These 4th of July Cupcakes are sure to be a hit at your next patriotic gathering!

You'll need:

• Your favorite Vanilla cake recipe or boxed mix or store bought plain cupcakes
• 3 large bowls
• Icing
• Koolaid Packs, Food Coloring or Fruit Extracts
• Icing Bags and Decorating Tips (optional)
• Paper Sticker Labels
• Markers & Crayons
• Toothpicks

Instructions to bake cupcakes:

1. Mix batter, separate into 3 batches.
2. Add blue coloring to 1 and red to the other (you can stop there, but if you want some fun flavors, add extracts like cherry for red or raspberry for blue. Koolaid powder packets also work great! 1 packet per batch).
3. Take about a tablespoon of the red (eyeball it if need be for 1/4 of the total cupcake tin space as you want to fill theses 3/4 total
4. Do the same with white and then the blue.
5. Bake for amount of time recipe dictates.
6. Take your 4th of July cupcakes out to cool, at least 20-30 minutes or your icing will slide right off!

While cooling, mix up your icing! You can try this super simple whipped topping recipe or get store bought, whichever you prefer!

Instructions to make icing and decorate:

1. Separate the icing into 2 or 3 batches. (I did 2 but you could go all out and do three types for the kids!)
2. Color and flavor as you desire!
3. Add sprinkles or just icing to all cupcakes.
4. To make a fun design using the decorating ?bags and tips you can do a multi-color swirl by putting a little bit of each color, side by side, in your? icing bag.

How to Make Cupcake Toppers:

• With markers and crayons have the kids draw red, white, and blue designs, flags and fireworks on paper sticker labels (Use mailing labels or plain white stickers)
• Write "Happy 4th of July" in dark blue or black on the colored labels
• Cut them to look like flags/banners or just stick them "as is" to the toothpick
• Make at least a 1/2 dozen (every cupcake doesn't need a topper)

If you have time, get creative and go crazy with the colors and flavors, who doesn't love a tie dyed treat? Having the kids decorate their own cupcakes will be a great experience and will inspire some creative red, white and blue designs. No matter if you make these from scratch or use store bought ingredients, these cupcakes will be a huge hit at your 4th of July gathering!

For more kid's kitchen recipe ideas visit us on Pinterest!

Katy Stewart is a designer that specializes in print, packaging, branding and editorial design with a sprinkle of web, photography and ideation. An expert on Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign since the days of the blue iMac, she is a creative thinker who is always looking for a new challenge to tackle. She bakes delicious cupcakes, can't whistle in tune to save her life, and, like many a designer, has a love for iced vanilla lattes. www.popmilkdesign.com