Soondey Broonch: Kermeet Coopceks Bork Bork Bork!

November 27, 2011

Velcume-a tu Mooppets Veek oon Soondey Broonch! Tudey ve-a veell be-a mekeeng Kermeet coopcekes useeng zee poompkeen mooffffeens und zee creem cheese-a frusteeng lefft oofer frum Thunksgeefing. Veet a foo ixtra decureteeng tuuls und a leettle-a imegeeneshun ve'll Mooppeteeze-a sume-a fuud! Bork Bork Bork!

Swedish Chef, Swedish Chef, no one understands what you're saying! Sorry, readers, I know it is Muppets week but for your sanity and for those who actually want to make this week's treat, I had to tell Swedish Chef to sit and watch instead.

Welcome to the exciting conclusion of Muppets Week with Sunday Brunch! Today we will be making Kermit cupcakes using pumpkin muffins and cream cheese frosting I had left over from Thanksgiving. With a few extra decorating tools and a little imagination we'll Muppetize some food! It's been a while since we made something on Sunday Brunch, so grab your favorite apron, your trusy spatula, and your favorite recipes, it's time to get cooking with Reuben again.

All you need is:
- Your favorite kind of cupcake
- Frosting that holds up well (cream cheese frosting is a little too soft)
- Circular cookies, candies, chocolates, anything for eyes
- Black frosting to draw with
- Paring knife
- Pastry bag and large straight tube OR plastic bag with zipper element*
- Your favorite Kermit for reference

*Thanks to 'Hello, Cupcake' I learned a cheaper, easier way to pipe frosting is by using a plastic bag that zips and locks. Fill your bag with the frosting and zip it, then wrap scotch tape around one corner to reinforce the tip. Snip the corner as needed. A straight snip cutting off a part of the corner will allow you to pipe as needed for this project.

As with any culinary project, before you can start, mise en place all of the components; get everything you need ready and in its place. So first, we'll color the frosting. I used a leaf green Wilton color gel. The shade wasn't quite right compared to my Kermit Mickey Mouse ears (this is why we have a reference!), so I threw a bit of lemon yellow to get to more of a lime colored shade of green to match Kermit.

Next, prepare your cupcake to add height. Using your paring knife, hold it at an angle and cut out a cone shaped piece of the cupcake/muffin. Fill the hole in the cupcake with either frosting or a mousse filling, or whatever you desire! Next place the cupcake cone on top.

Using your pastry bag or makeshift pastry bag, pipe frosting around the base and the cone. If you don't like the 'ridges' look you can smooth out the frosting with an offset spatula or knife. The key is to keep the cupcake looking rounded and not cone like. Mimic the shape of Kermit's head. To make the eyes, cover your circular decoration (I used Vanilla Wafer cookies) with white frosting. Pipe black frosting in the shape of Kermit's eyes: a circle with a thick line through it. You can use a small straight tip on your pastry bag or snip a tiny hole in the corner of your plastic bag to use it to draw with. Make sure to use your reference! Stick the eyes on the side and enjoy the rainbow connection of Muppetized food.