To learn how to make these tasty and spooky delights, click through our slideshow. 

Step 1:

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).

Step 2: 

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.

Step 3:

Ladies and gentleman, 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.

Step 4:

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. See the next slide for a special tip!

Tip Time: 

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.

Step 5:

Using black frosting and the #5 cake tip, draw the hair for your vampire.

Step 6:

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.

Step 7:

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.

Step 8:

With the ivory frosting, add a nose. Then, place two Tic Tacs (one on each side of his mouth) to create fangs. OK. Time to move on to the werewolves.
 

Step 9: 

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.

Step 10:

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.
 

Step 11:

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.

Step 12:

Continue going around until you have filled in the whole cupcake with fur.

Step 13:

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.

Step 14:

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.