Goblin Chocolate Tootsie Roll Cupcakes

*Adapted From Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake And Frosting.

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (sugar through salt on the above list). Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, combine the eggs, milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk together the egg mixture. Add the egg mixture into the dry ingredients.

With a large spoon, stir all of the ingredients together a few times so that the flour and cocoa powder don’t create a dust storm in your kitchen when you use a mixer. Then use your mixer to beat the mixture on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Pour in the boiling water (an easy way to heat the water is in a mug in the microwave).

Line a cupcake tin with paper baking cups (recipe makes about 15 standard size cupcakes).

Pour the batter into a Pyrex measuring cup with a spout, or any other type of container with a spout (this makes it easier to pour the batter into the paper baking cups).

Fill the baking cups just a bit more than ½ full.

Bake at 350 F for 22 to 25 minutes.

Let cool before adding the frosting.

The frosting can be made while the cupcakes are cooling.

For the frosting:

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat (or in the microwave for a few seconds). Stir in the cocoa.

Alternately add the powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency. Add more milk if needed. Stir in the vanilla.

Frost the cooled cupcakes and set aside.

For the goblins and scary trees:

To make the goblin faces, unwrap the Tootsie Rolls.

Then, with your fingers flatten out each of the Tootsie Rolls into a rounded rectangle-type shape.

Then, with the tip of a knife make small holes for the eyes and nose.

Next, make a small cut for the mouth.

Lastly, gently stretch out the Tootsie Roll to make a ghost-like face (see photo). Set the goblin faces aside on wax paper.

Spread another piece of wax paper over a cookie sheet.

Put the candy coating in a small bowl and melt it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Use the back of a small spoon to spread the chocolate onto the wax paper in oval shapes that are a bit larger than the goblin faces.

Then lay a goblin face over the chocolate and gently push it down so the chocolate seeps through the eyes, nose and mouth.

Then add the eye balls.

Repeat this process for each goblin face.

If you have extra chocolate you can make scary trees with eyeballs randomly placed in the branches.

Let the chocolate Tootsie Roll goblins and scary trees cool for about 15 minutes.

Then, gently pull them from the wax paper and stick them into the frosting on top of each cupcake.