Red, White, and Blue Mini Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line forty-eight 1 3/4-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups.

In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

In a medium bowl beat butter with a mixer on medium to high 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until well-combined. Add egg whites all at once. Beat on medium-high 2 minutes. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low just until combined.

Remove 1/2 cup of the batter to a small bowl; stir in red gel food coloring. Place tinted batter in a resealable plastic bag; cut off corner.

Spoon plain batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Drizzle red batter over each. Use a toothpick to marble batters.

Bake 12 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Remove and let cool in pan(s) 5 minutes. Remove; let cool completely.

Use a clean small paint brush to brush stripes of blue gel food coloring inside a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Spoon Creamy White Frosting into bag. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. If desired, top with sprinkles. Makes 48.