Halloween Witch Hat Cupcakes with Squeeze Tube Frosting

Serves 24 in about 1 hour. An oven recipe built around dark chocolate cake and tub dark chocolate.

Ingredients

• 1 (15.25 oz) box dark chocolate cake mix
• 3 eggs (or follow package amount)
• ½ cup oil (or follow package amount)
• 1 ¼ cups water (or follow package amount)
• 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 34 drops green food coloring
• 3 drops yellow food coloring
• 2 drops blue food coloring
• 24 chocolate sandwich cookies with green (mint) filling, or any type you want
• 24 dark chocolate kisses candy
• 1 (16 oz) tub dark chocolate frosting
• 1 small squeeze tube of green frosting

Method

1. Warm oven to 350° F (or follow cake mix package temperature).
2. Prepare the cake mix in a mixing bowl and keep it nearby.
3. Use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir just until combined.
4. If you want the filling green, add the food coloring and mix just until color is even. Put the bowl of filling in the fridge to chill and firm up a little.
5. Line two 12 cup cupcake pans with black cupcake liners.
6. With an ice cream scoop, fill the cupcake liners 1/3 full.
7. Lift out the filling from the fridge and use a small spoon to add a spoonful of the filling to each. Discard any unused filling.
8. Top off the cupcake liners with the remaining batter, covering the filling.
9. Cook for 13 to 16 minutes, (or follow package time for cupcakes) or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
10. Lift out from oven and let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the witch hats by using a small dab of the frosting to stick the kiss candy to the cookie. Then pipe a small band of the green frosting from the tube around the base of the kiss candy. It's okay if they are not perfect!
12. When cupcakes are cooled, frost the tops of the cupcakes with the dark chocolate frosting, then place a witch hat on top of each.

More dessert ideas are in the dessert collection.