Pull Apart Graveyard Cupcakes (Printable)
Spooky chocolate cupcakes with cookie dirt and tombstone decorations, ideal for Halloween celebrations.
# What You Need:
→ 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
→ Decoration
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 Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
02 - Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt separately. Add half the dry mixture to wet ingredients, followed by milk, then 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 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 rectangular shape. Generously spread chocolate frosting over all cupcakes, creating a smooth surface.
06 - Crush chocolate sandwich cookies and sprinkle over frosting for dirt. Write RIP and spooky messages on rectangular cookies with gel icing pens to create tombstones. Press into cupcakes. Decorate with gummy worms, candy pumpkins, or Halloween candies.
07 - Chill briefly before serving to set decorations.
# Helpful Tips:
01 -
- The pull apart cupcake method means no slicing required, guests just grab their own grave
- Decorating becomes the main event, perfect for getting everyone involved in the kitchen
02 -
- Completely cool cupcakes before frosting or your graveyard will slide right off the cupcakes
- The gel icing pens need a few minutes to dry before touching, or your RIP messages will smudge into unreadable blobs
03 -
- Use a small offset spatula to smooth frosting between cupcakes for that seamless pull apart look
- Crush cookies in a ziplock bag to contain the mess and get evenly fine dirt