Creepy Cupcakes

Name: Creepy Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 9 cupcakes.
Ingredients: 1 package devil's food cake mix (regular size); 1/4 cup butter, softened; 3 ounces cream cheese, softened; 3 cups confectioners' sugar; 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon 2% milk, divided; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; Red and yellow liquid food coloring or orange paste food coloring; 1 tablespoon baking cocoa; Round pastry tip #3; 9 chocolate kisses; 9 semisweet chocolate chips; Black shoestring licorice, cut into 3/4-inch pieces; 18 white nonpareils

With chocolate bodies and licorice legs, these cute spiders on cobwebs will "catch" attention fast! They're easy to scare up, too—our Test Kitchen simply put a Halloween spin on cupcakes baked from a purchased mix. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 package devil's food cake mix (regular size)
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon 2% milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red and yellow liquid food coloring or orange paste food coloring
1 tablespoon baking cocoa
Round pastry tip #3
9 chocolate kisses
9 semisweet chocolate chips
Black shoestring licorice, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
18 white nonpareils

Directions

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.
Fill greased jumbo muffin cups with 1/2 cup batter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Cut a thin slice off the top of each cupcake.
In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla; mix well. Remove 1 cup; tint orange and frost cupcakes. To the remaining frosting, add baking cocoa and remaining milk. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert round tip. Fill with chocolate frosting. Pipe a web on each cupcake; set remaining frosting aside.
For spider, insert chocolate kiss, point side down, next to edge of cupcake. Insert chocolate chip, point side down, next to kiss. Place 4 licorice pieces on each side of kiss. For eyes, pipe 2 small circles of chocolate frosting on chocolate chip; insert nonpareils.