Giant Cupcake Snowman

Preparation:

You will need:

Ingredients:

Snowman

• Four 430g packages of ready-to-bake muffin mix (plus the necessary ingredients for the egg white version)
• 2 cups white chocolate chips for melting*
• 1 tbsp. ready vanilla glaze
• 1 cup orange chocolate chips for melting*
• 5 chocolate-covered marshmallows
• Two 23cm long strips of rainbow-colored sour jelly and ten 91cm long strips.
• 2 yeast-free donuts

Glaze

• 2.25 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• A pinch of fine salt
• 12 large egg whites

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line mini muffin tins with white mini liners.

2. Cupcake Snowman

   
   Prepare the cupcake batter according to package directions for the egg white version. Fill each cupcake liner halfway. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (10-12 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (about 30 minutes). Repeat with the remaining batter. You should end up with about 240 cupcakes.
3. Melt the white chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Turn off the heat every 30 seconds and stir until the hot chocolate chips have completely melted the remaining chocolate and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted chocolate into the center of a large serving dish or board (such as a 15" x 20" foam board). Place a 10" diameter foam sphere on top of the melted chocolate and let it set until it hardens, about 10 minutes. This will be the bottom layer of the snowman.
   
   
   Note*
   
   Candy Melting chocolate comes in a variety of colors and is designed for coating finished confections, such as cake pops and truffles. This coating does not melt at room temperature. Finished products coated with Candy Melting glaze acquire a caramel-like softness and a chocolate flavor.
4. Trim 5 cm from the blunt ends of three 12-inch-long wooden skewers so they are the same length. Mark the center of the sphere. Insert a bundle of three skewers into the center, blunt ends inward, sticking halfway up. Align an 7-inch-diameter foam sphere over the center of the bottom sphere and lower it so the skewers fit into it, attaching the snowman's head. Leave a 1-inch gap between the two spheres.
5. Set aside 5 cupcakes to make the nose later. Coat the bottoms of 16 cupcakes with melted white chocolate (reheating as needed). Attach them to the bottom sphere so they touch the board, creating a ring to keep the base from rolling.
6. Insert a toothpick into the top center of each remaining cupcake, sticking it out the other side. Coat the base of one cupcake with a small amount of melted white chocolate, then attach it to the sphere. Starting at the bottom, hold the top of the toothpick. Position it over the space between the cupcakes in the bottom row. Insert it so that the toothpick is hidden and the chocolate-covered bottom is pressed against the sphere. Working in batches, while the melted chocolate has set (reheat it if necessary), repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Continue until the bottom and head of the snowman are completely covered.

7. Carrot nose

   
   In a medium bowl, crush the 5 reserved cupcakes as finely as possible. Add the vanilla frosting and mix well until the mixture forms a tight ball. Form the mixture into a 10 cm long "carrot." Cut a 30 cm long wooden skewer in half. Discard the half without the pointy end. Insert the skewer lengthwise into the center of the "carrot," leaving the pointy end protruding from the base of the future nose. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
8. Melt the orange chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Turn off the heat every 30 seconds and stir until completely melted (1-2 minutes). Dip the frozen carrots into the mixture to coat completely. Transfer to a parchment-lined plate to set (about 15 minutes).
9. Attach the nose to the center of the face using the pointed end of the skewer. Press until the wooden skewer is no longer visible and the "carrot" is straight.

10. Glaze

    
    Bring a small layer of water to a boil in a saucepan. Place the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer on top, making sure the bowl does not touch the boiling water. Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and egg whites to the bowl. Whisk by hand. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar is completely dissolved. Attach the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture cools and stiff peaks form, 10-15 minutes.
11. Transfer a quarter of the frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe rose patterns onto each cupcake, starting in the center and swirling outward until the entire top is covered. Fill the pastry bag with frosting as needed.

12. Eyes and buttons

    
    Cut three toothpicks in half and discard one half. Insert the remaining toothpicks, pointy ends first, into the chocolate-covered marshmallow from below, being careful not to poke them all the way through. Use toothpicks to attach two marshmallows to two cupcakes where you want the eyes on the head. Below that, attach three marshmallows to three cupcakes where you want the buttons to be.

13. Headphones

    
    Cut two 12-inch-long wooden skewers in half. Discard the halves with the two blunt ends. Insert the skewers, point-side down, into the sides of the snowman's head at eye level. Trim the excess, leaving only 1 inch (2.5 cm) exposed. Attach donuts flush with the head on each side, threading them onto the skewer until they touch the frosting on the cupcakes. Place two 9-inch-long strips of sour jelly next to each other on the "crown," connecting the earmuffs. Trim any excess if necessary.

14. Braided scarf

    
    Stack four 36-inch-long strips of sour jelly on top of each other and place them vertically in front of you. Measure down 4 inches from the top and thread a toothpick through all four strips. This will secure them at the top. Separate the jelly strips below the toothpick so they are no longer stacked on top of each other. Start weaving with the strip on the far right, threading it first under the adjacent strip, then over the next one, and finally under the last strip (on the left). This should create the first interlacing. Pull the strip tightly as you go to create a neat pattern. Continue weaving, threading the same jelly strip in the opposite direction: first over the strip closest to it, then under the next one, and finally over the last one on the far right.
15. Repeat this pattern—weaving adjacent strips back and forth—until the jelly strip is completely woven in. Using a toothpick, attach another 36-inch strip where the first one ends, and continue until the new strand is woven in. Trim the remaining unwoven strips at the bottom. Use toothpicks to secure the "strands" of the scarf. Repeat this process, starting with four new strips of jelly, and then weaving a fifth one into them. You should end up with two halves of the scarf, each equal in length.