Nuts about cupcakes

I ventured into cupcake-land again and attempted to make peanut butter cupcakes shaped and frosted to look like peanut shells. I'd say my presentation needs work. I mean, if I have to explain to people what the cupcake is supposed to look like...well at least they are somewhat close. Too bad my mixer overheated and now is unusable! The things one does in the pursuit of baking.

The culinary experiment wasn't a complete dud. I discovered the joy of tips--I don't mean post-meal money though those are always good. Tips for piping out icing. This is the first time I used one because usually, I get lazy about putting on frosting. But it was fun squeezing the piping bag and making a big, gooey mess. The artistic possibilities also make the whole frosting thing pretty invigorating. I plan to expand my tip repertoire some day.