Recipe: Sandra Lee's Chocolate Cupcake Critters

Just in Time for Halloween

From the kitchen of Sandra Lee

Ingredients

1 (19.5-ounce) box dark chocolate cake mix, Betty Crocker®

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups strong-brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

2 (16-ounce) containers creamy supreme classic white frosting, Pillsbury®

DECORATIONS: black licorice strings, brown candy-coated peanut butter pieces, black chewy raspberries, chocolate-covered almonds, chocolate-covered espresso beans, white candy-coated almonds, cream-filled miniature chocolate sandwich cookies, cloud-white cupcake icing, Betty Crocker®, black decorating gel, Betty Crocker®

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and coffee. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes, or until well blended. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.

Bake at 350° for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 2 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes , and decorate as desired.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Decorating Ideas to Create a Creature or Critter Cupcake

1. Monster Faces

Remove top cookie from 2 cream-filled miniature chocolate sandwich cookies. Press remaining cookie halves, cream filling side up, into frosting on upper half of cupcake. Using black decorating gel, pipe 1 dot onto each cookie half. Press one white candy-coated almond below the cookies for nose.

2. Mummy

Using cloud-white cupcake icing, pipe strips back and forth across tops of frosted cupcake, overlapping as necessary. Using black decorating gel, pipe 2 dots for eyes.

3. Creepy Crawlers

Press black chewy raspberries into frosted cupcake. Cut small lengths of black licorice strings, and press into frosting on each side of raspberries to create legs. For spiders, add 4 legs to each side.

4. Roaches

Press 1 chocolate-covered almond into frosting. Cut small lengths of black licorice strings, and press into frosting on each side of almond to create legs.

5. Skeleton Faces

Press 1 chocolate-covered espresso bean into frosting on upper left or right side of cupcake. Using black decorating gel, create a stitched eye and mouth.

6. Caterpillars

Press brown candy-coated peanut butter pieces across top of frosting, forming an S shape. Cut 2 tiny lengths of black licorice strings, and press into frosting at head to create antennae.

*Reprinted with permission by Hoffman Media, LLC www.semihomemademag.com