DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill cupcake pan with liners; set aside. Make cupcakes: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix together first eight ingredients. Add in next four ingredients and beat on medium until well combined, about 2 minutes. Pour in 3/4 cup boiling water and beat until well combined. Fill liners 2/3 of the way. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Make glass candy: Line a baking sheet with foil. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until mixture begins to boil. Stop boiling and clip candy thermometer to side of pan. Use a brush and water to wash down any crystals. Bring mixture to 300 degrees F, then pour hot candy mixture onto prepared pan. Set aside at least 1 hour, then break apart candy into shards. Assemble: Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Insert candy glass into center. Pipe red gel onto cupcakes for a blood drip finish.
1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg, beaten 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup white sugar for rolling 24 chocolate candy spheres with smooth chocolate filling (such as Lindt Lindor Truffles), refrigerated until cold 48 decorative candy eyeballs 1/2 cup prepared chocolate frosting Add all ingredients to list Directions Prep 45 m Cook 10 m Ready In 55 m Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with baking parchment. Beat shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat egg into the creamy mixture until fully incorporated. Stir milk and vanilla extract into the mixture until smooth. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl; add to the wet mixture in the large bowl and stir until completely incorporated into a dough. Divide and shape dough into 48 balls. Spread 1/4 cup white sugar into a wide, shallow bowl. Roll dough balls in sugar to coat and arrange about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and quickly press a dimple into the middle of each cookie using the blunt end of a wooden spoon. Cool cookies on sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Cut each chocolate sphere into two hemispheres. Put one piece atop each cookie with the rounded side facing upwards. Spoon frosting into a pastry bag with a small round tip or a plastic freezer bag with one end snipped off. Dab a small amount of frosting onto the back of each candy eyeball and stick two onto each chocolate candy to resemble eyes. Then pipe frosting in four thin lines, starting at the base of the candy, on each side atop the cookie to resemble spider legs. Let frosting harden at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Store cookies in an airtight container. Footnotes Cook's Notes: I have a wooden citrus reamer that works great for making dimples in the cookies. Keeping the chocolate candy chilled makes it easier to slice in half. The centers are on the soft side and will bend or crack if too warm.
INGREDIENTS 2 green apples, each quartered sunflower butter 32 sunflower seeds 2-3 strawberries, sliced 1-2 homemade googly eyes per apple bite INSTRUCTIONS Cut the middles out of each quarter of the apple to create a mouth. Don't worry about perfection, you are filling this gap with sunbutter anyway so if you cut too deep, you can always just cover it up and no one will know. Coat the inside of the cut gap with a filling of sunflower butter. Place 4 sunflower seeds on the top of the "mouth" for the teeth. Place 1 sliced strawberry inside the mouth for the tongue. "Glue" each eye above the mouth with a dab of sunbutter to stick.
Place a fudge stripe cookie with bottom side up onto a work surface. Smear a small dab (about 1/8 teaspoon) of honey onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss, and secure the candy piece to the center of the cookie, covering the hole. Use decorating gel to pipe a small bow onto the cookie at the base of the candy piece. Repeat with remaining ingredients.