Halloween's a-Comin'!

Anybody have any easy, gruesome cupcake-decorating ideas that can be done dairy-free? I have a dairy-free cupcake recipe, and if you have an idea that is not dairy-free, that's okay too, because I can leave some cakes blank.

Sparky was particularly enchanted with last month's issue of Family Fun, which included quite a few cupcakes, the easiest of which was the brain, for which any pinkish frosting will work. They have an entire searchable database of cupcakes and cakes.

Somewhere else I saw a scarecrow face whose hair and collar were shredded wheat.

Thanks! Did you see those adorable Tiny Turkey Dinner cupcakes? How cute!
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinde ... y?id=40773

HI,

While this is not for a cupcake, it is for Halloween.

My Mom's birthday is just before Halloween. Some years ago, there was either Pepperidge Farm or Cool Whip coupon ad featuring a graveyard dessert. I make chocolate mousse spread in pyrex baking dish as the base with crushed chocolate cookies on top to suggest earth. I insert cookies into the mousse to suggest tombstones. Perhaps just before serving add some whipped cream ghosts. Of course, the younger family members doll it up further.

Mom loves it. It is just a bit off-putting maybe to sing Happy Birthday to someone eagerly waitng to blow candles from a graveyard.

Regards,

Awesome, a Halloween birthday party. If I ever get married, I want a 'Ween themed wedding. I think I've seen the Graveyard Dessert or variations of it, and it is awfully cute.

Oh! I just got one, thanks to you, Cathy2! (That rhymes nicely.)
Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate Frosting
Crushed chocolate cookies, optional
White- or dark-chocolate-covered cookies (preferably square or rectangular)
Icing such as flat, royal, etc.
Small skeleton or people candies, ghostie chocolates, etc.

Cut out rectangle from bottom center to middle center of top of cupcake, maybe 1/2-inch deep. Frost entire cupcake with frosting, including inside of hole. Sprinkle with crumbs, if desired, to resemble dirt. Write RIP or something on cookie, stand up at head of hole to resemble open grave. Place skeleton or people in grave, or ghost standing upright to look like it's rising out.

Here's an easy one.

Buy a box of animal crackers. Snap the heads off and dip the necks in red frosting. Decorate cupcakes with bloody decapitated critters. Serve heads in a separate bowl. Enjoy!

grace

swine dining wrote:Here's an easy one.

Buy a box of animal crackers. Snap the heads off and dip the necks in red frosting. Decorate cupcakes with bloody decapitated critters. Serve heads in a separate bowl. Enjoy!

grace

Ewww! I like it!

One year, we had overbought Halloween candy - a large part being "Dr. Scab's Monster Lab" chocolates. For Thanksgiving, I made "Toenail Pie" for the firefighters and paramedics (who, truthfully, were less amused than I'd hoped) Essentially, it was a chocolate cream with a layer of the toes, fingers, and ears which are realistically shaped even after the wrapper is removed.

Hi,

My sister's approach to leftover Halloween candy: she chops it, then inserts them into brownie batter before baking.

Mhays - I'm sorry it didn't go over big with the guys. It would have been a big success at my house.

Regards,

Thanks, Cathy2!

Your graveyard cake is in many ways similar to my mother-in-law's favorite practical joke: kitty litter cake. She actually buys a disposable cat litter tray and puts a mixture of baked crumbled german chocolate cake, crumbled cookies, and chocolate pudding inside, and serves with a new kitty litter scooper.

Cathy2 wrote:Mhays - I'm sorry it didn't go over big with the guys. It would have been a big success at my house.

Mine too! I think that sounds fun.

I LOVE the kitty litter cake idea, but I know my co-workers and boyfriend would be grossed out. Party-POOPERS (sorry)

A few years back for a halloween party we made finger sandwiches and used breadstick dough, and food coloring to create bread that looked like severed fingers. after baking split and fill with appropriate filling.

Check out Ramon's links on this thread I particularly like the bleeding cupcakes; may have to try those.

Just had to add these too-gruesome-for-chicken-soup images to the thread:

Okay, here's what I'm making for the office parties:

Sugar cookie cutouts in the shape of body parts, filled with cherry butter or strawberry jam, and sprinkled with purple and orange edible glitter or red sugar. Who doesn't like body parts for Halloween?

Speaking of which, we're bringing these to school per the D65 Wellness policy which apparently doesn't prevent lunches of waffle sticks, syrup, and cookies but won't let you bring candy on Halloween (not that I'm bitter or anything - tho, truthfully, I like the fruit salad/popcorn party they're having instead - no dearth of candy later)

They're also from this month's issue of Family Fun:

I'm too lazy to make stuff. So I go every year to Dulcelandia to get weird treats.



I was attracted to Ugly Betty candy, but it was made of tamarind with chile, and I'm afraid kids in the neighborhood would freak when their lips started burinng.



I bought some Trululu Cerebros, which are gummy brains; not bad, and just gross enough to appeal.



Ramon, look at these cool pinatas!



There were a number of boxes of traditional Day of the Dead sugar skulls -- note list of names, designed to be attached to skulls in honor of deceased of the same name.



Aside from all the packaged corporate stuff, they have a lot of home-style treats, too.



I love Halloween. Day of the Dead, too. Both days.



Dulcelandia
2009 W Lake St
Melrose Park, IL 60160
(708) 681-2946
http://www.dulcelandia.com/

Hammond

Mhays wrote:Check out Ramon's links on this thread I particularly like the bleeding cupcakes; may have to try those.

These turned out great - look and taste (I was initially reluctant because of the canned cherry filling).

Thanks for the linkRamon!

Vampire Cupcakes

(click for larger image)

Sazerac,

I hope your intended audience appreciates your effort as much as I do. Those are absolutely charming! It's also very reassuring you approve of their taste, too.

Regards,

As for my graveyard cupcakes, the results put me in a pissy mood.
The cupcakes themselves were fine. The frosting was a little stiff; a few drops of milk would have kept it soft but firm enough to still hold the gravestone cookie. However, the moisture from the frosting or the plastic dealie I kept them in made the cookies wilt and bend, then break, and the ghosties turned to marshmallow and started either leaning or "knealing". I was so upset, they were SO adorable. But at least my boyfriend's boss took a picture. So if you make this for YOUR upcoming 'Ween shindig, put the decorations on just prior to serving and leave them uncovered!

Same happened to me last year: we made rice crispie treat Mars Rovers which were goo by the time they got to school. Kids ate them anyway, tho.

The Vampire Teeth turned out really well:


Instead of all almonds, I used sunflower seeds for the little teeth, and toasted almond slivers for fangs (the caramelization reads nicely as blood) All in all, a great little non-candy treat, if a little labor-intensive - but after the apples are cut, a kid could do it.