Pina Colada Cupcakes

These little beauties are always such a great hit anywhere I take them.  They are so fancy and pretty, that everyone just has to try at least one, maybe even two.  With a nice subtle brightness and extra moistness from the pineapple jell-o and a cool sugary crunch on top, they just can't be wrong.  Oh no, wrong is definitely not what these cupcakes are.  They are anything but that.

1 box of white cake mix (batter prepared as directed)
1 box of Island Pineapple Instant Jell-O mix
1-2 containers of either white or vanilla cake frosting
1/2 cup of shredded baking coconut

-Prepare your cake batter in a large mixing bowl as directed on the back of it's box.  Stir in the jell-o mix until just about blended, but not quite.  Spoon 3/4's of the way into a paper lined muffin pan.  Bake as directed on the back of the cake mix box for cupcakes.  Once done, remove cupcakes to cool on a wire cookie rack (keeps them from getting 'soggy bottoms').  Meanwhile, for the coconut, preheat the oven to 350*.  Thinly spread out the coconut in a light layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake it for 5-10 minutes, making sure to watch it very carefully after the first 5 minutes (I like mine to be a light tinge of tan).  Once your cupcakes are completely cooled, you can frost them.  Spoon the cake frosting into a Ziploc baggie, squeeze it all down into 1 corner and twist of the top to make a carrot shape.  Then just snip off a bit of the bottom point and pipe it onto the cupcakes and sprinkle their tops with the toasted coconut.  Makes 24.  Enjoy!