Beautiful Halloween Cupcakes

I love fall season!  It just marks the beginning of so many lovely occasions, starting with Halloween.

Even though my children a no longer tiny—far from it—my youngest one still loves to get dressed up, gather with couple of his friends,  or give away treats to the little ones that come to our house.

I would be lying if I tell you that I give "healthy carrots" as treats to the kids that come to our house.
Come on now . . . we were all kids and we know that every kid can enjoy a sweet or two occasionally, and what better occasion than Halloween.

So I decided to share with you two of the cutest cupcakes I make at home during Halloween, for family or friends gatherings.

PUMPKIN-SHAPED CUPCAKE

This is a beautiful . . . almost too-beautiful-to-eat cupcake, but at the same time, it is super easy to do!

These are materials you'll need for both cupcakes featured on this post, in addition to your favorite cupcake batter and the cupcake pan:

• Cute Halloween cupcake liners — You don't have to spend a fortune, these cutie ones I bought at a dollar store
• 1 tub of white icing — It is a lot less expensive to make your own colored icing, but if you prefer the easier way, you can buy already colored icing in orange, green, and white
• Food coloring — Another great find at a dollar store.  (For orange, mix yellow first, and then start adding red, until you reach the orange tone you like).
• Orange sugar crystals — To save, you could prepare your own with regular sugar and food coloring, but the consistency will not be the same, and it will not quite the same either
• Piping bag — Believe or not, another great find a dollar store
• Gummy Worms

First I want to mention that I filled the cupcakes with batter a little higher than normal (which is 2/3), because I wanted to have a taller top, to help shape the pumpkin.

Using the piping bag, fill the top of the cupcake with orange icing.  Do not overfill it.

Using your index finger barely dipped in warm water, smooth the icing around the top of the cupcake and up to the rim of the liner.  It does not have to be perfectly smooth; after all, the surface of a pumpkin is not.

You can try using a spatula or the back of a small spoon, but my finger always works better for me, ☺

Sprinkle the whole icing with orange sugar crystals.  Use a paper plate to collect the sprinkles that fall off, so you can reuse them.
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After that, use a toothpick to draw the pumpkin veins on the icing,  starting from the liner and moving to the top center. I usually draw between 6-8 on each cupcake.  Remove or gently flatten any excess icing that accumulates on the top.

For a final touch, draw the pumpkin stem with green icing, and place a second liner underneath the cupcake, to give it a more elegant look.

CRAWLY WORMS CUPCAKE

Gooey-looking funny delicious cupcakes, ready in 1-2-3!

With a small spoon, cave a small hole in the center of the cup cake . . . you can just . . . eat that portion! ☺

In a small container, mix regular white icing with couple drops of water to it a little smoother.  Fill the small hole with white icing, slightly overflowing it.  Place two or three gummy worms on top, depending on their size.  You could use any other crawly gummy candy like spiders.
Place a second liner underneath the cupcake, to give it a more elegant look.

THE DISPLAY

Place the cupcake in a Halloween-themed color plate, and decorate with foiled-covered Halloween candies and props.  Happy Halloween!

I really enjoyed sharing with my you two of my all-time favorite cupcakes, and I really hope you enjoyed them too!

Your Turn!
Do you have a favorite Halloween cupcake or treat you would like to share with me?  I'd love to hear about it on the comments below!

Article link: http://www.joyfulsavings.com/food/beautiful-halloween-cupcakes/