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10 Brilliant Ways Cupcake Liners Can Make Your Life Better

How to compartmentalize a sandwich box and create a custom drink garnish with these pretty baking supplies.

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Create drink covers for an outdoor party

Keep bugs, leaves, and other pieces of nature from falling into guests’ drinks by passing out cupcake liner lids. Simply flip a liner upside-down on a cup and pop a straw through the center. Choose liners with polka dots or other pretty designs for an even more festive look.

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Use regular cupcake liners to create chocolate shells

If you’ve got a pack of foil cupcake liners you want to take up a notch, try this: Melt a batch of chocolate in a bowl and scoop a spoonful of chocolate into each cupcake liner. Use a spoon to drag chocolate up the sides of the liner until no silver peaks through. Sit the liners on a baking sheet (or in a muffin tin) and refrigerate until the chocolate hardens. Peel away the foil with a knife. Now that you’ve got a chocolate cupcake mold, the opportunities are endless! Fill the molds with ice cream or pour in a few hard candies. You can even bake a batch of cupcakes, remove them from their liners and stuff them into your new chocolate liners. For full instructions, visit FrostingandSmile.com.

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Slip liners into car cup holders

Make car cleanup a breeze by lining cup-holders with cupcake wrappers. Simply slip the liners into each holder and use as usual. When things get messy, remove the liners, toss them in the garbage, and replace.

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Spruce up a mason jar gift

Mason jar gifts (think brownie recipes, cakes-in-a-jar, and even home spa kits) are all the rage. Give yours an instant upgrade by adding a colorful cupcake liner to the lid. Either slip the liner between the lid and the screw-on cap, or layer the liner on top of everything and secure it with a piece of ribbon.

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Stop popsicle-stick drip

Your favorite low-cal popsicle stick doesn’t have to turn into a sticky mess. Catch the fallout with an upside-down cupcake liner. Simply poke a hole through the center of the liner and push it up to the base of the popsicle. These are other tricks for eating messy foods.

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Add color to twinkle lights

Create mini lampshades for twinkle lights by poking a cupcake liner over each bulb—it’s the perfect way to customize a set of lights to your party’s color scheme and add an elegant glow to your space.

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Bake heart-shaped cupcakes

Make your cupcakes even more romantic by baking them in the shape of a heart. Pour cupcake batter into liners (in a muffin pan) and drop a marble into each muffin cup between the liner and the side of the cup. The marble will pinch the cupcake into the shape of a heart. Bake as usual and finish with (pink!) frosting.

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Make adorable drink garnishes

Place your finger into the center of a cupcake liner and push the liner around it. Remove the liner from your finger and poke a toothpick through the bottom. Dab the center with hot glue to secure the liner to the top of the pick. Drop the garnish into a summer cocktail for a festive look (similar to a drink umbrella).

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Create dividers in a sandwich box

If you’ve ever wished your sandwich box had more compartments, try this: pop three or four cupcake liners into the box to create instant dividers. Now you’ve got a separate compartment for carrots, hummus, and a cookie (or whatever lunch you please).

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Package cookies for a bake sale

When it comes to bake sales, the most prettily packaged treats often go the fastest. Get your cookies noticed by adding pops of color with festive cupcake liners. Stack a few cookies in each liner and wrap in cellophane. Secure the cellophane at the top with a piece of ribbon. Try these bake sale recipes anyone can make.

Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest