Lemondrop Cupcakes

I love lemon.  It's absolutely one of my favorite ingredients. Give me lemon with my chicken, booze, shrimp, water, and now cupcakes!  We had a few potlucks last weekend so I had an opportunity to make a few new cupcakes for the masses.  First we're going to talk about the Lemondrop Cupcakes which were semi-homemade.  

Betty Crocker Cake Mix with homemade frosting - this is the way to go if you're in a hurry to make a dessert, buy a good mix and make your own frosting. There's nothing worse than frosting from a can, really guys, not good stuff.  So, go ahead and make the cupcakes, let them cool.  While your cupcakes are cooling, make some frosting. Start with a plain buttercream - like this one, but omit the whipping cream, use milk if needed.  

Start with the base and slowly add confectioners sugar, when you've added half, add freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Slowly add remaining confectioner's sugar, do a quick taste and decide if you need more lemon [start with 1-2 Tbls].  

Garnish the cupcakes with yellow crystals, lemon rind or candied lemon pieces [see above].  To "candy" lemon, slice a lemon into 1/8-1/4", roll in sugar.  Spray a pan with non-stick spray, heat pan and place lemons in the pan and cook for about 6-8 minutes, flipping once. Absolutely don't let them burn! You're looking for the lemons to glaze over and turn a slightly darker yellow.  

Roll the lemon slices back in some sugar and cut to an appropriate size for the cupcake. Serve & Enjoy!