Making monster cupcakes is a fun family tradition. It is just as much about the decorating experience as it is the eating experience. As a kid, I loved coming up with different ways to add freaky looking eyeballs, fangs, and nostrils. Feel free to get creative with the candy you include, but just keep in mind, the banana runts make great horns, fangs, or smiles and the white good and plenty make great teeth. Have fun!

Ingredients:

One box of chocolate cake mix with the additional ingredients required on the box (or make your own favorite cupcake recipe).

One container of frosting

Runts

Good and Plenty

Candy Corns

M&Ms

Mini M&Ms

Fruit Rollups

Black gel food coloring (to make the pupils for eyes)

3 or 4 different colors of food coloring

Directions:

1. Bake cupcakes according to package instructions. After letting them cool, place them in the fridge to chill.
2. Divide your frosting into 3 or 4 containers and mix in your food coloring.
3. Put the variety of candies into separate dishes and use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the fruit roll ups to make tongues or hair.
4. Bring out the cupcakes and set out all the supplies on the table to start decorating! Older kids and adults are probably ok adding their own pupils to the eyeballs of their choice, but I was the designated eyeball maker when my family came over to make these most recently. I dipped a toothpick into the black food coloring gel, wiped it on a Q-tip, pressed the Q-tip onto the candy, and twisted it to make a circle. You can also use Wilton Candy Eyeballs to make things simpler if you’d like!

Tip: I learned from a cake decorating friend that gel food coloring lasts WAY longer than the food coloring you find at a regular grocery store. I bought a 12-count package of Wilton Icing colors for $13, and when it arrived, I had a very distinct impression that some of these food coloring containers would outlive me!