Teacher Appreciation Week

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week.  I wanted to make a little something for Jackson to take to the staff at Princeton so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out some cupcake cones.  These things are all over children's magazines and websites, but I had yet to make them myself.

As it turned out, my mini muffin pan is the absolute perfect size to hold 24 cake cones.

I made a plain old devils food box mix and used a large scoop to fill the cones with cake batter.

Just pop the whole pan in the oven and 20-25 minutes later they're done.  You can see from the photo below that mine ran over a bit.  Next time I'll use less batter.

This is where it gets fun!  I whipped up some Buttercream Dream (bookmark that recipe - best cake frosting ever) and piped it on top of each cone to look like ice cream.

I had some sprinkles on hand so I added those for color, but the possibilities for dressing up these cones are endless!

Not bad for our first attempt at cupcake cones!

One word of caution:  they do not transport well.  I had them packed tightly in a shirt box with a cookie sheet underneath for support, but the minute the car hit the slope in our driveway I had a domino effect of cones.  They looked a bit rugged, to say the least, by the time we made it to school.  Fortunately, they still tasted great and the teachers appreciated them none the less.

Almost as much as this little guy enjoyed making them!

What about you guys?  Any ideas for future Teacher Appreciation Days or other fun edible gifts?