We just love the fresh feeling of renewal that comes along with the Easter holiday, and we can’t help smiling happily that it’s another candy-coated holiday, too! We’ve been so busy helping the Easter bunny stock up on all his goodies for his Easter morning candy hop that we just seem to have forgotten how hungry we are for an Easter-themed dessert! Easter is tasted best with a bit of indulgence on top, and we searched the Internet over (okay, FoodNetwork.com), for the very best vanilla cupcake and buttercream icing recipe. We of course added our own BlairCandy.com twist to it – complete with Reeses Easter eggs and all ;-) The Easter Bunny’s Favorite Vanilla Buttercream Cupcakes Courtesy of: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/magnolias-vanilla-cupcake-recipe/index.html Yields 24 cupcakes Cupcake Ingredients:

• Easter-themed muffin cups
• 1.5 cups self-rising flour
• 1.25 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 sticks softened, unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing Ingredients:

• 2 sticks softened, unsalted butter
• 6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extra
• Gel icing in pastel Easter colors
• Your favorite Easter candy varieties to top it off!

Directions: 1.Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. While you’re waiting for the oven to pre-heat, tell the following Easter joke: Q: How did the eggs leave the highway? A: They went through the “Eggs-it”! 2.Line two, 12-capacity muffin tins with the Easter-themed muffin cups. 3.Combine the flours in a small bowl. 4.In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to blend the butter until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the sugar, and beat about three minutes, until it has more of a fluffy consistency – like the Easter Bunny’s tail! Then, add the eggs one at a time, continuing to blend after each is added. Start adding the dry cupcake ingredients, alternating between the milk and vanilla. Beat until well blended. 5.Once blended, use a rubber spatula and spoon to fill the Easter-themed cupcake liners with your batter mixture, so that they’re each about ¾ full. 6.Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick in and it comes out clean. 7.While you’re waiting for the cupcakes to finish baking, whip up your Extraordinary Easter Icing! 8.Place the 2 sticks of butter in a large bowl, and then add 4 cups of sugar, milk, and vanilla. Use an electric mixer on medium and mix until creamy, around 3-5 minutes. Start adding the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until the icing is up to par and can be spread easily on the cupcake. 9.Add a few drops of the Easter-themed gel icing to your buttercream mixture. You can even separate the mixture at this point into a few small bowls, and add different Easter-themed gel icing colors to each bowl! 10.Make sure the buttercream is safely guarded from the Easter Bunny, or it’ll be gone in the flash of a hare! 11.Once the cupcakes are completely cool, start icing them. Top them off with your most scrumptious Easter candies – think Mike and Ike Jelly Beans, Reeses Easter Eggs, Cadbury Mini Easter Crème Eggs, oh, the list is endless! The Easter Bunny is licking his lips over these “egg-celent” Easter Cupcakes, with Easter candy yumminess on top. Our Blair Candy staff is ready to take a little break from stocking our shelves full of bags and bags of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, and is happy to take a bite out of these vanilla cupcakes – before the Easter Bunny hops away with them!