FAMILY
by Johanna Rosson
T
hese eerie-edibles will whet the appetites of even the pickiest little monsters! And they are fun to make too!
Monster Eyes
Skull Cupcakes
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) softened butter 2 cups creamy or crunchy peanut butter 1 cup crispy rice cereal 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar 2 (16-ounce) packages white chocolate candy coating, melted 1 cup fruit flavored loop cereal Red gel icing
12 unfrosted cupcakes 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips 1 can (16-ounces) dark chocolate frosting Chocolate Halloween sprinkles
In a large bowl, combine butter and peanut butter and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in rice cereal and confectioners’ sugar and then cover and chill for four hours. Shape peanut butter mixture into one-inch balls. Using a skewer or toothpicks, dip peanut butter balls in melted candy coating. Place on wax paper, and place one fruit flavored loop cereal “o” on hole from toothpick to make the center of the “eye.” Repeat procedure with the remaining peanut butter balls, candy coating and fruit cereal. When chocolate has hardened, squeeze one drop of red gel icing in the center of each frosted cereal “o” and decorate the surface with squiggles of red gel icing. Store Monster Eyes in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes about four dozen candies.
8
hoodhappeningsoctober2011
Using the top of the cupcake as a guide for size of skull, draw outline of skull, eyes and nose on white paper. Place on baking sheet covered with wax paper. Melt white chocolate chips in microwave as package directs. Spoon into a sturdy zip lock bag; snip tip off a corner with scissors. Using the drawing placed under the waxed paper as a guide, pipe a white chocolate skull on to the paper leaving the eyes and nose uncovered. Move the drawing over and repeat the process, piping out the other 11 skulls onto wax paper. Refrigerate the chocolate skulls to set. Spoon two tablespoons of frosting into another zip lock bag, set aside. Use remaining frosting to frost the tops of the cupcakes. Roll the edges of the cupcakes in the sprinkles. Peel the white chocolate skulls from the wax paper and place on each cupcake. Snip the tip off of the corner of the bag with the reserved icing. Use this to draw the mouth and scar on each skull.