Daisy Cupcakes
Using kitchen shears, snip off a thin strip from the long side of a marshmallow to make a petal. Work your way around the marshmallow to snip off more petals; you’ll need 10 to 12 petals
per cupcake. Snip a thin round from the top and bottom of a marshmallow; press the cut sides into yellow nonpareils to coat. Arrange the petals on vanilla-frosted cupcakes, then place a nonpareil-covered marshmallow in each center.
Peep Ice Cream Sandwiches
Remove the Peeps from two 3-ounce packages but don’t separate them (you’ll have four rows). Turn a rectangular 1½-quart container of vanilla ice cream on its side and cut off a 1¼-inch-thick slab. Peel off the carton, then cut the slab in half lengthwise. Sandwich each half between two rows of Peeps and trim any extra ice cream. Freeze, then slice into individual treats.
Fake-Out Tea Sandwiches
Put out a dessert tray that looks just like a platter of classic tea sandwiches:
•For “cucumber” tea sandwiches (left): Mix room-temperature cream cheese with finely chopped fresh mint. Sandwich between squares of angel food cake with thinly sliced green apple.
•For “smoked salmon” (middle): Sandwich cream cheese frosting and thinly sliced papaya between rectangles of chocolate pound cake.
•For “egg salad” (right): Mix French vanilla pudding with mini marshmallows, diced pineapple, shredded coconut and finely chopped green apple licorice. Sandwich between triangles of vanilla pound cake.
Matcha Popcorn
Mix ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar with2 tablespoons matcha (green tea powder) and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat with 3 popcorn kernels until they pop. Add ½ cup popcorn kernels, cover and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until popped. Add the matcha sugar; cover and shake the pot to coat.
Strawberry Carrots
Microwave 1½ cups orange candy melts in a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Dip 18 to 24 strawberries (rinsed and dried) in the candy, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle some of the remaining melted candy across the strawberries to make horizontal lines. Let set, about 1 hour. Serve on a bed of chocolate sprinkles
Shirley Temple
Add a splash of grenadine to lemon-lime soda or ginger ale to make a classic Shirley Temple—or make your own pink soda: Combine 1 cup sour cherry juice, ¾ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook until syrupy, about 15 minutes, then stir a spoonful into seltzer.