Making cupcakes that look like brains is fun for Halloween.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two muffin pans with 20 paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In an electric mixer, beat the butter. Gradually beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and add the vanilla.
Add about a quarter of the flower mixture to the butter and beat as well. Add about a quarter of the milk and vanilla and mix well. Continue alternately adding flour and then milk, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth. Fill the liners about three-quarters full.
Bake for about 20 minutes. You can tell when the cupcakes are done when they have risen, are golden in color, and spring back when pressed. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, and then turn them out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Add confectioners' sugar to creamy vanilla frosting to make it stiff enough to pipe. Add a little red and black food coloring to make the "brain" pinkish gray. Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes after they have cooled, and using red food coloring and a toothpick, draw red veins on the icing.
Makes 20 Cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Sweet food normally looks so mouthwatering-but not these scary treats! Let your guests eat them if they dare.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two muffin pans with 20 paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In an electric mixer, beat the butter. Gradually beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and add the vanilla.
Add about a quarter of the flower mixture to the butter and beat as well. Add about a quarter of the milk and vanilla and mix well. Continue alternately adding flour and then milk, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth. Fill the liners about three-quarters full.
Bake for about 20 minutes. You can tell when the cupcakes are done when they have risen, are golden in color, and spring back when pressed. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, and then turn them out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When cool, spread half the cupcakes with white frosting and half with frosting that you've tinted green. Create eyes, noses, and mouths using the candies and writing icing.
Makes 20 Cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Decoration:
One 16-ounce tub vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Frosting)
Green food coloring
Assorted candies
Tubes writing icing
You can have fun with your children designing ghoulish cupcakes for Halloween.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two muffin pans with 20 paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In an electric mixer, beat the butter. Gradually beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and add the vanilla.
Add about a quarter of the flower mixture to the butter and beat as well. Add about a quarter of the milk and vanilla and mix well. Continue alternately adding flour and then milk, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth. Fill the liners each half full with batter. You can also make mini cupcakes.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. You can tell when the cupcakes are done when they have risen, are golden in color, and spring back when pressed. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, and then turn them out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Tint the frosting green with food coloring. Spread the frosting over the tops of the cupcakes and decorate.
Makes 12 cupcakes:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Decoration:
One 16-ounce tub vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Frosting)
Green food coloring
Marshmallows (regular & mini)
Strawberry licorice laces
Licorice Allsorts
Gummy rings
Gumdrops
Candy-coated chocolate
Fruit leather
Sour tape
Nonpareils
Mini Green Monster Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put all the cupcake ingredients into a bowl or food processor and beat together until smooth. Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners and fill each liner about two-thirds full with the batter. Bake for 10-12 minutes until well risen and the cakes spring back when you press them with your fingertips.
Makes 36 Mini Cupcakes:
1 stick unsalted butter or 1/2 cup soft margarine
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To make chocolate cupcakes, simply substitute 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for 2 teaspoons of flour.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs into the mixture one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with the second egg. Sift the flour or flour and cocoa mix (if you want chocolate cupcakes) into the bowl and stir until well blended. If using orange zest, add it now.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners and spoon the batter into the liners until about two-thirds full for the spider cupcakes. If you want a rounded top for the bats' wings, fill the liners a little more (this mixture will make 12 spiders abut probably 10 bats. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes. Put on a wire rack to cool.
Spider Cupcakes
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a spatula, cover each cupcake with some of the melted chocolate, arrange eight laces for the spider's legs, and stick a Mallomar in the center. Finish with the licorice candies and M&M's for eyes.
Bat Cupcakes
To make the chocolate icing, beat the butter until creamy. Sift together the sugar and cocoa and gradually beat into the butter together with the milk using a wooden spoon. When the cupcakes have cooled, cut off the tops, cut each into three sections, and use the two curved ends to make wings (reserve the middle section).
Draw a V with black writing icing on the wings. Spread a thick layer of chocolate icing over the top of the cupcake and position the wings so that they stand up (you will need to cut small squares of cake from the middle section to position under the wings to prop them up). Stick silver balls on top of black licorice candies for the bats' eyes.
Makes 10-12 Cupcakes:
1 stick unsalted butter or 1/2 cup soft margarine
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup self-rising flour
(Substitute 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder for 2 tablespoons of flour for chocolate cupcakes)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)
Spiders:
4 ounces dark or milk chocolate
Licorice Allsorts
Mini M&M's
Bats:
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk
Black writing icing
Licorice allsorts
Edible silver balls
These ghoulish sandwiches look terrific!
Directions:
Gently flatten the slices of bread with a rolling pin to make them more pliable. Spread with a little margarine and either some cream cheese or peanut butter. Roll up the sandwiches and make three indentations with a blunt knife to form the finger joints. Stick an almond onto each tip with a little cream cheese or peanut butter to form the nails and add some strawberry jam or ketchup for the blood!
Body Parts
Only the bravest should get involved in this game!
The idea is for the players to plunge their hands into the bowl of nasty things they can't see and guess what they are. This is a very spooky touchy-feely game that will send shivers down your spine.
Have several bowls and cover each one with a cloth so that the children can't see what is inside.
Suggestions:
Peeled grapes for eyeballs
Cooked, cooled linked sausages for intestines
Cooked cauliflower for brains
Balloon filled with water for heart
Wet cooked spaghetti for veins
Gelatin for liver
Pumpkin Oranges
These oranges are cut to look like mini pumpkins and then filled with a selection of cut-up fruits or chopped gelatin.
Directions:
Cut a slice from the stem end of each orange and cut a small sliver from the base so that it stands upright. Hollow out using a small sharp knife and a small sharp knife and a teaspoon. Cut out eyes, nose, and mouth shapes from the shell.
Ingredients:
Thin-sliced white bread, crusts removed
Soft margarine
Cream cheese or peanut butter
Almonds
Strawberry jam or ketchup
