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Hatch a Bright Idea for Spring!

Beehive Cupcakes, Garden Cookies, Speckled Egg Pretzel Nest and Springtime Strawberry Cake

(Family Features) Welcome spring's bright, warm garden colors into the kitchen with recipes to bring joy and sunshine to your table. Keeping it fresh and simple will allow the imagination to create sweet treats for spring gatherings that will shower your family and friends with affection.

Be sure to stock up on the seasonal pastel color candies since these recipes can be made throughout the summer for showers and garden parties. The jellybeans are available year-round and will offer unlimited opportunities to decorate cakes and cupcakes that even the youngest child can help decorate.

For more spring recipes, decorating, gift ideas and family fun activities go to www.marsbrightideas.com

Beehive Cupcakes

1 (13-ounce) bag Snickers Miniatures for Easter, chopped
24 cupcake paper liners
1 (18-ounce) box favorite cake mix
2 (16-ounce) cans classic vanilla frosting
Yellow food coloring
1 (14-ounce) bag Starburst Jellybeans Original Fruits
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tube chocolate decorating frosting, with plain tip
2 resealable plastic bags

Unwrap and chop all miniatures, set aside.
Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Prepare cake mix, fold in chopped miniatures and bake according to package directions.
Let cupcakes come to room temperature.
In the meantime, tint frosting with yellow food coloring to desired shade. Frost top of each cupcake to cover.
Spoon remaining frosting into resealable plastic bag. Cut off 1/4-inch from tip. To create a "hive" on each cupcake, pipe on frosting in spiral fashion, starting with bottom of hive and working up to top.
Separate orange jellybeans from package. Arrange 3 to 4 jellybeans on each frosting hive. Gently squeeze chocolate frosting through tip in zigzag pattern over jellybeans.
Angle an almond slice on each side of jellybeans as bee wings.

Makes 24 servings

Garden Cookies

1 (18-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 large green craft sticks
1 (16-ounce) can prepared vanilla frosting
Assorted food coloring
2 (14-ounce) bags M&M'S Brand Milk Chocolate Candies for Easter
6 6-inch flowerpots or containers
6 Styrofoam squares or floral oasis

Preheat oven to 350°F. Knead cookie dough and flour together until smooth.
Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 6 tulip shapes (approximately 4 inches high and 3 inches wide) from dough, and transfer to cookie sheet. Gather up dough scraps and re-roll, if necessary.
Slide a craft stick underneath each cookie, and press it into dough. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookie sheet to wire rack.
While cookies are cooling, divide vanilla frosting among 4 bowls. Using food coloring, tint to pink, light blue, yellow and pale purple. Spread frosting over each cookie, and arrange chocolate candies on top. Let dry, about 30 minutes.
Fill flowerpots with Styrofoam.
Press craft sticks into Styrofoam. Arrange green candies around craft sticks.

Makes 6 large cookies

Speckled Egg Pretzel Nest

1 (11-ounce) bag Dove Milk Chocolate Eggs
1 generous cup pretzel sticks
M&M'S Speckled Eggs

Place 10 to 12 chocolate eggs in metal bowl.
Place bowl over simmering water and stir until chocolate melts. Remove bowl from saucepan and slightly cool chocolate by adding 2 to 3 more chocolate eggs and stirring until smooth.
Add pretzel sticks to melted chocolate and stir carefully until completely coated.
Form small nest with pretzels and use extra chocolate to drizzle over top of nest.
Refrigerate approximately one hour; fill with speckled eggs.

Makes 1 nest

Springtime Strawberry Cake

1 (18-ounce) box favorite cake mix
1 cup strawberry jam
2 (12-ounce) containers whipped vanilla frosting
Red food coloring, paste or gel
1 (14-ounce) bag Starburst Jellybeans
1 (16-ounce) bag Starburst Tropical Fruit Chews

Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake in two 8-inch round cake pans.
Let cakes come to room temperature. Cut both into matching strawberry shapes. Layer with strawberry jam sandwiched between.
Tint frosting with red food coloring to desired shade, then frost entire cake.
Separate yellow jellybeans from bag and arrange on cake, following photograph as a guide, to appear as strawberry seeds.
Select and unwrap 14 green fruit chews. Warm in microwave 3 to 4 seconds, just to soften. Using fingers, press all fruit chews into one piece and slightly flatten. Using a rolling pin, roll out chews until wafer thin. Cut out two leaves. Gather up remainder and form stem. Place stem and leaves at top of cake.

Makes 12 servings

SOURCE: M&M'S® Seasonal Brands