Description
These Bat Cupcakes are a perfect Halloween treat combining rich chocolate flavor with a fun and spooky bat design made from Oreo cookies and candy eyes. Moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with a creamy homemade chocolate frosting and decorated with adorable Oreo bat toppers, making them a festive dessert sure to delight kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- ½ cup salted butter (softened)
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter (softened)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup heavy cream (or hot water)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 ounce semi-sweet baking bar (melted and cooled)
Decorations
- 1 package standard Oreo cookies (extra recommended to account for breakage)
- 1 package mini Oreo cookies
- 20 pairs of candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Tins: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line standard size muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Mix Cupcake Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the chocolate cake mix, softened butter, eggs, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat initially on low speed for 1 minute to combine, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 2 minutes until smooth.
- Fill Cupcake Liners and Bake: Fill each cupcake liner about halfway with the prepared batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove and allow cupcakes to cool completely.
- Melt Chocolate for Frosting: Chop the semi-sweet baking chocolate bar into small pieces. Melt using a double boiler or microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between until fully melted. Allow to cool so it is no longer hot to touch but not hardened.
- Prepare Cocoa Mixture: Stir together the unsweetened cocoa powder and hot heavy cream (or hot water) using a whisk until smooth and shiny.
- Make Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, melted cooled chocolate, cocoa mixture, and powdered sugar together until fully combined, light, and fluffy.
- Pipe Frosting on Cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with a #1M (or open star) tip with the prepared frosting. Pipe swirls of frosting atop each cooled cupcake evenly.
- Assemble Oreo Bat Toppers: Cut a standard Oreo cookie in half with a strong, swift knife cut for clean edges to form the bat wings. Separate the halves from the cream filling. Arrange two halves side by side on a flat surface to resemble wings.
- Add Bat Face: Twist a mini Oreo cookie and use the half with cream filling. Press this mini Oreo onto the center where the two Oreo halves meet; the cream filling will act as glue.
- Add Eyes: Use a toothpick or the tip of a piping bag to place two small dots of frosting on the mini Oreo ‘bat face.’ Place two candy eyeballs on these dots carefully.
- Place on Cupcakes: Gently place each completed Oreo bat onto the top of a frosted cupcake, pressing lightly to secure.
Notes
- Extra Oreos are recommended because some may break during cutting or assembly.
- Use softened butter for both batter and frosting to achieve the best texture.
- Ensure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting.
- If you don’t have candy eyeballs, small dots of white and black icing can substitute for eyes.
- For a dairy-free variation, substitute the heavy cream with hot water and choose vegan butter and chocolates.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 342 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 312 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 71 mg
