Pull Apart Graveyard Cupcakes (Printable)
Chocolate cupcakes with frosting, cookie dirt, and edible tombstone decorations for Halloween gatherings.
# What You 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
→ Decoration
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:
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 the wet ingredients, followed by milk, then mix in remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
03 - Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes 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. Add vanilla and milk, beating until smooth and spreadable.
05 - Arrange cooled cupcakes close together on a serving tray in a rectangle or mound shape. Generously spread chocolate frosting over all cupcakes, creating a smooth surface.
06 - Crush chocolate sandwich cookies and sprinkle over the frosting for dirt. Write RIP and spooky messages on rectangular cookies with gel icing pens to make tombstones. Press into cupcakes. Decorate with gummy worms, candy pumpkins, or Halloween candy.
07 - Chill briefly before serving to set decorations.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The frosting to cupcake ratio is basically perfect because you ice them like a cake instead of individually
- Kids go absolutely wild for the graveyard theme and adults secretly love playing with their food too
02 -
- Frost the cupcakes while they are still slightly chilled from the refrigerator so the surface stays smooth and doesnt crumble
- Crush your cookies to different sizes from fine dirt to larger pebbles for the most realistic graveyard texture
03 -
- Use a small offset spatula to smooth the frosting between cupcakes creating that seamless cake appearance
- Write RIP messages on your tombstone cookies the night before so the icing has time to set completely