Description
These Monster Cupcakes are a fun and festive treat perfect for Halloween parties. Featuring moist vanilla cupcakes topped with colorful, fluffy buttercream frosting shaped like monster fur, decorated with candy eyes and Oreo cookies to create spooky monster faces. Easy to bake and decorate, these cupcakes are sure to delight kids and adults alike with their playful presentation and delicious taste.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Gel food colors (red, orange, and green)
Decoration
- Oreos for decoration – 7-8 (large and small)
- Candy eyes – 30-35 pieces
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking tray with cupcake liners; set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt; mix well to distribute evenly.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat together the buttermilk, egg, melted and cooled butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in batches, stirring gently until everything just comes together; be careful not to overmix to keep the cupcakes tender.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full with batter.
- Bake: Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool Cupcakes: Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare Frosting: Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the softened butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, then gradually beat in the powdered sugar in batches until smooth and fluffy (about 5-6 minutes).
- Color Frosting: Divide the frosting evenly into four bowls. Tint three bowls with gel food colors red, orange, and green respectively, leaving one bowl white.
- Prepare Oreos: Gently separate Oreos in half, scraping off the filling to get two cookie halves from each Oreo. Cut single Oreo halves in half again as needed and keep smaller Oreo pieces intact for decoration.
- Pipe Fur: Fit piping bags with grass icing tips and fill with each colored frosting. Pipe the monster fur starting from the edges of the cupcakes working toward the center, creating a shaggy texture.
- Add Eyes: Using tweezers, carefully place candy eyes onto the frosted cupcakes; add as many as you like per cupcake for a spooky effect.
- Create Mouths and Teeth: Position Oreo cookie halves to form monster mouths on the frosting. Pipe small dollops of white frosting along the edges of the Oreos to mimic teeth.
- Serve and Enjoy: Serve the decorated Monster Cupcakes immediately and delight in the Halloween fun!
Notes
- Ensure butter for frosting is softened but not melted to achieve the best fluffy texture.
- Do not overmix the cupcake batter to keep the cupcakes light and tender.
- Gel food colors give vibrant color without thinning the frosting; avoid liquid food coloring.
- Using tweezers to place candy eyes helps with precision and safety.
- Oreos can be substituted with other cookie types if desired.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 314
- Sugar: 44g
- Sodium: 165mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 61g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 29mg
