Ladybug muffins

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 125 g butter
• 100 g marzipan
• 75 g brown cane sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 125 g flour
• 1 tsp, heaped baking powder
• 120 g chocolate flakes
• 24 chocolate Mikado sticks
• Food coloring, red
• some water
• Powdered sugar and mini M&M’s

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

Beat the butter and marzipan mixture on high speed until smooth. Gradually stir in the brown sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Gradually beat in the eggs (about half a minute for each egg). Mix the flour and baking powder, sift, and stir in briefly on medium speed. Finally, fold in the chocolate flakes. Divide the batter between 12 well-greased muffin cups and place on a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to approximately 180 degrees Celsius and bake for approximately 20 minutes. After baking, let the muffins stand for 10 minutes, remove from the cups, and allow to cool. Sift the icing sugar and mix with a little water until it reaches a very thick consistency. Stir in enough red food coloring to make the icing a really nice red. Spread it on the muffins, skipping out where you want the head to be. Use a few chocolate flakes to draw the center line between the wings. Place the dark brown and black mini M&Ms on top to form dots. Break off the tops of the Mikado sticks and stick them in as antennae. Decorate colorfully on a tray (e.g., a flower meadow).