Wizard Cupcakes

To bake ice-cream-cone cupcakes, use your favorite box mix (not the "add butter" kind). Place flat-bottomed ice cream cones in a cupcake tray and fill three-quarters full. Bake as directed. These cupcakes are best made the same day since they get soggy after 12 hours.

Place a big scoop of icing on top of the cupcake to make the head, smoothing as much as possible. Add sugar eyes, icing "hair," a licorice or fruit leather "smile" and any other details you like.

To make the wizard's hat, use scissors to cut a sugar cone down to 2 inches (a parent's job). Coat with icing and decorate with candy stars, edible glitter or colored sugar.

For the magic wand, coat a mini pretzel stick with icing, sprinkle with edible glitter or colored sugar, and attach the sugar star with a dab of icing. To finish, place the hat on the head, arrange the wand nearby, and, presto, you're done.

Tip: If you use melted white chocolate rather than icing for the hats and wands, they can be made a week in advance and stored in an airtight container.