Spooky Halloween S'mores Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 box of Brownie Mix
1 box of Vanilla Cake Mix
20-30 Drops of Orange Food Dye (or red and yellow food dye)
8 Sheets of Graham Crackers, crushed
1 package of Orange Melting Chocolate
1 Package of Spooky Spiders for topping (can be plastic or edible)
Spider Web image to use as Template
For the marshmallow frosting:
1 Bag of Large Marshmallows, each marshmallow cut into fourths
2 Egg Whites
1½ C. Sugar
6 Tbsp. Water
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla
¼ tsp. Cream of Tartar
Directions:
1. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Prepare brownie mix according to directions. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, prepare vanilla cake mix according to directions, but before stirring cake ingredients together, add about 20-30 drops of orange food coloring to create a vibrant orange color. Stir until just combined. If more food coloring is needed, add in 5-drop increments, stirring as minimally as possible. If using red and yellow drops, start with 20 drops of each.
4. Place graham crackers in a large Ziploc bag, and using the bottom side of a bowl or cup, crush until very fine.
5. Scoop brownie batter into each cupcake liner, filling them 1/3 of the way full. Then sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of graham cracker crumbs on top of the brownie batter.
6. Pour orange-colored vanilla cake batter on top of the graham cracker crumbs in each cupcake liner until ¾ full.
7. Bake brownie cupcakes according to the directions on the cake mix box. When finished, remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
8. While cupcakes are baking, melt your orange chocolate down according to the directions on the bag and allow to cool slightly. Pour into a large Ziploc bag or frosting bag, then snip off a very small piece of the corner or use a very fine frosting tip.
9. Lay a piece of parchment paper down on a cookie sheet and, using your melted orange chocolate, create your spider web pieces. It may be helpful to draw these out ahead of time, or find a template you can print out online, and place your template beneath the parchment paper. Once you’ve finished, set the cookie tray in the refrigerator for the chocolate to harden.
For the marshmallow frosting:
1. In a double boiler (over boiling water), melt down the marshmallows until they all stick together and don’t appear to have their original shape (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
2. Pour the unbeaten egg whites, sugar, and water into the double boiler. Continue cooking over the boiling water, beating with a hand mixer for about 10 minutes or until mixture stands in peaks.
3. Remove the double boiler from the heat and place on a trivet. Mix in the vanilla extract and cream of tartar, then beat for another 5-10 minutes, or until the frosting is cool enough to transfer into a frosting bag (or Ziploc).
4. Snip a bigger corner off the Ziploc bag (or use a bigger frosting tip), and once cupcakes are cooled, frost the cupcakes with the marshmallow frosting. Take your refrigerated spider web piece into the side of the frosting, and add a spooky spider to finish.
5. Serve your spooky spider cupcakes with a ghoulish grin!
