Stranger Things Inspired Cupcakes

Get ready to have your world turned UPSIDE DOWN this week as we are treated with a third season of Stranger Things!

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate 4th of Boo-ly than by joining our favorite adolescents from Hawkins Indiana solve the mysteries that abound in their small, sleepy, and positively 80’s town.

In honor of season three, I decided to create a sweet treat for the occasion and YOU can make these Stranger Things inspired cupcakes for your watch party or summer cookout (Eleven would approve).

I’m not going to lie…you are welcome to begin this recipe by making your favorite cupcakes from scratch, but with the weather being so hot…the lazy baker in my emerges and opts for quick fixes like boxed cake mix.

I went with a basic yellow boxed cake mix for my cupcake base. If you choose the same route I took, just simply follow the baking instructions on the box.

Bake those puppies up and while you wait, go ahead and get caught up on Stranger Things season two by watching IGN’s five minute recap (or just start to day dream that maybe Eleven and her friend Kali could make my over appear to be more clean than it actually is…)

You’ll want to be sure the cupcakes have cooled completely before decorating. I was scouting for some mini Eggo waffles, but I was unlucky and only had normal size waffles available at my grocers.

If you do find mini Eggo waffles, I would recommend you use those for your topping decor because they’ll be much more cute and whimsical and less shark fin-esque.

I made a maple buttercream frosting for my cupcakes from scratch and added red food coloring to make them pop. Food coloring is optional as I always find it is a bit tricky to get just right.

Here’s the frosting recipe:

2 sticks of room temperature unsalted butter (1 cup)
2 cups of confectioners sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
dash of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

First step is to add your butter into your stand mixer/bowl and hand mixer and whip until it is light and fluffy
Slowly add in the confectioners sugar while mixing and make sure it is mixed well
Now pour in your maple syrup slowly and mix on a low speed
Sprinkle in your salt and pour in your vanilla

and VOILA now you can frost your cupcakes!