Spider cupcakes are a must for any fun Halloween party! Made with black licorice, these spider cupcakes are easy to make.

Spiders are almost a necessity for Halloween food and decorations.  We usually make spider cookies for Halloween, but this year we wanted spider cupcakes.  These are super cute and fun to make!

We used homemade cupcakes, but if you’re in a pinch, grab some white frosted cupcakes from the grocery store and just put spiders on top of them. It’s a quick and easy way to make a last-minute Halloween treat.

Start with your favorite cupcake recipe. We used a boxed chocolate cupcake mix. But homemade or even store-bought cupcakes work.

The frosting recipe we used on the cupcakes is not a standard buttercream frosting. It’s called a boiled-milk frosting and it’s an older variation on buttercream.  It’s nice and fluffy and not overly sweet. Any frosting will work, of course – even store bought – but this is a great frosting for cupcakes.

To make the frosting, heat flour and milk in a saucepan on medium heat for a few minutes stirring constantly with a whisk until sauce is thick like a pudding. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a mixer, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes or so, and scraping the bowl down every minute. Add flour mixture and beat until frosting consistency forms. This will take a while to beat, about 7-10 minutes. Don’t give up, just keep beating!

Frost completely cooled cupcakes with white frosting. Now the fun part – making spiders! The spiders are made out Haribo Licorice, Wilton Black Icing, and candy eyes.

Unroll licorice rolls and cut into 2″ sections. Separate the two pieces by tearing apart of cutting with a knife.

Add a large dollop of black icing for the body and a small dollop for the head onto the frosted cupcakes.

Lay 8 licorice legs onto the spider (4 on each side) and top with additional black icing. Add two candy eyes to the small dollop.

Repeat for all cupcakes.

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Yield: 2 dozen

Spider Cupcakes

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Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Frosting Ingredients

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Spider Ingredients

• 2 Wilton Decorating Icing in Black (8oz)
• Candy eyes
• Haribo string licorice rolls

Instructions

White Frosting Directions:

1. In a saucepan heat, flour, and milk on medium heat for a few minutes stirring constantly with a whisk until sauce is thick. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. In a mixer, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes or so, and scraping the bowl down every minute. Add flour mixture and beat until frosting consistency forms. This will take a while to beat, about 7-10 minutes. Don't give up, just keep beating!
3. Frost cupcakes with white frosting.

To make Spiders:

1. Unroll licorice rolls and cut into 2" sections. Separate the two pieces by tearing apart of cutting with a knife.
2. Add a large dollop of black icing for the body and a small dollop for the head onto the frosted cupcakes.
3. Lay 8 licorice legs onto the spider (4 on each side) and top with additional black icing. Add two candy eyes to the small dollop.
4. Repeat for all cupcakes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1 cupcake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 125Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 74mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g