If you’re looking for some fun treats for your child’s class party, these cupcakes offer a bit of whimsy with a slight ick factor. Just use a packaged mix – I like Cherrybrook Kitchen or Pamela’s Chocolate Cake mixes and use your imagination.

Active time: 40 minutes
Total time:  60 minutes
Yield: 12 cupcakes

1 box Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix
1 box Gluten-Free Chocolate Frosting
12 large strawberries
12 gluten-free gummy worms
12 meringue cookies (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s)
orange and green food coloring (I use Wilton’s that I bought at Michael’s)
coconut flakes

1. Prepare cupcakes according to box. Cool completely.
2. In a zip-lock baggie, mix a dash of green food coloring to 3/4 c. coconut flakes. Get a bit of air in the bag, then seal. Shake bag thoroughly until all coconut is a nice, rich green. Set aside.
3. Prepare frosting and frost all cupcakes, thickly. Sprinkle each cupcake with coconut grass.
4. With a plastic straw (one from an athletic water bottle works best) and run through a strawberry, creating a worm hole.
5. Pull the gummy worms and work between your fingers to thin out so you can work completely through the hole in the strawberry, so that the . Affix strawberry to cupcake with a toothpick.
6. For “pumpkin” meringues, dilute a small amount of green food coloring in a tablespoon of water. Dilute a small amount of orange food coloring (or a red-yellow combo) in a tablespoon of water.
7. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the meringues with the orange water. Brush the very tips with green food coloring and set gently upon the cupcakes.