Submitted by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
Authors of "Hello, Cupcake!"

12 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
1 16-oz. can vanilla frosting
Neon green food coloring
4 each red and blue fruit chews, (Starburst, Jolly Rancher)
1/4 c. white chocolate chips, melted
3 c. assorted colored candy coated chocolates, (M&M's)
12 brown mini candy coated chocolates (M&M's)
12 heart shaped sprinkles
Garnish; Toasted whole grain oat cereal "O's" (Cheerios)

1. Spoon 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting into a Ziploc bag, press out the air and seal; set aside.
2. Tint the remaining frosting light green with the food coloring. Cover frosting with plastic wrap until ready to use.
3. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Roll fruit chews to 1/8th thickness on a sheet of wax paper. Using clean craft scissors and paring knife, cut out twelve 1 1/2 inch and twenty four 3/4 inch triangles from the fruit chews. Score one side of the triangles with the back of paring knife.
4. Place the white chocolate chips into a Ziploc bag. Do not seal the bag. Microwave for 10 seconds, massaging chocolates in bag, return bag to microwave and repeat process until chocolate is smooth, about 30 seconds total. Snip a small corner from the bag with the melted chocolate. Pipe a small amount of chocolate on the unscored side of fruit chew triangles. Place on wax paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 5 minutes.
5. Spread top of one cupcake with green frosting and make smooth. Start at one edge, overlap the desired colored chocolate candies to create scales to cover 2/3 of the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, frosting and candies.
6. Peel the chilled fruit chews from the wax paper and insert onto the cupcakes, chocolate side down, as the top, bottom, middle and tail fins. Snip a small corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting and pipe a dot for the eye. Add the brown candy for the pupil in the center of the vanilla dot. Attach the heart shaped candy decor for the lips.
7. Arrange cupcakes on a serving platter. Add the "O" cereal as bubbles on platter.