Butterfly Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• Powdered sugar for sprinkling
• About 170 grams of yellow mastic (for the wings)
• A spiral of black licorice, such as Haribo (for the antennae)
• About 100 grams of green mastic (for the tips of the antennae and bodies)
• 24 yellow flat round sprinkles (for eyes)
• 2 tbsp. multi-colored flat round sprinkles (for decorating the wings)
• 1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips (for the pupils)
• 12 vanilla cupcakes
• 1.5 cups cream cheese frosting
• Special equipment: fondant roller or rolling pin; 5cm heart-shaped cookie cutter; 6 pencils, pens, or chopsticks; small paintbrush

Preparation:

1. Wings:
   
   Lightly dust your work surface with powdered sugar. Roll out the yellow fondant to a thickness of 0.3 cm, turning it occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick. Cut out 24 hearts using a cookie cutter.
2. Place pencils, pens, or chopsticks on a work surface. Place two hearts together, overlapping their pointed ends by 2 cm. Using a brush, apply a little water to the overlapping area between the two pieces and press lightly to adhere the wings. Drape each pair of wings over a pencil to create a butterfly shape. Let dry for about 2 hours.
3. 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.
4. Torso:
   
   Using about 2 teaspoons of green fondant, form a butterfly body about 5 cm long, with a head at one end and a pointed end at the other. Attach a pair of antennae by pushing licorice into the head. Using a paintbrush, lightly moisten the front of the body and attach two yellow circles for the eyes.
5. Assembly and decoration:
   
   Once the wings are dry, turn them over and place them between two pencils for support. Lightly dampen the center of the wings with water, place the body on top, and press gently to adhere. Lightly dampen the wings with water and sprinkle with colorful sprinkles for decoration. Let dry for 30 minutes.
6. Melt the chocolate. Dip a skewer into the melted chocolate and draw pupils on the butterflies.
7. Cover each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of frosting. Decorate each cupcake with a butterfly, pressing it gently into place.