the raw materials.)
• Decorating bags or Ziploc bags (for piping on eyes, nostrils, and teeth)
• Foam block
• Wax paper

Directions for Cookie Pops:

1. Cut a horizontal slit in one end of a circus

     peanut and prop open. This will be the 

     mouth. Let dry for 30-40 

     minutes. I propped mine open with a 

     cookie stick.

2.  Cover cookie sheet with wax paper.

3.  Melt green Candy Melts. (see package 

     for directions.)

4.  Take apart the cookie. Dip one end of 

     stick in the Melts and place on cookie. 

     Top with the other cookie side. Set on 

     cookie sheet. 

5.  Place cookies/sticks in the fridge for 

     10 minutes to allow the Candy 

     Melts to set.

6.  Next, dip the circus peanut in the Melts. 

     (I used a toothpick to dip them in.) Allow 

     any extra to drip off. Place peanuts on
     wax paper to set. Once they are set, you
     can use a sharp knife to trim any extra
     coating off the edges.

7.  Once the cookies/sticks have set, dip into 

     the Candy Melts. Allow any extra coating
     to drip off. Place in foam block to set,
     then place in the fridge for 10 minutes to
     help the Candy Melts set faster.

8.  Place Circus Peanut head onto the cookie pop. 

     You can either place head on before Melts set, 

     or use some melted Candy Melts to attach.

9.  Melt white Candy Melts and pipe on small 

     circles for eyes. 

10. Pipe on teeth using white Candy Melts.

11. Melt brown or black Candy Melts. Pipe on 

      pupils and nostrils.

12. Let set.

13. Enjoy!

Alternatives:

• Eyes: 
• Use melted white and dark chocolate chips to pipe on eyes and teeth. 
• Buy white Candy Melts and color yourself using Candy Colors.
• Use mini chocolate chips (pointed side down) to create eyes.

ALLIGATOR CUPCAKES

You will need:

• 1 box white or yellow cake mix (plus ingredients listed on back of box)
• Blue cupcake/muffin wrappers
• Blue icing (or color your own white icing with blue food coloring or gel icing coloring to get the shade you want)
• Blue sugar sprinkles, optional
• Green sugar sprinkles, optional
• Swedish Fish (or other gummy fish), optional
• Candy Eyes
• Nutter Butter cookies
• Circus Peanuts
• Green Candy Melts
• White Candy Melts
• Brown or Black Candy Melts
• Green Fruit Loops
• Wax Paper
• Decorating bag or Ziploc bag

Directions for Cupcakes:

1. Line muffin pan with blue cupcake or muffin wrappers.
2. Mix cake mix according to box directions.
3. Fill wrappers with batter.
4. Bake and cool cupcakes.
5. Ice cupcakes and set aside.
6. Make alligators.
7. Sprinkle blue sugar sprinkles on the cupcake icing, if desired.
8. Place alligators on top of cupcakes.
9. Enjoy!

All done! Just kidding...I have directions for the alligators below!

Laying Down Alligator:

1.  Cut a horizontal slit in one end of a circus 

     peanut and prop open. This will be the 

     mouth. Let dry about for 30-40 

     minutes. I propped mine open with a 

     cookie stick.

2.  Cover cookie sheet with wax paper.

3.  Melt green Candy Melts. (see package 

     for directions.)

4.  Dip the circus peanut in the Melts. (I used 

     a toothpick to dip them in.) Allow any extra 

     to drip off. Set on wax paper to set. Once 

     they are set, you can use a sharp knife to 

     trim any extra Melts off the edges.

5.  Dip Nutter Butter cookie in Melts. (I used a 

     fork.) Allow any extra to drip off. Place on 

     wax paper to set.

6.  Attach head to cookie with melted Candy 

     Melts. You may need to prop up while

     it sets.

7.  Pipe on eyes, nostrils, and teeth using
     white and brown/black Candy Melts.

Alligator With Fish: (This one is my favorite!)

Front part of cookie trimmed.

1.   Trim one end of your cookie. This part is 

      optional, depending on what you want
      your alligator to look like. I did a few
      trimmed and a few not.

2.   Take apart Nutter Butter cookie.

3.   Cover cookie sheet with wax paper.

4.   Melt green Candy Melts.

5.   Dip each half of cookie into the Melts. 

     (I used a fork for dipping.) Allow any 

     extra to drip off. Place on wax paper to 

     set. Once set, you can use a sharp knife
     to trim any extra candy off the edges.

6.  Add green sprinkles to the top (ridges 

     showing) of a cookie piece, if desired. 

     This will be the top of the head.

7.  Let set.

8.  Dip bottom of Fruit Loop in green Candy 

     Melt. Attach to cookie, towards the back
     to create an eye. Repeat for other eye.
     Let set.

9.  Attach Candy Eye to Fruit Loop using
     melted green Candy Melts. Let set. I had
     to prop my Candy Eyes up using a
     toothpick so they dried in the right place.
10. Smear a little melted green Candy Melt
      at the front of the bottom piece of
      cookie half and set gummy fish on.

11. Smear a little Candy Melt on top of fish.

12. Smear some melted green Candy Melt
      at the back of the bottom piece of
      cookie half.

13. Place top of head on (the one with
      sprinkles). You may need to lightly hold
      or prop it for a minute until the Candy
      Melt starts to set.

14. Pipe on nostrils and teeth using Candy
     Melts.

Alligator Head In Water:

1.  Dip cookie in Candy Melts. Allow extra to drip off. 

2.  Set on wax paper and allow to set.

3.  Cut in half.

4.  Decorate: Pipe on eyes or use Candy Eyes and pipe on nostrils.

5.  Place on cupcake.

6.  Spread additional icing around the head to cover the cut mark.