Remove paper liners from peanut butter cups; place upside down on waxed paper.
Place a small amount of frosting on each peanut butter cup; center a mint on each.
Using frosting, make a loop for each cap's tassel.
Place an M&M on top of each loop.
Adapting the Base Confection
Swapping out standard miniature peanut butter cups for solid molded chocolate pieces alters the structural stability of these small sweets, because hollow or softer centers can depress under the weight of the flat mint top if the adhesive is applied too warm. When constructing these confections on a sheet of waxed paper, keep the ambient room temperature around 68 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the cocoa butter in the chocolate components from softening prematurely during assembly.
The Role of Adhesive Frosting
Commercial decorating frosting functions primarily as an edible mortar rather than a structural element, requiring just a pea-sized dab to secure the square chocolate mint firmly to the inverted cup below without squeezing out the sides. Applying too much tube frosting delays the setting process significantly, often causing the top board to slide out of alignment during the crucial thirty-minute chilling window required to set the fats. Selecting fresh frosting straight from a sealed container guarantees the proper viscosity, whereas old frosting exposed to air loses moisture and crumbles instead of gripping the candy surfaces.
Tassels and Top-Knots
Attaching the tiny candy button requires precise piping control to form a miniature loop that mimics a graduation tassel without pooling into an indistinguishable dot. Preserved or shelf-stable decorating tubes maintain a consistent flow rate, whereas handmade royal icing substitutes dry much faster and demand rapid placement of the final chocolate piece before a hard crust forms on the surface.