Graduation Cupcakes & Diplomas

So for part of the youth activity tonight, we wanted to recognize one of the girls who is graduating.  Because I am a total foodie, I said I'd be in charge of doing something foodie and cute, since we had decided to play board games for the activity.

Being that I'm not super creative with ideas....  I turned to Pinterest.  And it totally delivered.  Although, initially, I was thinking I could bake a 9x13 cake and try to cut it into a graduation hat (this probably would have been disastrous), I found something much better.  (Here is the website with the idea for the hats.  And for the diplomas (though this is just a link to a picture...).)  Graduation caps made out of candy and put on cupcakes!  And then I found little diploma ideas to boot!  So here are the pictures of my caps... and diplomas:

And here's how I did it:

Diplomas:

Little Debbie Swiss Rolls
Curling ribbon

Tie curling ribbon around the middle of each Swiss Roll.  Use scissors to curl ribbon ends.


Graduation Cap Cupcakes

1 box cake mix of your choice (I used dark chocolate)
1 container frosting of your choice (I used vanilla)
mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Hershey's bars broken into squares (could also use Ghirardelli squares, but WinCo didn't have any)
brown mini M&Ms
Chocolate for melting (I used leftover Hershey bar)

Bake cupcakes according to box directions.  Cool completely.  Frost. 

While cupcakes are cooling, unwrap peanut butter cups and have all candies ready to go.  Melt chocolate and put into a small Ziploc bag.  Cut of small corner for piping out melted chocolate.  Using melted chocolate, place a Hershey's square (writing-side down) on top of peanut butter cup.  Put a drop of chocolate in the center of square and place M&M on it.  Allow to dry.  Place on top of cooled and frosted cupcakes (I transported these, so I put the caps on once I got to where I was going).

**  I had intended to do tassels, but got the wrong kind of candy... I was trying Red Vines, since the WinCo didn't have the Rippy Bits that the original poster suggested...  The Red Vines were too stiff.  So I just left off the tassel.  Still pleased with how they turned out :).

Loved these.  And so did the girls, particularly the girl graduating.  She exclaimed (about the Swiss Rolls):  "They look like little diplomas!!!" 

So yeah, I consider this a success.  They weren't hard, and it was fun!