Cupcake Graveyard
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
- 2 (16 ounce) packages vanilla frosting
- 3/4 cup chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
Directions
Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes.
In a medium bowl stir 1 package of frosting with the cookie crumbs. Frost cooled cupcakes.
Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a plain tip, with remaining white frosting. Write R.I.P. on each chocolate covered graham cracker cookie. Stand a decorated cookie on top of each cupcake so that it looks like a tombstone. Place the cupcakes on a large cookie sheet that has been covered with green paper. Place paper ghosts and bats randomly through the graveyard. Serve!
Witches' Hats
Ingredients
- 2 (16 ounce) packages fudge stripe cookies
- 1/4 cup honey, or as needed
- 1 (9 ounce) bag milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped
- (4.5 ounce) tube decorating gel
Directions
Lace a fudge stripe cookie with bottom side up onto a work surface. Smear a small dab (about 1/8 teaspoon) of honey onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss, and secure the candy piece to the center of the cookie, covering the hole. Use decorating gel to pipe a small bow onto the cookie at the base of the candy piece. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup white sugar for rolling
- 24 chocolate candy spheres with smooth chocolate filling (such as Lindt Lindor Truffles), refrigerated until cold
- 48 decorative candy eyeballs
- 1/2 cup prepared chocolate frosting
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with baking parchment.
Beat shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat egg into the creamy mixture until fully incorporated. Stir milk and vanilla extract into the mixture until smooth.
Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl; add to the wet mixture in the large bowl and stir until completely incorporated into a dough. Divide and shape dough into 48 balls.
Spread 1/4 cup white sugar into a wide, shallow bowl. Roll dough balls in sugar to coat and arrange about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and quickly press a dimple into the middle of each cookie using the blunt end of a wooden spoon. Cool cookies on sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Cut each chocolate sphere into two hemispheres. Put one piece atop each cookie with the rounded side facing upwards.
Spoon frosting into a pastry bag with a small round tip or a plastic freezer bag with one end snipped off. Dab a small amount of frosting onto the back of each candy eyeball and stick two onto each chocolate candy to resemble eyes. Then pipe frosting in four thin lines, starting at the base of the candy, on each side atop the cookie to resemble spider legs.
Let frosting harden at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Meringue Bones and Ghosts
Ingredients
- large egg whites
- 2 drops fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- 7 tablespoons white sugar, or more to taste
- 2 chocolate chips, melted, or as needed
Directions - Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
- Whisk eggs whites and lemon juice together in a bowl until thick, white, and foamy. Add sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking constantly, until meringue is shiny, thick, and holds its shape.
- Transfer meringue to a piping bag. Pipe 12 bone shapes onto a prepared baking sheet. Pipe 12 puffs to resemble ghosts onto the remaining baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until dried and firm, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven, close the door, and cool until completely dried, about 1 hour more.
- Dip the tip of a toothpick into melted chocolate and dot chocolate "eyes" on each of the ghosts.
