Buy a container of vanilla fondant (Michael’s has it … and so does ABC Cake Decorating on Indian School).
Use a pirate head-shaped cookie cutter (zillions available online… or just make a cardboard template because it’s such an easy shape).
Roll the fondant out and cut out the heads. Make a template for the red scarf and cut those out of the vanilla fondant tinted red.
Make little red balls of fondant for the scarf knot.
Buy a small amount of black fondant (you don’t want to tint white fondant black… it ends up gray).
Make a cardboard template for the eyepatch and cut those out. Same with the other eye… and nose… and the smiles (I cut out circles .. then cut those in half to make two smiles).
Assemble your pirate face and let completely dry (several days) on a flat clean surface. After a day, you may want to lift and move them a bit on the cookie sheet so the moisture escapes underneath. When completely dry… add white icing dots on the scarf.
Bake cupcakes…any flavor…in plain white paper liners. Frost with any vanilla or buttercream frosting tinted a pretty aqua ( I use the food dyes from ABC Cake Decorating…just a drop or two makes the whole batch the color you want). Place on frosted cupcakes.
The pirate heads are edible, but are quite filling and sweet like taffy so they’re mostly for looks. Even when completely hard, kids like to crunch a few bites out of them!
