Be Irish (even if you aren't) and Eat a Green Cupcake!

Everyone is Irish come St. Patrick's Day! So put on a green apron, and make these St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes from kids cooking at about.com! Surely you have little leprechauns at home that will thank-you with smiles and pots of gold for making these treats!

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• green food coloring
• For frosting:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3-4 Tbsp. milk
• green colored sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners or grease with butter.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Beat one-third of the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture, then beat in one-third of the milk, continuing to alternate between flour mixture and milk until all ingredients are mixed in.
4. Add a few drops of the food coloring, mixing until the desired color is reached. Pour batter for St. Patrick's Day cupcakes into prepared muffin tin. Bake 18-20 minutes.
5. Let St. Patrick's Day cupcakes cool completely.
6. To make the cupcake frosting, beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 Tbsp. of the milk. Add the additional tablespoon of the milk if necessary to thin the frosting. Frost cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with colored sugar.

Makes 12-14 St. Patrick's Day cupcakes.