We made your doggie cupcakes for my daughter, Lillian's, 8th birthday from the April 1, 2008 issue.  She took 30 little Westies (her favorite dog!) and they were a HUGE hit!  They were very easy to make and all 30 were completed during the length of the Oscars!  I made some small substitutions that worked really well.  Instead of licorice jelly beans (a flavor some kids don't like), I used chocolate covered raisins which also gave it a more real looking nose.  And, instead of M&M eyes, I used upside-down chocolate chips.  Finally, I used Swedish Fish cut in half for the tongue.  They are very easy to shape. All substitutions were economical too because you didn't have to buy a few bags of candy to pick out the colored ones you needed.  Thanks for the great idea!

They were so much fun to make and I LOVE trying creative baking. What I liked about these were they looked like they would take a lot more time and attention than they actually do. Nothing is more frustrating than being told a recipe that is "easy" only to find out that it is really much more involved. Glad to see your book! I will definitely be checking that one out!

Nicole!

We are especially excited to see that Nicole and Lillian made some substitutions for their Westies. We love that thinking outside the box! And those are some great looking Westies. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Keep on cupcaking!

Alan and Karen