Ideas for Horse Cookies & Cupcakes

Hosting a themed party means paying attention to lots of details, not least of which is the menu. If you are throwing a pony party or just whipping up some sweets for a horse-lover in your life, there are many ways to incorporate a horse-theme into the treats. You don't have to be an artist or professional baker to make some tasty and adorable desserts to help you set the mood for your pony party. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Horse Cookie Cutters and Toast Press

The first idea that probably comes to mind is to use a horse-shaped cookie cutter to make a batch of cookies. Go a step further and use cookie cutters of horse-related items, too, such as riding boots, horse shoes, cowboy hats and lassos. The tool used for pressing images onto bread for toast will work on sugar cookies, too, so find one with a horse theme and make larger, square cookies; then imprint the image from the toast press into the dough.

Horse Head Candy Cupcakes

Make cupcakes look like little horses easily using fun-sized candy bars. Frost the cupcakes with chocolate icing and place a small candy bar near the edge. Use candy such as Milky Way or Three Musketeers, which have a smooth finish and are not too flat. The candy will be the horse's head. Use a toothpick to apply two tiny bits of icing on the bar for eyes and two for nostrils. Add shredded coconut for the mane. For a patch-work pony, ice the cupcake in vanilla and then add some spots of chocolate icing.

Painted Pony Cookies

Acquire a stencil with a horse theme and use this as a guide for painting cookies. Edible paint can be made from corn starch or egg yolk (only for painting unbaked cookies) or you can make "paint" from a type of icing called royal icing which is powdered sugar-based and can be applied after the cookies have cooled. Kids can help during the party by painting their own horse designs with the stencils. If you don't have stencils, you can make your own template by cutting out an image printed on card stock and painting using the outline.

Horses' Favorite Cupcakes

Instead of making treats that are shaped like horses, try making some treats that horses would like to eat. Haystack cupcakes can be tasty and simple. Ice a batch of cupcakes, leaving a little hill of icing in the center. Lay pretzels around the mound vertically---dip these in butterscotch or caramel first to look even more like hay and taste even better. You can also make "horse's favorite cupcakes" by including ingredients that horses like to eat; for instance apple cupcakes, oat cupcakes or carrot-raisin cupcakes. Top each one with either an apple slice, a sprinkle of oats or shredded carrot.