chocolate cupcake toppers

You probably already know this from my Instagram feed, but cupcakes definitely have a special place in my heart. There’s just something about them that are near dessert perfection, in my opinion. The perfect size (assuming a serving is four cupcakes… let’s just assume that), endless flavor combinations, and so easy to make SO adorable. I always like to try to do a little something to make my cupcakes extra special and one way is with a simple chocolate topper.

You don’t need any type of special equipment and with the nearly endless assortment of colored melting chocolate you can purchase, you can make them to match any type of theme you need. I made some simple hearts and number twos for my little lady’s birthday a couple weeks ago, footballs for the Superbowl, and those sweet pink eights for a friend’s daughter’s baptism (say that five times fast).

Here are some tips for melting chocolate:

• Depending on how much you’re melting at once, start off putting your chocolate in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at 50% power. Then stir until it’s no longer hot. Keep heating at 30-45 second intervals at 50% power. Chocolate can go from melted to burnt in a flash.
• Use a simple plastic baggie with the tip cut off as your pastry bag.
• Actual chocolate chips will stay in a melted state longer, if you’re using melting wafers they will start hardening much faster so work quickly.
• Don’t forget to pipe onto parchment or wax paper so your chocolate will pop right off.

What have you been creating in the kitchen lately?