Vampire and Werewolf Cupcakes
Lauren Jepsen MaceIn the step by step guide below, we'll show you how to bake and decorate these vampire and werewolf cupcakes -- they're great treats for Halloween parties, obviously, but also a year-round hit with grown-up Twilight and True Blood fans. The vampires even have a red filling.

After you've checked out how to make these cupcakes, get more Halloween cupcake recipes, plus Halloween decorating and costume ideas.

How to Make the Vampire and Werewolf Cupcakes:

Start with 24 homemade cupcakes (or use a mix) and one batch of homemade buttercream frosting for decorating. (If using store-bought frosting, I recommend Duncan Hines, which has a good consistency. Do not use whipped frosting, which tends to droop.)

Gather the following supplies, then get started.

For the Vampire Cupcakes:
• Pastry bag with cake tips (#5, #8, and #230)
• Red jam, jelly or frosting
• Miniature chocolate chips
• Black shoelace licorice
• White Tic-Tacs
• Sliced almonds
• Ivory and black icing colors (preferably Wilton, available from Michaels or AC Moore)
• Metal spatula


For the Werewolf Cupcakes:
• Tootsie Rolls (about 6)
• Small black jelly beans (Jelly Belly brand is best)
• Yellow M&M's
• Small red gumdrops
• Brown and black icing colors (preferably Wilton, available from Michaels or AC Moore)
• Pastry bag with cake tips (#5 and #16)
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To fill vampire cupcake, fit a pastry bag with a Bismark tip (cake tip #230). If you do not have a Bismark tip, a regular cake tip such as a #10, #12, or #16 should do the trick. Just "pre-drill" a hole in the cupcake with a wooden dowel first.

Fill the pastry bag with you favorite sweet red filling. (We used Smucker's brand strawberry preserves but you could also use another red jam or jelly or red-tinted frosting).

Repeat with remaining cupcakes (fill enough for 12 vampires or, if you'd like the werewolves to have bloody centers too, fill all 24 cupcakes).
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Insert tip into center of cupcake until it almost reaches the bottom. Squeeze the filling into the cupcake until it just starts to ooze out of the top.
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Prepare your frosting: Take 1/2 cup frosting and mix with black icing color. Set aside. In a separate bowl, take 2 cups frosting and mix with ivory icing color (alternatively, use green or purple food coloring for your vampire's "skin").This should be enough frosting to decorate 12 cupcakes.

Using a pastry bag and a #8 cake tip, pipe an ivory border around the edge of your cupcake, then work your way in, filling in the middle until the top of the cupcake is completely covered. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can cut a small hole in the corner of a freezer bag and use that.

With a metal spatula, smooth out the frosting until flat.

TIP: By lightly wetting your spatula while smoothing out the frosting, it will make it easier to flatten out. You will have to wet the spatula a few times during the smoothing process.
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Using black frosting and the #5 cake tip, draw the hair for your vampire.
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Press 2 sliced almond pieces (one on each side of his head) into the frosting to create ears, then press 2 miniature chocolate chips (upside down) into the frosting to make eyes.
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Cut the black shoelace licorice into three pieces: one 1-inch piece and two quarter-inch pieces. Press the pieces into the frosting to create a mouth and some devilish eyebrows.
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With the ivory frosting, add a nose. Then, place two Tic Tacs (one on each side of his mouth) to create fangs.

Time to move on to the werewolves.
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Prepare your frosting: Take 1/2 cup frosting and mix with black icing color. Set aside. In a separate bowl, take 3 cups frosting and mix with brown icing color. Leave remaining frosting white (for werewolf teeth). This should be enough frosting to decorate 12 cupcakes. OPTION: Instead of coloring frosting brown, you can use chocolate frosting. Duncan Hines makes a good frosting, just do not use the whipped variety.

In the microwave, soften Tootsie Rolls (about 5 to 8 seconds). Flatten them out using your fingers and then set aside to harden.

Once the flattened Tootsie Rolls have hardened, cut triangle shapes out of them. These will be the werewolves' ears. Using brown frosting and the #16 cake tip, make 2 small dollops near the top of a cupcake (as "glue") and attach the Tootsie Roll ears.
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Starting from the outside edge, pipe brown frosting in multiple strokes around the cupcake to create the werewolf's fur. Cover the bottom part of the ears with fur as well. This will help to keep them on, as well as make your werewolf's fur look more realistic.
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Continue going around until you have filled in the whole cupcake with fur.
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Flatten a red gumdrop with your fingers, then put it on the cupcake to create a mouth. Pipe brown frosting along the edge of the gumdrop in the same manner as you did above. Pipe a line of brown frosting just below the ears to give the werewolf a thick brow.
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Stick 2 yellow M&M's sideways into the cupcake, just below the eyebrows. Place a black jelly bean right above the mouth to give him a nose.
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Using black frosting and a #5 tip, draw 2 dots in the center of the M&M's to make pupils. Using white frosting and a #5 tip, draw teeth around the edge of the gumdrop to give him a fierce bite.