Pull Apart Graveyard Cupcakes (Printable Version)

Spooky chocolate cupcakes with cookie dirt and tombstone decorations

# What You'll 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

→ Graveyard Decorations

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 Make It:

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 in a separate bowl. Add half the dry mixture to wet ingredients, followed by milk, then remaining dry ingredients. Mix 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. Incorporate 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 effect. Write RIP and spooky messages on rectangular cookies with gel icing to create tombstones. Press into cupcakes. Decorate with gummy worms, candy pumpkins, or Halloween candies.
07 - Refrigerate briefly to set decorations before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The pull apart design means everyone gets the perfect ratio of cake to dirt to frosting
  • Kids go absolutely wild for the graveyard theme and will fight over who gets the gummy worms
  • You can bake and frost everything the day before then just decorate when party time arrives
02 -
  • The cupcakes must be completely cool before frosting or the frosting will melt right off
  • Crush cookies into various sizes from fine dirt to larger chunks for realistic texture
  • Write messages on tombstone cookies before pressing them into cupcakes to avoid breaking them
03 -
  • Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the frosting for mocha flavor
  • Warm the frosting slightly in the microwave for 10 seconds if it becomes too stiff to spread

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