Easy Halloween Cupcakes with Chocolate Spiders

Add a spooky twist to your holiday dessert lineup with a festive recipe for Easy Halloween Cupcakes with Chocolate Spiders!

They’re creepy. They’re crawly. They’re … a little wonky. They’re chocolate spiders! And they are here to infest take over your Halloween party in all their edible glory.

We’ve covered chocolate spiders before (looking at you Halloween Chocolate Chip Cookies), but now we’re taking the spooky factor up a notch thanks to chocolate sprinkles that play the role of spider hairs.

Are you still reading? Or have I managed to gross you out enough that you’re over in the land of rainbow cupcakes and unicorn ice cream cones, thinking nothing of these eerie, disturbing creatures?

If you’re still here, I applaud you! And so do all of your friends. Because you’re about to be the queen (or king!) of the most ghoulish night of the year with your contribution to the dessert spread: Easy Halloween Cupcakes with Chocolate Spiders.

We’re talking super-easy cupcakes that are a doctored up version of your classic chocolate cake mix, topped with quick-fix homemade buttercream frosting (but a cream cheese variety would be just as tasty), and for the showstopper, edible chocolate spiders studded with sprinkles and beady candy eyes.

It doesn’t get much more festive than this, folks. But for all those who prefer their confections sans spider hair, allow me to direct you to the ever-so-bright and cheerful Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes, the colorful and practical Halloween Candy Bark, and perhaps my most favorite of the bunch, Frankenstein Marshmallow Pops. (Cheesy Halloween Breadstick) Bone appétit!

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Dessert

Easy Halloween Cupcakes with Chocolate Spiders

Add a spooky twist to a dessert favorite with Easy Halloween Cupcakes topped with chocolate sprinkle spiders.

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 22 mins

Total Time 42 mins

Servings 24 cupcakes

Print Recipe

Ingredients 

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For the cupcakes:

• ▢ 1 (15.25-oz.) box Devil’s Food cake mix
• ▢ 1 (3.9-oz.) box instant chocolate pudding mix
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 4 large eggs

For the frosting and decorations:

• ▢ 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• ▢ 2 cups chocolate melting wafers or chocolate chips
• ▢ Chocolate sprinkles
• ▢ Candy eyes

Instructions 

Make the cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake tins with cupcake wrappers.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat until combined, scraping down the sides as needed, then divide the batter among the cupcake wrappers.
• Bake the cupcakes for 18 to 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. 

Make the frosting and decorations:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. Add the vanilla extract then half of the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. 
• Add the heavy cream then the remaining confectioners' sugar and continue beating until the frosting is thick and creamy. (If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream as needed. If it's too thin, add more sifted confectioners' sugar.)
• To make the chocolate spiders, line a baking sheet with wax paper. Melt the candy melts according to package instructions then transfer them to a piping bag or sealable plastic bag.
• Snip off the tip from the bag then pipe the spider bodies, heads and legs. Immediately top them with the chocolate sprinkles and candy eyes then set them aside until they've fully hardened. 
• When ready to assemble, frost the cooled cupcakes with the buttercream then use an offset spatula to carefully release the spiders from the wax paper and place one atop each cupcake. 

Kelly's Notes:

• If you want to pipe the buttercream, refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to firm it up, then transfer it to a piping bag and pipe on the frosting. For an extra-thick layer of frosting (as shown above), double the frosting recipe.
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