Caterpillar Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• A spiral of black licorice, such as Haribo (for the antennae)
• Green mastic (for the tips of the antennae, head and body of the caterpillar)
• 24 yellow flat round sprinkles (for eyes)
• 1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted (for the pupils)
• 2 chocolate cupcakes
• 1.5 cups chocolate American buttercream
• 2/3 cup chocolate wafer cookies, crushed in a food processor
• Mastic grass, for decoration, optional
• Special equipment: a small paint brush

Preparation:

1. antennae:
   
   Unroll the licorice and cut it into twelve 3cm long pieces. Separate two strands from each piece of licorice, leaving them attached at one end. Roll two small balls (0.5cm) from the green fondant for each pair of tendrils and attach one ball to one end of the licorice. Wrap the remaining fondant in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Repeat with the remaining pairs of tendrils. Set aside to dry.
2. Head and torso:
   
   Roll seven 1-cm balls of green fondant. Take one ball and attach a pair of antennae by sticking licorice into it. Using a paintbrush, wet the head with water and attach two yellow sprinkles to form eyes. Dip a skewer in melted chocolate and draw pupils on the yellow sprinkles. Gently press the remaining six balls together to form the caterpillar's body and bend it. Wet the top of the last ball and attach the caterpillar's head. Assemble 11 more caterpillars in the same way. Let them dry for 20 minutes.
3. Assembling cupcakes:
   
   Cover each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of buttercream frosting. Place crushed cookies in a small bowl. Roll the tops of the cupcakes in the crumbs, pressing lightly to adhere. Place a caterpillar on each cupcake and gently press it into the "ground" to adhere. Decorate with fondant grass, if desired.