Popcorn Cinema Cupcakes

A few months ago, I was invited to an outing with some friends.  We would be watching ALL of the Lord of the Rings movies!  I was invited to bring a treat as well.   This would be a celebratory get-together.  Duh, its Lord of the Rings!  I thought about making Lembas, but decided that these would be more fun.  Popcorn Cinema Cupcakes!  Trust me, these are a lot easier than you'd think.  

Start with a box of yellow cake mix.  Create your cupcakes, using regular cupcake liners.  (They'll be covered up anyway)

I would suggest you create your "popcorn" while your cupcakes are in the oven.  Its a good idea for time management.  

For the popcorn, take mini marshmallows, and cut them in half.  On the top of each marshmallow, you want to make an X.  Like a piece of popcorn!  Make sure the X's are deep, but not too deep to cut through!

After they're all Xed, you'll take yellow food coloring, and spray it on the "kernels".  I don't have a sprayer, but if you do, Kudos!  Makes life easier.  No worries if you don't have one.  I took a paper towel, and put a few drops of yellow food coloring on it, and dabbed the marshmallows, making it seem like it had a drizzling of butter on it.  You can add as much as you want.  Also, you can use a paint brush, and it works just as well. 

After your popcorn is buttered, you'll then take your COOLED cupcakes, and frost them with white icing.  Before the icing looses its stickiness, you'll need to stick your popcorn on it.  Stick as much as you can, because my mistake was that I didn't have enough, and the party was in thirty minutes... Procrastinator I know.  I could have made more, but time was of the essence.  

Here's a shrunk template of what you'll need to give your cupcakes for a wrapper.  I would wait until last minute until you put these on.  The grease can leak through the paper, making it look less appetizing.

They were a big hit!  I saw one of my friends eat four!  Not too hard, and give the affect that you labored in the kitchen for it. ;)