BY 
Several years ago I had to transport some mini cupcakes and found they slid all over the cookie sheet I had set them on. As I was grabbing something out of the fridge, I eyed a carton of eggs and it dawned on me that those little wells were probably the perfect size for my little mini cakes. Sure enough; a perfect fit. Every year since then I’ve thought about doing some sort of Easter printable with that theme and every year I forget until after Easter. I probably would have forgotten yet again if it wasn’t for a trip to World Market recently where I saw a cute little baking kit and remembered my idea! So I came home and got to work. Mini cupcakes fit perfectly in egg cartons, and as long as you don’t go crazy with the frosting, the lid fits on there just right, too.
You can use just about any type of egg carton. Some stores sell half-dozen sizes; I’ve found at most of my local stores, it’s just a regular dozen carton cut in half so that’s what I’m using here. I’ve also found that often times the more expensive, organic brands often come in containers with no printing on the actual container, so you can just peel off the label. Just check your store and see what you can find. If you really want to get fancy, you can order plain ones online.
There’s also often egg cartons in the Easter candy section, like these cut little purple ones from the Milka Eggs. (If you need an excuse to purchase chocolate eggs and then consume them so you can re-purpose the packaging, there ya go. You’re welcome.)
You can leave your cartons plain; even with writing and labels on them I think it adds to the rustic charm. Or, just grab some craft paint and a cheap sponge brush and give it a cute coat of paint. This literally took about 90 seconds, so we’re not talking about a big ol’ craft project here.
If you want something cute to put on top, I’ve got ya covered.
(and thank you- now I realize it should be “laid” and egg, not “layed” the label download is correct, just ignore my spelling error in the pictures!)
I want a magic chicken so bad.
In fact, the only way you could ever, ever get me to be one of those people who raises chickens in their backyard is if it was the kind of chicken that lays cupcakes.
Here’s three really quick and easy ideas for Easter and Spring-ish themed cupcakes. First, my favorite, those cute robin egg cupcakes.
If you use a box mix, just add a little coconut extract to the batter. Top with toasted coconut and little blue jelly beans, or robin egg candies.
I also love, love, love the speckled egg M&M’s out at Easter. Those are peanut butter ones you can see in my photos and they come in the most gorgeous colors (which I would have photographed, had I not eaten the entire jumbo bag in the time it took me to take about 20 pictures of cupcakes.) They come in white speckled with teal, teal speckled with white, a fushia/purple, and a lime greenish yellow.
Next up, our super easy Spring Chick Cupcakes, click here for the tutorial.
And lastly, these cute Carrot Patch Cupcakes I posted on Monday.
So bake up some cuppy-cakes and save your egg cartons.
And imagine the surprised looks when people open up these cuties.
How can you not smile at that??
It’s like cuteness to the 5-millionth degree.
Happy Baking all y’all. First person to gift me a magic chicken wins.
(These are updated with the correct spelling of “laid”!)
Click Here to download the half-dozen size Egg Carton Label
Click Here to download the small square label for the purple cartons
Very cute idea! I think you meant to write ‘laid’ and not ‘layed’.
Haha, oops! I’ll fix it in the printable!
That was exactly what I was going to say…. super cute and it should be “laid” not “layed.” And those Milka eggs are addictive!
I fixed it, thank you! None of my many spell checkers caught that, good catch!
Yeah, gotta love the spell checker. Monday I submitted a resume. I changed the word “cell” (as in cell phone)to Mobil – in not one but TWO places. AND THEN… I attached and SENT it! It should have been MOBILE. I wouldn’t have been so bad except it was for an office job, too. sigh And to top it all off, I’m such a spelling/grammar Nazi. I don’t say much to other people but I see and hear errors and it drives me slightly bonkers.
*IT*
Oh, man. Can I delete that reply and start over???!!! lol
I’m just going to go to bed now (at 7pm). Perhaps when I awaken, my BRAIN will be in gear?!
These are so adorable! My daughter will love making these!
These are ridiculously cute. Oh my. Also, if any of my baby chicks turn into magic, chocolate laying chickens, do you HONESTLY think I’d give it away??? Heavens no. I’d send you some eggs of course. But I’m keepin’ the chicken.
Could you close the lid with the little carrot topper?
Sorry…I meant to ask if you are able to close the lids on the ones that have the little carrot toppers?
Yep!
Awesome! I’m thinking these would be AWESOME Sunday School teacher gifts!
Adorable! These would look very cute on an Easter dessert table too! I’d like a chocolate laying chicken too! Where can I purchase? Also, one that lays gold eggs would be nice in this economy too! 🙂
Sara-thank you for a good laugh so early in the morning and a fun post! Sorry though, no magic chickens. What about magic children that clean? =)
Love the egg carton idea! Would be great for transporting mini-cupcakes year round!!!
Your FB warning from yesterday was carefully avoided by some preventative measures on my part, but you are right- these are so super cute!! I’ll have to start saving up some egg cartons for sure! You totally rock!
ummmm those are adorable. I may have to steal…I mean borrow my mom’s mini pan just so I can make some cupcakes for an egg carton. Thanks for the super sweet idea!
Ha! These are so cute!
But as for the chickens laying cupcakes… Well, I have chickens and ducks, and, believe you me, you would NOT want a cupcake laid by a chicken. Or a duck. Eew. 🙂
Yes cuteness to the 5-millionth degree!!
Oh, sure! Just this past weekend, while making cupcakes for my Sunday School class, I was thinking that I really had absolutely no use for a mini cupcake pan. Now I see these and totally want one!! Very cute! 🙂
OOOhhhh, where do you get those Milka’s?!?!?! I have been looking for those for a very long time and haven’t been able to find them!
I bought those at my local Fred Meyer in the Easter section 🙂
Oh my goodness, gracious!! How adorable! 🙂 I hope I have time to make these, clever, clever!
So nice and cute! Do you recomend us some specific kind of paint for this?
In the pics your results look sooo profesional!! Congratulations and thanks a lot!!
Just plain ol’ cheap craft paint!
Oh how cute! What a great idea to just cut an egg carton in half and paint it!
These are darling!! I need to make some for our Easter egg hunt at church. I usually just bring the same old fruity pebbles rice crispies treats. my kids would have fun decorating, but I’m not sure the chicks would be recognizable!!
These are so cute! What a great idea, I never would have thought to use an egg carton for cupcakes.
Cute idea, but aren’t you worried about bacteria on the egg cartons? I understand now days the risk is less but there still is a potential hazard. Just curious if you had any egg carton sanitizing tips. 🙂
Okay–I was not planning on doing any sort of Easter project this year, but I just can’t stop thinking about these adorable little cupcakes in these adorable little packages! The cuteness! It’s too much! I must make them!
I love your ideas and the kids had a great time making not only the mini cupcakes but the containers!!!!
This is so cute! Thanks for sharing.
These are adorable! The download still has the incorrect spelling. Could you post the correct spelling or email it to me?
Thanks!!
misty-mouse@cox.net
These look adorable! do you think they’d still be good if I made them full-sized and put raspberry jam in the middle?
Thanks so much for sharing your printables,! So cute. I had the clear plastic egg cartons — I cut them to size and added small strips of printed paper to sides for color. It was different but was cool to see the cupcakes inside. Again– thank you for sharing. I am giving to family at our Easter lunch & egg hunt.
I have a question for you. I made cute cupcakes for Easter with some coconut tinted green for the grass and the children all told me that they were gross and they didn’t like coconut. The grown up in me wants to make stuff that they will eat so do you have any ideas of what I can use for the “grass” on the cupcakes that isn’t coconut? I have a frosting tip that I could use to “pipe” grass on the tops of the cupcakes but that seems like too much work. The child in me wanted to shove my cute cupcakes in their faces!!! I was taught if you didn’t like something, just don’t eat it. LOL.
Haha, kids can be such punks sometimes, right?? lol! Yes, I was going to say- I have a grass piping tip; I would probably use that. Or green sprinkles, kids can’t complain about sprinkles!
Thanks. I didn’t think about green sprinkles. I have some of those for “next time.”
Sue
I made these for the ladies I VT and they were a hit!! They thought they were so cute they didn’t want to eat them. 🙂 Thanks for the great idea!
LOOOOOOVE this!!
Very creative!
This is such a good idea!