Spooky Cupcakes

Ghosts rise up out of these dark chocolate cupcakes to put a little scare in your Halloween gathering!

24 cupcakes



Ingredients:

Cupcakes
1 (18.25-ounce) box Devil's food cake mix
1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
1/2 cup Land O Lakes® Butter melted
3 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Eggs
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla

Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Decorations
24 peanut-shaped peanut butter sandwich cookies
Black decorator gel or icing



Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups into 24 muffin pan cups; set aside.

Combine all cupcake ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed until blended. Increase speed to medium; beat until batter is thick and well combined.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin pan cups. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove to wire cooling rack; cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients in medium bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy.

Working with 1 cupcake and 1 cookie at a time. Push end of cookie 1/3 of way into each cupcake; frost cupcake. Spread frosting in front of and up onto cookie to give ghost a smooth look. Add eyes and mouth to cookie using black gel or icing.


*Substitute 5 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice and enough milk to equal 1 1/4 cups; let stand 5 minutes.