Cupcakes "Turtles"

Ingredients:

• 6 small green gummy candies (for the tails)
• 12 vanilla cupcakes
• 2 and 1/4 cups vanilla buttercream
• 3/4 cup green decorative sugar
• 12 green jelly beans (for heads)
• Black or brown gel food coloring
• 12 green mandarin orange slice gummies, cut in half horizontally and vertically (for the fins)
• 84 green-coated chocolate candies, such as M&M's (for the shell)
• 84 brown-coated chocolate candies, such as M&M's (for the shell)

Preparation:

1. Tails:
   
   Place the small green gumdrops upright on a work surface. Cut each gumdrop in half.
   
   Assembly:
   
   Cover each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of buttercream. Place green sugar in a small bowl. Roll each cupcake in the sugar, pressing gently to adhere.
2. Push a green bean directly into the frosting to create the head. Using a piping bag fitted with a #2 round tip, pipe buttercream eyes. Then, dip a toothpick in black or brown food coloring and draw on the pupils. Press the flippers into the edges of the frosting on the sides of the cupcakes. Attach the tail between the hind legs.
3. Spread a small amount of frosting on 7 green and 7 brown candies and gently press them into the frosting on the back of each turtle to create a shell. Decorate each cupcake in the same manner.
   
   Note
   
   Refrigerate the chocolate drops so they don't melt from the heat of your fingers while you assemble them.