Hyacinth cupcakes are the prettiest way to welcome spring

One of the first signs of the spring season are the bulb flowers, like hyacinths, that start poking their way through the ground. You can make your own and pop them into cupcakes topped with buttercream “grass,” and bring a little spring inside.

One of my favorite flowers of springtime are hyacinths. They come in an assortment of pastel colors and always show up around Easter and Mother’s Day.

You can make hyacinth flower toppers for cupcakes with some vanilla candy curls and pretzel sticks. Add them to some chocolate cupcakes topped with “grass,” and you can have your own hyacinth garden inside.

These pretty treats would also make a perfect addition to any spring party.

Edible hyacinth flower cupcakes recipe

You can make the candy curls ahead of time and store them in a container at room temperature.

Yields 12

Total time: 2 hours (including cupcake baking time, if applicable)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups each light blue, pink and lavender candy melts
• 1/2 cup light green candy melts
• 12 pretzel sticks
• Green edible food spray (such as Wilton’s Color Mist)
• Square silicone ice cube tray mold
• 12 unfrosted premade cupcakes (or 1 box favorite cake mix)
• 1 can favorite vanilla frosting
• Green food dye

Directions:

1. If making the cupcakes, prepare the cake mix per the box directions. Bake in cupcake liners.
2. Tint the frosting with green food dye (add 1 – 2 drops to get the shade of green for grass).
3. Using a grass piping tip, decorate the tops of the cupcakes with green frosting.
4. Spray the pretzel sticks with green food spray. Let dry 10 minutes.
5. Melt 1/2 cup of 1 color candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals in the microwave until all the candy is melted. Stir in between intervals.
6. Dip the top of a pretzel stick into the candy. While it’s still wet, add candy curls of the same color that you just dipped the pretzel in to make the hyacinth flowers. (See below for how to make the candy curls.) Add more candy as needed to fill in the curls as densely as possible. Keep the flowers upright, and allow the candy to harden. (You can insert the pretzels into an egg carton while making the other flowers.) Repeat with each color.
7. Add the green candy wafers to a zip-lock freezer bag. Microwave in 15- to 20-second intervals until the candy is just melted. Snip a small corner off the bag, and pipe long leaves onto parchment paper. Allow to harden for 10 minutes.
8. Insert the hyacinth flowers into the cupcakes. Use 1 – 2 flowers per cupcake.
9. Insert the green leaves around the flowers.