Pull Apart Graveyard Cupcakes (Printable version)
Festive Halloween chocolate cupcakes decorated with cookie dirt and tombstones for a creepy graveyard theme.
# Ingredient List:
→ Cupcakes
01 - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
04 - ½ cup whole milk
05 - 2 large eggs
06 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - ¼ teaspoon salt
→ Chocolate Frosting
09 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
11 - ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
12 - 2-3 tablespoons milk
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - Pinch of salt
→ Graveyard Decorations
15 - 6-8 chocolate sandwich cookies
16 - 6-8 rectangular cookies or biscuits
17 - Black, white, and green gel icing pens
18 - Gummy worms, candy pumpkins, or Halloween themed candies
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
02 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the dry mixture to the wet, then add milk, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
03 - Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack.
04 - Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, mixing slowly. Add vanilla and milk, beating until smooth and spreadable.
05 - Arrange cooled cupcakes close together on a serving tray in a rectangle or mound. Generously spread chocolate frosting over all cupcakes, creating a smooth surface.
06 - Crush chocolate sandwich cookies and sprinkle over the frosting for dirt. Write RIP and spooky messages on rectangular cookies with gel icing pens to make tombstones. Press into the cupcakes. Decorate with gummy worms, candy pumpkins, or any spooky candy.
07 - Chill briefly before serving to set decorations.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The look on peoples faces when they realize those tombstones are actually cookies is absolutely worth every minute of decorating time
- These cupcakes stay moist for days, which means you can make them the night before your Halloween party without any stress
02 -
- Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting or the frosting will melt into sad little puddles
- Crush the cookies into different sizes, from fine dust to larger chunks, for more realistic looking dirt texture
03 -
- When writing on cookies with gel icing, let the first layer dry completely before adding details to prevent smudging
- Place a dot of frosting on the back of each tombstone cookie before pressing it into the cupcakes so they stay securely upright