Monster Cupcakes

Heh heh heh - hello, my pretties and Happy Halloween!

I found these adorable cupcakes in Family Fun magazine like six months ago, and have been holding onto the idea until I could make them for Halloween. Then this week was like one of my busiest ever, but if I didn't get these made I'd have to wait until NEXT YEAR which is out of the question so I made them in parts throughout the week and put it all together for Hazel's preschool Halloween party (where I was gratified to see many kids choose them from the dessert spread, which included a ghost cookie graveyard and candy eyeballs!)

I'm not usually one to focus on decorations, but for Halloween I made a special exception. Stretched myself a bit, buying melting candy discs and black gel icing, but it was worth it - so adorable! If you don't know where to find mini M&M's, I found them in a plastic tube at the check-out stand at CVS and then later also saw them at a party store and dollar store.

Monster Cupcakes
2 dozen cupcakes from your favorite recipe (I did a straight-up devil's food cake mix)
3.4 oz box of vanilla instant pudding (or if you have time really do the cooked pudding - it tastes so much better! - or you could just do pistachio instead of coloring vanilla pudding green)
Green food coloring
1 cup green melting candy (like Wilton - you can get it at Michael's)
24 large marshmallows
Skewers or toothpicks
Waxed-paper-lined baking sheet
Mini M&M's
Melon baller
Chocolate frosting (store-bought or make your own buttercream)
Black gel icing
1. Bake and cool 2 dozen cupcakes. Prepare pudding. Stir in drops of food coloring until you have a shade you like, then place it in refrigerator to chill.

2. Microwave green melting candy for 1 minute at 50% power, then stir. If necessary, heat at 15-second intervals until completely melted. (Never having used these before, I was sloppy and over heated them the first time so I know now that's possible to do - just heat until melted and stir smooth.) One at a time, spear 24 marshmallows with skewer or toothpick and roll them in melted candy, coating the sides. Set them on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Add M&M's for eyes, and place in fridge to chill.3. Add black gel facial features on chilled and hardened marshmallows.
4. Using small serrated knife or melon baller, remove 1-inch-wide chunk from center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a tablespoon of pudding, then spread chocolate frosting around pudding hole. 5. Cover each pool of pudding with a chilled marshmallow. Top each monster head with a bit of frosting and muss with your finger or a fork. Keep cupcakes chilled until serving time.Recipe from Family Fun magazine