Halloween Cupcake Trio

Halloween is just a couple of weeks away!  Have you gotten your costume yet?  I haven't; need to put that on my to-do list, I suppose.  Anywho...maybe you have your costume, but still need an idea for some fun themed sweets?  If so, you are in luck because that's exactly what I have for you today - a trio of easy to create Halloween cupcakes.

First things first, you'll need to bake some cupcakes.  Standard size, any flavor will do.  Got those?  Good.  Moving on to the first cupcake...

The "Forbidden Bite" as I've termed it.  Or the one next to the arrow in the photo below:

Forbidden Bite Cupcakes

You will need:

• Cupcakes
• Frosting of your choice (I'd recommend either white or a light ivory color and a medium-ish consistency)
• Red piping gel
• Lollipop sticks (two to three will be sufficient)

How-to:

1. Frost each cupcake as flat as possible; it doesn't have to be perfect.
2. Using the lollipop stick, poke two holes, approximately an inch apart, in the frosting of each cupcake.  Again, you don't have to be perfect.  (You could also use a cookie stick, etc. to make the holes.)
3. Apply a bit of red piping gel directly over each hole in the frosting, then use a lollipop stick to slightly force some of the gel into the holes, but be careful not to fill the hole in.  Apply another spot of red piping gel just below the holes, and use a lollipop stick to slightly drag the gel downward, creating a "bloody" drip.
4. Viola!  Forbidden Bite (aka Vampire Bite) cupcakes.

Next up, pumpkin patch cupcakes (again, follow the arrow):

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

You will need:

• Cupcakes
• Frosting of your choice, tinted green
• Pumpkin candy corn candies (I used the Brach's Autumn Mix)

How-to:

1. Using a grass piping tip, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
2. Apply 2 to 3 of the pumpkin candies to the top of each cupcake.
3. Viola!  Pumpkin Patch cupcakes.

And, the last of the trio, lollipop ghost cupcakes (yep, there's an arrow for this one too!):

Lollipop Ghost Cupcakes

You will need:

• Cupcakes
• Frosting of your choice (any color, flavor, etc)
• Small lollipops (I used DumDums brand)
• White fondant
• Black food pen OR black piping gel

How-to:

1. Frost the cupcakes.  Any style of swirl, etc will be fine - it's completely left to your creative interpretation!
2. Unwrap the lollipops and stick one in the center of each cupcake, making sure you press the stick in far enough to go into the cupcake and not just into the icing.
3. Roll out the white fondant and cut out several 3 to 4 inch circles, only cutting a few at a time to prevent the fondant from drying out while you are working.  Apply a dab of water to the top of each lollipop.  Drape one fondant circle over each dampened lollipop.
4. Using the black food pen or black piping gel, draw two eyes on the fondant to create a ghost.
5. Viola!  Lollipop Ghost cupcakes.

Happy haunting!