Cookies & Cream PANDA Cupcakes :)
Firstly, I’d like to wish another happy year of existence to one of my best friends from high school: Kim Tran. So…
HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, MA’AM! :)
Kim was actually my inspiration for these cupcakes (which I gave to her as an early birthday gift). Knowing how much she absolutely loves pandas, and having not baked in what seems like a decade, I knew I had to bake something panda-themed for Kim. When I started brainstorming what to make, the idea of panda cupcakes instantly popped up in my mind. I had seen about half a dozen different approaches to making panda cupcakes on various baking blogs and Tumblogs, so my challenge was sticking to something simple, yet cute and personalized.
Before I chose what type of cupcake to make, I decided I wanted to craft my pandas out of Oreos. Exactly how I wanted to craft them wasn’t determined until I actually had to start decorating (… silly me). So, I thought, what more appropriate cupcake body to make than a cookies & cream cupcake?
I used a cookies & cream cupcake recipe I found on Lovin’ From the Oven, and frosted the cupcakes with cream cheese icing (vanilla frosting may have been a better choice). I used Mini Oreos halves for the eyes and ears, and frosted on the faces with standard black frosting I found at Safeway.
The cupcakes themselves were decent. They didn’t taste as “cookies & creamish” as I had anticipated, but I think that’s mostly due to the fact that I used cream cheese icing instead of vanilla. The Oreo on the bottom of the cupcake is an awesome idea, and is a sweet little surprise when you bite into the cupcake, but the difference between the textures is a bit odd.. This might just be a personal problem, though. :P
As for decorating the cupcakes…
My older brother Alan helped me out with coming up with all the different faces (I didn’t want any of them to be the same!). Decorating them was an absolute BLAST, and I’d recommend this activity to any pair (or group) of bakers and friends looking for a good time. :)
All in all, a super fun project.
Now that it’s summer, I’ll be doing a lot more cooking (no dining plan = my friends and I fending for ourselves on a small budget in a small kitchen) and baking. I’m absolutely stoked! :D
Keep your eyes peeled for more blog posts in the near future. I’m hoping to keep this blog as lively as possible throughout the whole summer. :)
Speaking of summer, food, and blogs, check out this summer food blog my good friend Kevin started a few summers back. A group of us, plus Kevin, will be revamping the blog with tons of kitchen experiments this summer. It should be all sorts of awesome. :)
