Pull Apart Graveyard Cupcakes (Printable)

Chocolate frosted cupcakes topped with crushed cookie dirt and edible tombstone decorations for a spooky Halloween dessert.

# What You'll 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

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
02 - In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the dry mixture to the wet, then add milk, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
03 - Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes 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. 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 the cupcakes. Decorate with gummy worms, candy pumpkins, or any spooky candy. Chill briefly before serving to set decorations.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The pull apart design means everyone can grab their own grave without cutting a formal cake
  • Kids go absolutely wild for the edible dirt and tombstone decorating process
  • These look impressively spooky but use simple boxed cake mix skills
02 -
  • Completely cooled cupcakes are non negotiable or your frosting will melt and slide right off
  • The cookie dirt works best when crushed into varying sizes, some fine and some chunky
  • Write your tombstone messages before pressing cookies into frosting to avoid smudging
03 -
  • Warm your frosting slightly in the microwave for 10 seconds if it is too stiff to spread smoothly
  • Use a toothpick to make tiny holes in cupcakes before inserting taller tombstones for stability

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