A big two year old and his Cookie Monster Cupcakes

Yesterday our wee man turned TWO! - oh no two's are terrible aren't they? I have already done it twice so I am hoping third time is a charm. Also with two at school it means more one-on-one time with Mr Squeak so hopefully this all helps with TERRIFIC TWOS instead - I'm fooling myself aren't I...

Happy birthday Mr Squeak.

The blackboard is thanks to Quack who is just about to turn seven. He is Mr Cool at the moment and have a few "too cool" attitude missions, so it was nice to see him think of someone other than himself. He worked on it the night before Squeaks birthday so that it could be ready and waiting for him in the morning.

With the whole moving to another country thing and being the newbies - loners - in town, everything about birthdays is making me cringe. I love to plan a good party and stretch myself preparing, planning and mostly of all - making the cake! But I just couldn't seem to find anything in me to become motivated to do so.

Squeak is obsessed with trains right now and Bubba suggested a train cake from the ever fabulous Women's Weekly Cake Book - Vintage edition.

I just wasn't feeling it. My Mama made me the same cake for my second birthday but even that couldn't muster up the excitement to want to do it. So I decided to leave the whole cake thing and maybe whip one up on the weekend - when I had more time I told myself.

Adding to the guilt was the fact that I hadn't even been out to buy Squeak a present yet. Not. One. We finally got a vehicle last weekend so this wasn't the problem anymore. I just can't bring myself to get in the car and go into Muswellbrook at the moment. And yes I know I could have bought something online but I just wasn't sure on what to get him. I wanted to see it, to touch it and know, and yet I don't want to go to the stores..... more on that some other time.

So I told myself it would be fine. Squeak and I would just spend the day together and for dinner we were having some cute dino shaped fish bites and crumbed chicken chunks that we found during the groceries. The big people got herbed fish and salad - which was super tasty and cheaper than what we have found fish and chips to be over here.

But my guilt got me thinking about cake. Ok so I didn't want to go through the whole process of making a big cake, plus who would we share it with. So it got me thinking I might do cupcakes and just ice them different colours. It was better than nothing. Well turns out google images for cupcakes is pretty inspiring too. I ended up finding quite a few that I like and decided to tackle Squeak's best bedtime friend Cookie Monster.

These were HEAPS of fun and even better they were EASY!

 

So how did we (yep even so easy Squeak helped) do it??

1. Bake cupcakes - We used vanilla sponge cupcakes but it can be any flavour, homemade or box. Leave the muffins to cool after cooking.

Wow my oven door is filthy - must clean after blog writing.

2. While muffins cook and/or cool prepare fur and eyes. 

• FUR is simply coconut with blue food colouring rubbed through it ( either pop in plastic zip bag and rub colour in or stir it in in a small container making sure all colour is absorbed.) Pop aside for fur to dry.
• For EYES I used white chocolate melts, dotted them with icing and then added chocolate chips/drops for middle. Pop aside to set ( as it is quite warm here I popped them in the fridge).

 

3. Once everything is Cool, Dry and Set mix up some blue icing. Either homemade icing, butter cream or store bought icing (I used store brought vanilla frosting as I don't have a mixer or electric beaters yet).

 

 4. Take a cupcake and cut a small slice out where the cookie will sit.

 5. Swirl, paste, plop or spoon on your blue icing....

I had to make sure I remembered the placement of the cut to my hand so I knew where it was later as it gets lost under the icing.

6. Gently roll top through coconut to cover the iced top.

  7. Push eyes into place - you want to gently push into the cupcake so the stay put.

8. Pop chocolate chip biscuit in place ( I used whole ones to start but looked better with them broken in half or in pieces in Cookies mouth).

9. Repeat until Cupcake batch is complete - Volia!

10. Eat and have fun!
N.b. the blue colour may leave you looking a little like our Blue Tongue Lizard Tom - more on him later!

Scary I know!

And then it was bedtime. Although it seems Squeak didn't want to spend it alone on his birthday. When we went up to check on the kids we found Squeak having a sleepover in Jaybugs room!

Happy birthday little dude. You are growing into such an independent young man. You surprise us everyday with new things you can do and say. Like counting to 10 for us on your birthday and asking for more kiwifruit. We are proud to be your Dad and Mama and know you do us proud by being you. We love your cheek grin and your red curls. Love you little man, we look forward to watching you grow.

Mama and Daddy xxx