About this recipe

Spooky, fun, and utterly delicious — these Monster Cupcakes are a Halloween classic that kids and adults love equally. Moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with a cloud of vibrant green buttercream, then decorated with candy eyes, chocolate chip "teeth," and pretzel "horns" for a cast of one-of-a-kind monsters. The recipe is straightforward, reliable, and endlessly customizable — swap the frosting color or mix up the decorations to create your own monster crew!

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to ![350°F]. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. 2

   In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

3. 3

   In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

4. 4

   Add the buttermilk to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined — a few small lumps are fine. Do not overmix.

5. 5

   Stir in the hot water (or hot coffee) until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin — this is normal and what makes the cupcakes so moist.

6. 6

   Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

7. 7

   Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Do not frost warm cupcakes.

8. 8

   Beat the room-temperature butter with an hand mixer or stand mixer on ^[medium-high speed] for 3–4 minutes until pale, fluffy, and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.

9. 9

   With the mixer on ^[low], gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt.

10. 10

    Increase speed to ^[medium-high] and beat for 2 more minutes until light and fluffy. Add green gel food coloring, a little at a time, mixing until you reach a vibrant monster-green. Add more for a deeper, bolder color.

11. 11

    Transfer the green buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto each cooled cupcake, starting from the outside edge and spiraling inward, finishing with a peak in the center.

12. 12

    If using pretzel horns, press 2 mini pretzel twists into the top of the frosting swirl, angling them outward like monster horns.

13. 13

    Press 2 candy eyeballs into the frosting on each cupcake — place them close together for a goofy look, or far apart for a wide-eyed monster. Press a few mini chocolate chips point-side up into the lower half of the frosting to form jagged monster teeth.

14. 14

    Optionally, tuck a small piece of fruit leather or sour candy strip under the teeth as a tongue. Add sprinkles for extra flair. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.