Scaredy Cat Cupcakes
Planning Tip: Refrigerate loosely covered up to 2 days.
1 tub (16 oz) milk-chocolate frosting
8 unfrosted cupcakes, homemade or purchased
Faces: 8 chocolate wafer cookies
Eyes: 16 candy wafers; M&M's mini baking bits
Nose, whiskers and mouth: 8 red spice drops; forty-eight 1 1/2-in. pieces black
licorice string; 8 tiny heart-shaped candies
Ears: 8 large black gumdrops
Tail: Eight 8 1/2-in. pieces black licorice string
Spiders: 8 large black gumdrops; sixty-four 1 1/2-in. pieces licorice string
Spoon 2 Tbsp frosting into a 1-qt ziptop bag; seal, then cut off a tiny corner. Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting.
Eyes: Using frosting in bag as glue, pipe a dot on each candy wafer. Press 2 on
each cookie, then glue a mini M&M's on each.
Nose and whiskers: Cut top halves off spice drops (you won't need bottom
halves). Press six 1 1/2-in. pieces licorice string onto sticky cut side of each
spice drop. Press on cookie.
Mouth: Glue on heart-shaped candies.
Gently press face into frosting near side of cupcake. If needed, use frosting from bag to help cookies stay in place.
Ears: With scissors, cut large gumdrop in half from top to bottom. Shape each half into pointy ears. Stick into frosting, sugared side facing front.
Tails: To curl, wind each 8 1/2-in. piece of licorice string around a finger. Remove and insert into cupcakes.
Spiders: With a round toothpick or skewer, poke 4 small holes along bottom on opposite sides of each black gumdrop. Stick licorice string into holes.