I’m not a creepy Halloween kind of woman. Give me Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, adorable monsters that could either be Muppets or something you’d encounter in a Disney movie, cute bats, adorable spiders with googly eyes…I’m all for that. But the sinister side of Halloween, with psycho clowns and vengeful undead creatures and sinister yard displays? No, thanks.

These cupcakes – a simple caramel cupcake with vanilla buttercream – were inspired by the cuter side of this spooky holiday, including monsters that could indeed be Muppets or something you’d encounter in a Disney movie, shy mummies, and pumpkins made easily by simply piping with a star tip. I really wanted to make some cute bats and adorable spiders too, but maybe next time.

Ingredients

Caramel cupcakes

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream and Decorations

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Green, brown, and either orange or yellow and red food coloring*
• Candy eyes
• Note: You’ll need the Wilton piping tips 47 (basketweave), 233 (grass), 21 (star), 5 (plain), and 352 (leaf) tips for decoration 

*I think Wilton’s gel food coloring is the best, even if the little jars aren’t as convenient as squeeze bottles. The colors are richer and don’t cause my buttercream to start to break down, which has happened with other brands. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake tins with paper liners; this makes about 21 cupcakes. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and melted butter, whisking until no lumps remain. Whisk in egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly whisk in flour mixture until batter is completely smooth; it will be fairly thick.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of batter into prepared cupcake pans, filling about half-full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and remove from pans immediately; cool completely before frosting.

To make your frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar on low speed until the sugar is completely incorporated into the butter. Add vanilla extract and milk and beat to completely combine. 

To decorate, begin with your mummies’ it’s easier to start with white, then tint your frosting as you go along – just reserve enough white to make your green, orange, and brown for the remaining cupcakes. Frost a thin layer of white on each cupcake; add small/medium candy eyes. Fit a piping bag with a Wilton 47 basketweave tip and pip strips across the cupcake.

For monsters, tint a portion of frosting green and place a thin layer of green on each cupcake. Fit a piping bag with the Wilton 233 grass tip. Pipe fur onto each cupcake; add large, medium, or small candy eyes, whatever you prefer. 

For pumpkins, tint frosting orange and place in a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 22 star tip (note: my tip is more of a closed star, but when I searched online the 22 is now more of an open star – you can use either an open or closed star tip for this). Hold the bag directly above the cupcake and pipe up and down to make the pumpkin shape. Tint a very small amount of frosting brown and place in a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 5 plain tip; pipe the pumpkin stem. Replace the Wilton 233 on your bag of green frosting with the 352 leaf tip and pipe on leaves.

Store cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.