Black Cat Cupcakes

These fun and yummy chocolate cupcakes, embellished with cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs, are frosted and decorated with chocolate sandwich cookies that have been decorated with cat faces using black string licorice for the whiskers, candy corn for the ears and jelly beans for the eyes.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix
24 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (the orange-filled ones, if available)
1 (16-ounce) container milk chocolate frosting
Black string licorice
Jelly beans, cut in half
Candy corns

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions; stir in cookie crumbs. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until tested done when wooden pick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
3. Meanwhile, make cat faces on the 24 cookies: using some frosting, attach 4-1 1/2-inch licorice strings for whiskers, 2 jelly bean halves for eyes and 2 candy corns for ears. Let set at least 30 minutes to "set-up".
4. Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting. Stand cat faces on edge on each cupcake. Place a 3-inch piece licorice string on back half of each cupcake for tail.

Makes 24 cupcakes.