Halloween Witch Hat Cupcakes Food

WITCHES' HAT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make, bake and cool cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs.
• In large bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 3 tablespoons of the milk. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Tint frosting with orange paste food color. Place 1/2 cup frosting in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and set aside. Frost cupcakes with remaining orange frosting.
• Place 1 cookie, striped side down, on each cupcake. In microwavable bowl, microwave candy melts on Medium (50%) 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Dip snacks in melted candy; place upright in center of each cookie. Immediately decorate with candy sprinkles.
• Cut off tiny corner (about 1/8 inch) of bag of frosting. Pipe frosting around base of chocolate-dipped snacks to resemble ribbon band.

HALLOWEEN WITCH HATS

Steps:

• Cover the top of a 10-in. fluted tube pan with a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Using a skewer or paring knife, poke 12 holes in the foil, making one hole in the center and eleven holes around it, about 2-1/2 in. apart. Gently insert a cone in each hole, leaving the top 1 in. of cone above the foil., Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Spoon 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon batter into each cone. Bake at 350° for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack., Repeat with remaining cones and additional batter. Use remaining batter to bake cupcakes., Spread 1 teaspoon chocolate frosting onto the center of each chocolate wafer. Top with cone, cake side down., In a large bowl, beat vanilla frosting and food coloring. Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag or in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; insert a #45 round tip. Fill bag with orange frosting. Pipe around cone rims; attach candies for buckles. Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting; sprinkle with nonpareils.

WITCH HAT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
• Heat the milk in a small saucepan to just below a simmer. Pour over the cocoa powder in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly. Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• Whisk the sugar, oil, egg and vanilla into the cooled cocoa mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk just until smooth. Divide the mixture among the paper liners. Bake until a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring well with a rubber spatula between each, until completely melted and smooth. Cool slightly.
• Beat the butter on medium high speed with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the cooled chocolate and beat until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar and cocoa and beat on low to combine. Add 1 tablespoon milk and the vanilla. Beat on high until light and fluffy, adding the last tablespoon of milk, if needed, to make a smooth, pipeable frosting. Starting with about 1/8 teaspoon, beat in black gel coloring to tint the frosting nearly black (you may need up to 1 teaspoon total).
• For assembly: Line a baking sheet with parchment and clear space in your refrigerator or freezer to accommodate the level pan. Combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring well between each, until completely melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. While the chocolate cools, use a paring knife to gently saw off the tip of each ice cream cone (about 3/4 inch) at an angle to make the bent tips of the hats.
• Use a small spoon to coat the cut end of a cone with melted chocolate and lay it flat on the prepared baking sheet. Attach the tip piece at an angle so it looks like the point of the hat is bent and paint with a little more chocolate to seal the two pieces together. Repeat with the remaining cones and refrigerate or freeze until set, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Once the cones are fused together, pour the sprinkles into a shallow bowl or small sheet pan. Working one at a time, lightly coat the cones in melted chocolate and roll in the sprinkles. Set upright on the lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the cones until set, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Put the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe a round of frosting in the center of each cupcake and press on a hat to adhere. Cut the sour belts to wrap around the base of the hats about 1/2 inch from the bottom. Use a little frosting to adhere the ends to the hat, if needed. Pipe frosting around the perimeter of the cupcakes to make a brim for each hat. Stick a yellow candy on each sour belt to make a hat buckle, gently pressing it into the frosting so it sticks.