All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s Oogie’s turn to Boogie now!

Oogie Boogie, the bug-filled gambler, in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas took over the decor at Disney California Adventure Park. His burlap face rests atop the park’s entrance, and he’s throwing quite the Halloween party.

If you’re looking to bring a little fun home, try these Oogie Boogie Cupcakes, decked out with a little extra Disney magic in the form of Minnie Mouse ears and bow.

Minnie Mouse Oogie Boogie Cupcakes

These cupcakes can be made with three steps:

• make fondant decorations
• make cupcakes
• make frosting

If you’re short on time, a boxed cake mix can be a big time savings. The recipe I’m sharing today fancies up a cake mix. If your friends or family judge you, make sure to spin Oogie Boogie’s roulette wheel of torture to find a suitable punishment!

Mom truth bomb: I’ve even purchased cupcakes from my local grocery store bakery and added my own decorations when in a pinch.

If you’re new to fondant, this would be a great way to test it out! You’ll be rolling out pre-made fondant and cutting circles. Using edible markers, you’ll draw Oogie Boogie on your circles. Not so sure of your artistic abilities? Print and cut out a picture of Oogie to use as a stencil.

Fondant Ears

Ingredients & Supplies

• 1 container of neon green fondant
• 1 container of purple fondant
• 1 container of black fondant
• 1 4-inch round fondant cutter
• 1 black edible marker
• 1 silver edible marker
• 1 small cutting board
• 1 fondant roller
• 1 C powder sugar
• 1 cookie sheet
• 1 Wilton bow fondant mold

Directions.

• Sprinkle powder sugar onto cutting board and spread around.
• Remove neon green fondant from container and place onto cutting board
• Coat fondant with powder sugar and roll out onto the cutting board into a flat 1/2 inch disk.
• Using the 4-inch round cutter, cut out 24 circles. Put aside on cookie sheet
• Using the purple fondant pinch off about 1 tbsp of fondant and place it into the large bow mold. Lightly use your finger to mold into the bow. Pop the bow out and place onto the cookie sheet.
• Using the black fondant and smaller bow mold, mold the black fondant into the bow and pop it out. Place onto the cookie sheet.
• Using the silver marker, dot on polka dots onto the black bow
• Next, fill a cup of water.
• Using your finger, dip it into the water and run it along the back of the black bow. Place the black bow onto the middle of the purple bow
• Using the black edible marker, draw out Oogie Boogie onto the neon green circles.
• Allow to set for 30 minutes.

Zoomed in on the cupcakes a little more, you can see Oogie is drawn on the fondant circles. If you can use a Sharpie, you can do this!

Chocolate cupcakes

Makes 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 box of triple chocolate mix cake mix
• 3 large eggs room temp 
• 1/2 C of softened unsalted sweet cream butter
• 1 C whole milk
• Also needed: cupcake liners and cupcake pan

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line muffin pan with the white cupcake liners
• In a medium bowl, add the cake mix, butter, milk, and stir until combined.
• Scoop batter into the cupcake pans about 3/4 way full
• Bake in the oven for about 18-20 minutes. 
• Pull out the cupcakes and allow to cool before frosting.

Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 C unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
• 5 C powder sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla 
• 6-10 TBSP heavy whipping cream
• Also needed: one large piping bag with large star tip

Directions

• Using a stand mixer, combine all ingredients and mix on medium speed.
• Mix until you see stiffed peaks in your frosting.
• Scoop frosting into the piping bag
• Frost cooled cupcakes
• Place two circles on the sides for “Ears”
• Place the bow in the middle of the cupcakes

Pin This Idea for Later

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a favorite around here. Like top 10 status! We even had a Nightmare Before Christmas party for my daughter’s 10th birthday. If you need any inspiration, I’ve got you covered!

Stitch some something sweet with Sally Sugar Cookies.

The Pumpkin King rules as a Rice Krispies treat, too! Make Jack Skellington Rice Krispies Treats.

Looking for party decor ideas? Make an inexpensive Nightmare Before Christmas Photo Backdrop!

Scavenger Hunts were the jam for me as a kid! Here’s a themed Nightmare Before Christmas scavenger hunt. Have the kids hunt for things like a dog treat for Zero and soup for Dr. Finklestein in the free printable Nightmare Before Christmas Scavenger Hunt.

Who’s your favorite Nightmare Before Christmas Character? I’d love to turn your favs into desserts! Share in the comments!

My daughters are remaining steadfast for their love for unicorns. Narwhals, penguins, and koalas also top their list for favorite creatures (both imaginary and real). But there’s something special about the magic a unicorn holds.

When a friend showed these cupcakes, I knew I needed to share them with all of you!

I’m here to tell you that you can make these at home. Yes, YOU! The cupcakes are made with a vanilla cake mix that started with a box cake. Yup, the inexpensive cake mix you buy at Target. Making the layers of pretty unicorn colors is thanks to food coloring.

The same thing is true of the frosting. I’ll share a yummy recipe that can be dyed multiple colors for the layers of frosting, but I won’t judge if you opt to buy storebought frosting. I’ve even found frosting available in piping bags at Target.

The point is that you can make super adorable cupcakes at home for an over the top celebration.

TIP: I would suggest starting by making your unicorn ears as they take a little time to set. Then bake cupcakes & make frosting.

The Most Magical Unicorn Cupcakes

Decorating Your Unicorn Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 White fondant container
• 1 Pink fondant container
• wilton icing tip 2D or similarly sized circle cutter
• wilton icing tip #2 or similarly sized circle cutter
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 1 rolling pin
• 1 cutting board

Directions

• Sprinkle some powdered sugar onto your cutting board and rolling pin
• Roll out half of both colors of fondant to be 1/8 thick
• Using the 2D icing tip, cut out 36 white round circles
• Using the #2 icing tip, cut out 36 pink round circles
• Using the #2 tip again, cut the pink circle a tad bit smaller
• Using a paintbrush, brush a really small amount of water onto the white circles
• Place the pink circles into the center of the white
• Carefully pick up the white circle and pinch the bottom of the ears
• Set aside and repeat with remaining 35 circles
• Allow to dry for 2 hours before starting your cupcakes

As your ears are setting, you can make your own sprinkle mix. The unicorn sprinkle mix used on these cupcakes are light green, hot pink, neon blue, and purple nonpareils. Plus, some assorted sprinkles from Michael’s. Add them to a sealed container & shake until combined.

Vanilla cupcakes

Makes 18 Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 box of french vanilla cake mix cake mix
• 3 large eggs room temp
• 1/2 C of softened unsalted sweet cream butter
• 1 C whole milk
• 1TBSP pure vanilla extract
• Teal, pink, and purple gel food coloring
• 3 bowls
• white cupcake liners
• cupcake pan

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Line muffin pan with the white cupcake liners
• In a medium bowl, add the cake mix, butter, milk, and vanilla extract and stir until combined
• Scoop 1 tbsp of each color into the cupcake liners in layers
• Use a knife and swirl the colors slightly
• Bake in the oven for about 18-20 minutes.
• Pull out the cupcakes and allow to cool before frosting.

TIP: Short on time? Use a cake mix to simplify your baking. Want to simplify even more? Ask your local grocery store bakery department for undecorated cupcakes.

Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 C unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
• 5 C powder sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 6-10 TBSP heavy whipping cream
• pink, purple and leaf green gel food coloring
• 1 disposable piping bag with large round tip
• 1 disposable piping bag with a large star tip
• 1 disposable piping bag with medium star tip
• 1 disposable piping bag with small star tip
• 1 disposable piping bag with a Wilton tip #195
• 1 package of unicorn horn royal icing transfers found at Hobby Lobby

Directions

• Using a stand mixer, combine all ingredients and mix on medium speed. Mix until you see stiffed peaks in your frosting.
• Once the frosting is made, split it into 4 bowls
• Add about 2-4 drops of one color (purple, pink, green) to each bowl. Leave one bowl of frosting white.
• Scoop the purple frosting, leaving about 1/4 C in the bowl, into the piping bag with the round tip
• Scoop one spoonful of the pink frosting onto one side of the piping bag fitted with all three size star tips. Scoop one spoonful of the purple frosting onto the other side of the piping bag fitted with the small star tip.
• Scoop white frosting into the same piping bag as the pink and purple
• Scoop white frosting into the two other piping bags with just the pink frosting
• Scoop the green frosting into the piping bag with tip number 195
• Using the round purple piping bag, pipe a large dollop of frosting onto the cupcake
• Dip the cupcake into the sprinkles mixtures
• Pipe another dollop of purple frosting onto the top of the sprinkled frosting
• Using the large star tip, pipe a dollop of frosting in the top center
• Place the unicorn horn into the center of the frosting

Once your ears are ready, place a ear on both sides of the horn onto your frosted cupcake. You can make your unicorn cupcake even more darling by using small star tips to pipe dollops of frosting to create flowers. Use green for leaves for a final touch.

These over the top cupcakes give the impression of coming from an expensive bakery. The way I see it you have two options: let people believe you bought bougie cupcakes because you’re so fancy or yell from the rooftops that you made them yourself. Either’s fine with me!

It’s easier than you think to make adorable treats at home. A cake mix and some food coloring make pastel unicorn cupcakes. Add three layers of frosting and unicorn decorations to make the most magical unicorn cupcakes this side of the rainbow.

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Looking for an easy homemade Easter treat?  See how easy it is to decorate spring cupcakes, perfect for a garden celebration.

Easter is just around the corner, and the Easter Bunny isn’t the only one bringing sweets to the party.  These Carrot Patch Cupcakes are a darling way to make a statement with friends and family.  The cupcakes are topped with cookie OREO dirt and chocolate covered strawberries resembling carrots, for a double dose of delight.

I find a lot of joy in creating new recipes for my loved ones.  But let’s be honest, I don’t always have time to make everything from scratch.  Whenever I know my treats are going to require a little more decorating, I use recipe hacks or pre-made mixes to save me a little time.

These Carrot Patch Cupcakes are an example of a such a recipe.  If you wanted to save a little time, you can use a cake mix and store-bought frosting.  No one will mind!

Carrot Patch Cupcakes

Ingredients:

12 cupcakes from your favorite recipe or boxed mix

2 to 3 cups chocolate frosting from your favorite recipe or store bought

1 cup ground Oreo Cookies

12 strawberries, washed and dried

1 (12 ounce) package orange candy melts

Instructions:

 Melt the candy wafers according to package directions giving special care not to overheat the candy. If the candy coating is overheated, it will be too thick. You can add 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening or coconut oil to help thin the candy but do not add any other type of liquid as the candy will seize and harden.

Dip strawberries into the melted candy and then place on waxed paper. Once the candy has set, pour remaining melted candy into a zip-top freezer bag or piping bag with the tip snipped. Drizzle over the strawberries. Allow to set completely before decorating the cupcakes.

Using a 1A round piping tip, add a border of frosting around the cupcake. Place a small amount in the middle.

Flip each cupcake and dip the frosted top into ground Oreo cookies.

Top each cupcake with a dipped strawberry.

How to Serve Carrot Patch Cupcakes

To keep up with the garden cupcake theme, Carrot Patch Cupcakes can be served on a bed of green Easter grass.  I love the look of the crinkle in this Crinkle-Cut Paper Filling to mimic grass in the galvanized tin.

I love a chilled strawberry covered in yummy chocolate!  If you don’t plan on serving your cupcakes right away, you can always store your strawberries separately and then pop them on your cupcakes when it’s time to party.

Some bunny told me you’re going to love these Garden Patch Cupcakes!

This post may contain affiliate links.  Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

We basically started watching Christmas movies when the kids were still wearing their Halloween costumes.  Thankfully the explosion of popularity in cheesy Christmas movies kept us entertained most of November.  When December hits, it’s time to pull out the classics and other family favorites.

Elf is hands-down my favorite Christmas movie.   Will Ferrell is genius as the adopted elf growing up in the North Pole who goes on a journey to find his birth father, who just so happens to be on Santa’s naughty list.  It’s filled with holiday spirit and so many quotable moments.

Best Elf Quotes

• Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?
• You sit on a throne of lies.
• SON OF A NUTCRACKER!
• You smell like beef and cheese.
• Deb, you have such a pretty face.  You should be on a Christmas card.
• I like to whisper too.
• I’m in a store, and I’m singing!
• I’m a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.

Buddy’s got a thing for sweets, and when asked what he loves to eat for breakfast he shares another classic quote: We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.

Inspired by Buddy the Elf’s favorite breakfast meal, these cupcakes are the perfect treat to share for an Elf movie night.

Buddy the Elf Inspired Cupcakes

With the busy holiday season, it can be a huge time savings to use a cake mix as the base for your cupcakes.  These are made with French Vanilla cake mix, and then topped with some of Buddy the Elf’s favorite breakfast foods: “spaghetti”, M&M’s, sprinkles, and marshmallows.

It’s not advised that you actually eat these for breakfast, but who am I to judge?

Any Elf fan will adore these sugar-filled treats.  We think they’re prefect for a family movie night or holiday Christmas party!

Looking for more Elf party ideas?

Want to make an Elf-themed movie night even more fun?

Try these Elf-inspired activities

• Make paper snowflakes to transform every room into a winter wonderland.
• Spread Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear.
• Dodge taxis.  Watch out for the yellow ones; they don’t stop.
• Read holiday stories.
• Play telephone since everyone likes to whisper!
• Throw snowballs.  If you live in a warm climate, like I do, you can use cotton balls and throw them in buckets.

I adore Elf and all its holiday cheer.  Do you have a favorite Christmas movie?  Share it in the comments!