1Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.
2Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl. Beat buttermilk, vegetable shortening, vanilla extract, and salt into dry ingredients until thoroughly combined; beat egg whites into batter. Pour batter into prepared cupcake cups, filing them 2/3 full.
3Bake in the preheated oven until cupcakes are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool.
4Divide a container of frosting in half and tint half pink with red food coloring; set remaining vanilla frosting aside. Use second frosting container to frost cupcakes. Cover cupcakes with coconut.
5Break graham crackers into individual cookies and cut each cookie carefully into a leaf shape pointed at both ends to make 48 ears. Cover each ear with remaining white frosting and frost the inside of each ear shape with pink frosting. Stick 2 ears into each cupcake. Push 2 mini chocolate chips into tops of cupcakes below ears to make eyes; add a dot of pink frosting to each for a nose.
Footnotes
Cook's Note:
You can also use a box cake recipe. This cuts down on preparation time. Make sure when you cut the graham cracker ears to leave a point at the end to insert in the cupcake. Enjoy!