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Sweet Beach Party

Last Thursday, I revisited an old favorite pastime: Cupcake Decorating!

On this particular occasion, it was for the club, Circle of Friends, with which I’ve been involved for the last two years.

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With only a day to decorate forty cupcakes, there wasn’t enough time to make fondant critters. I had to think of something quicker. So, after perusing the candy aisle at the grocery store, I came up with:

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(Note to vegans: The Teddy Grahams are vegan. The Lifesaver gummies, however, are not. I didn’t even think about the fact that they might contain gelatin until after I’d gotten them home.)

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But the cupcakes, themselves, are vegan (from VCTOTW), as is the Pillsbury icing. I thought I was so clever to put Teddy Grahams into lifesaver candies… but it turns out other people have had the same idea!  Oh well; great minds think alike, I guess.

(The brown “sand” is maple sugar.)

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Please excuse the messy edges.  The nails were newly-painted.

Nail polish tip: Don’t worry about staying in the lines when you polish your nails, and don’t bother taking off the polish that gets on your skin.  It’ll come off naturally by the next day (especially if you take a shower) and your nails will look perfect.  Promise..

Published on May 23, 2010

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Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
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ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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53 Comments

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  1. Elizabeth says

    Super cute cupcakes! 🙂 You did a great job. And I love the quote – that’s the only show I keep up with haha!

  2. adrienmelaine says

    You’re the most amazing treat maker! I’m known to bring good/healthy treats to parties.. You’ll never see me with the bag of chips and salsa- though I will eat them! haha

  3. abby says

    those kids are so lucky! i would’ve fought over that last cupcake too ;). and desperate housewives is the best show ever. the first season was, anyway. it kinda went downhill after that. but i should go back and watch the old ones!

  4. Katie says

    How adorable! You are so creative when it comes to decorations (or anything, really). I usually come empty handed to parties, but when I have something at MY house, I go ALL out. I usually make enough food for 10x the people that are coming. 🙂

  5. Valerie says

    Amazing. I would’ve slapped some icing on them and called it a day. You’re so sweet to be involved with such a great group!

  6. Ilana says

    I love your nails! Blue nail polish is probably my favorite thing ever. It always cheers me up!

    How sweet are your cupcakes!?! I don’t know where I’ve seen bears floating on gummys before (probably on Martha Stewart come to think of it) but it always makes me go “EEEE!” because of how cute it is.

    I love to cook/bake for parties. Everyone brings their own alcohol, I bring my own cookies. Booya.

  7. Devyn says

    Oh also Circle of Friends sounds like Best Buddies. I am the chapter president of my High School’s Best Buddies club 🙂

    Great club choice 🙂

  8. Inspired says

    Thanks for the nail tip. Does it really work, even if you get polish ALL over your nail beds (i.e. not just a little bit?) I’m going to try, because I am the worst at staying in the lines!

  9. Justine says

    Those cupcakes are too cute! I love bring dishes to parties, even though I am always nervous as to how people will like it. I have found that if you bring something sweet, most everyone will like it. 🙂

  10. idreamoftahini says

    WOW -your cucakes are so cute. I really want to learn to make cupcakes. I bought books to learn how to make vegan cupcakes, but as of yet I haven’t tried to make any. I checked out your past link of cupcakes. LOVE the watermelon one!!!!!!

  11. katebynumbers says

    Those cupcakes are adorable!! They make me want to make my own!

    Last year, a group of friends and I had theme night potlucks once a weeks. We had things like Italian night, breakfast-for-dinner, Mexican, French, dessert, Japanese, we made our own pizzas, etc. it was super fun and I got to experiment with a whole slew of new recipes, all of which everyone loved! The majority of my friends who were involved moved away at the beginning of this year, so we haven’t kept it up, but it was a wicked good time.

  12. Mary says

    I love when you post your cupcake pictures. It’s been a while. Slacker! Don’t you know your adoring fans are waiting impatiently to see your next creation, missy? 😉

  13. C @ Slide into Hippiedom says

    I love to cook and bake, so I almost always bring a dish to parties and whatnot. Also, my bf and I are almost always the only vegans there (no veg either), so bringing something is almost a necessity.

    The best part is when I bring foods and people go, “This is vegan?” Cupcakes and cookies go over very well. Interesting and healthy entrees make people realize how accessible veganism really is. Last night we had pasta with bean balls and everyone really enjoyed them.

  14. Danielle says

    You should totally open a cupcake shop. If people are fighting over your treats then you know you’ve got something good!

    And while you’re at it, you should also become a cupcake model. You’re too pretty!!

  15. cookeatburn says

    I love your nails Katie! I would like to think my dishes are well received – luckily when I have a bad cooking day it is just Chris and me that have to suffer ;).

  16. Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says

    Those cupcakes are adorable! I’ve seen them before but cuteness BEARS repeating. hehehe 😀

    Jenn

  17. vegangal says

    adorable cupcakes and adorable vegan girl too and also adorable nails. the theme of this post should be ADORABLE! xoxoxo

  18. ohkansascity says

    My best party dishes are either cupcakes (wooo… cupcakes!) or my vegan mexican dip. It’s guac, salsa and follow your heart cheese, then a tofu soy sour cream mixture with taco seasoning mixed in, then more cheese on top. Pop in oven for 10 minutes and you’re in HEAVEN.

  19. lisasfoods says

    Yes, I’ve made food for parties and potlucks lots of times. I usually make a vegetarian chili, or a big fruit salad. I’m more into cooking than baking, so I stick to healthy main dishes and sides.

  20. kelsey@snackingsquirrel.com says

    two things i must add to my life list:

    1. get katie to paint my nails
    2. beg katie to make me a batch of muffins which i will pretend im sharing with a group or party.. then secretly devour them all to myself!! <3 <3

    can i just tell you how adorable the 'side swimming' teddy bear is. haha

    the fact that you are a part of 'The Circle of friends' makes me an even bigger fan of yours. im so glad to know generous selfless beautiful people such as you!

  21. Marie says

    Now aren’t those the cutest li’l cupcakes! You always have that adorable way about you and it clearly rubs off on your kitchen creations.

    And as for your famous hug-a-fat campaign, does frosting count as a fat?? 🙂

  22. caronae says

    I love them! Chocolate bears in life saver rings on the beach. I’d say it’s definitely one of the most creative decorations I’ve seen. 🙂

    I love decorating cupcakes too, actually. And all baked goods. I usually bring cupcakes or cookies to parties or events. Then I can eat the batter while I’m baking 🙂

  23. Rachael says

    I tend to be the from-scratch cook or baker for get-togethers. Lots of pies, tarts, tamales, homemade pasta, etc.. I’m essentially Grandma in 28 year old form, and I blame living on a mini-farm for perpetuating a wholesome, pioneer, I-bake-bread-everyday-image. It amuses me – I’m from NYC, and I didn’t cook a darned thing until I was at least 18. Let alone milk a goat.

  24. Heather Eats Almond Butter says

    Oh my gosh Katie, those are the cutest cupcakes I’ve ever seen. You are so darn creative – I love it, and I’m sure the cupcakes tasted great as well.

    My go-to party dish is my homemade pimiento cheese. I serve it with Stacy’s pita chips, and if I show up without it, people get mad…which I take as a compliment. 🙂

  25. danielle_veg says

    What a fun cupcake presentation, Katie! You really went the extra mile. 🙂
    I never go to a gathering empty-handed. Though it would be smart to use a go-to recipe, I usually take the opportunity to experiment with a new dish. The results are usually pretty good, though I err on the side of too healthy (according to my husband)! I rarely bring home leftovers, though!

  26. Katherine: What About Summer? says

    “I get that a lot”
    that is depressing.

    I am so glad that bear-shaped items can still be vegan. no matter how many animal products one cuts out of their diet, bear consumption remains. honey too! but not gummy bears I guess

  27. BroccoliHut says

    Love the idea of using Teddy Grahams for decoration! (Tasty decoration, I might add).
    I usually bring guacamole or one of the sweet dips (don’t remember the name) from Eat Drink & Be Vegan. They usually go over well:)

  28. Marianne says

    Well, I’ve never seen teddy grahams in gummi lifesavers, therefore I will believe you invented it.

    I make dishes for gatherings all the time. And either everyone is just being nice to me, or they all really like them. Not to toot my own horn or anything 😉

  29. Kate says

    Hey Katie!
    Is it ok if I hug my favorite deep fried food? I know “deep fried” isn’t healthy, but it’s mushrooms, so it’s not like it’s cheese sticks or anything ;). If not, I understand and I’ll be happy to hug something else!

  30. Courtney says

    I’m so glad someone else uses that nail polish trick! I always paint them the night before and they look great the next day after a shower! Not as great as your cupcakes, but that’s because those are out of this world cute 🙂 Also, Circle of Friends sounds really cool. I am going to look for something like that in my area!

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