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1
Special equipment: fondant roller or rolling pin; 2-inch heart cookie cutter; 6 pencils, pens or chopsticks; small paintbrush
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For the wings: Dust the work surface lightly with confectioners' sugar.
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Roll the yellow fondant out to a thickness of 1/8 inch, moving the fondant occasionally as you roll to make sure it does not stick.
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4
Cut out 24 hearts with a 2-inch heart cookie cutter.
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Arrange the pencils, pens or chopsticks on the work surface.
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Pair hearts together by overlapping their points by an inch.
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With a small brush, dab a little water on the overlapping area between the 2 fondant pieces and press gently to adhere.
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8
Drape each pair of wings over a pencil to shape the butterfly.
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Allow to dry until stiff, about 2 hours.
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For the antennae: Unroll the licorice and cut into twelve 1 1/4-inch-long pieces.
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Separate the two strands of each licorice piece, leaving them attached at one end.
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Roll 2 small (1/4-inch) balls of green fondant for each pair of antennae and attach the balls to one end of the licorice.
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Enclose the remaining fondant in plastic wrap so it does not dry out.
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Repeat with the remaining pairs of antennae.
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Set aside to dry.
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16
For the bodies: Shape about 2 teaspoons green fondant into a butterfly body, about 2 inches long, with a head at one end and the other end tapering to a point.
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Attach a pair of antennae by sticking the licorice into the head.
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Using a small brush, moisten the front of the body with a little water and attach 2 yellow sprinkles for eyes.
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To assemble and decorate: When the wings are dry, turn them over and place between 2 pencils for support.
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Brush the center of each with a little water; add a body and press gently to adhere.
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Brush the wings lightly with water and stick on the multicolored sprinkles to decorate.
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Let dry 30 minutes.
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23
Melt the chocolate.
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24
Add pupils to the eyes by dipping a skewer into the melted chocolate and making a small dot on each yellow sprinkle.
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25
Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons buttercream.
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26
Top each cupcake with a butterfly and press them gently into the frosting to adhere.
