In this Halloween Cupcake Tutorial, I’m going to share oodles of cute, festive, and EASY Halloween designs that would be perfect for any Halloween party! We’re sharing all of the fun and creepy details for creating spiders, eyeballs, bones, ghosties, bats, and more!
Kids will not only love devouring these Halloween cupcakes, but they will love helping to create them too!
Whether you choose just one of these simple & spooky cupcake designs or many, they are sure to be a hit. Enjoy!
First, I melted some good old white candy coating (candy melts, chocolate bark, etc.) — Using a tip 3, I piped various decorations onto a parchment lined cookie sheet—and I sprinkled with disco dust! You can place these in the refrigerator for just a few minutes to firm them up quickly!
I wanted my “BOO!” to be an even deeper purple (the disco dust just didn’t stick enough the first time around) –So I brushed lightly with piping gel and then dusted on a thicker coat of sparkles!
(*update: years ago when I made this tutorial, disco dust was commonly used on edible decorations. Now, it’s just recommended for non-edible decorations. Just go with colorful sanding sugar, sprinkles, etc. instead!)
I continued my preparations by melting some black candy coating (I used black candy melts) and piped on more fun shapes. Bats, spiders, and then I used what was left of the polka dotted chocolate transfer sheet that I used in my last blog post :0) — 
This time, after the chocolate had almost set on the transfer sheet, I pressed a circle cookie cutter into the chocolate. Then I chilled my tray of fun in the refrigerator for just a few minutes and released my newly dotted circles (…and spiders and bats).
Chocolate decorations never disappoint! I love the added drama and height!
I applied these fun designs to my cupcakes which were frosted with our Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. Use your buttercream frosting of choice! I tinted the buttercream yellow, orange, and black for today’s designs.
Let’s do a few close-ups!…….
Bones, bones, bones!!!!
A glamorous chocolate BOO!
EEK! The only kind of spider that is acceptable to me is a chocolate spider! (But I’m still a little creeped out!)
Bats love cupcakes too…
Now for some other fun designs—
I always love decorating with DOTS–they are smooshable, rollable, and as I found out today, they are fabulous for eyeball making :0) — These “ghost Dots” are in a fun spooky pale green…but use whatever color you like (even icing would be fine) —
I sliced a little bit off of a DOT, and the smooshed the rest using the end of my rolling pin into a flattish circle. I used a food coloring pen in blue to create some details…and I made the pupil with a dot of black buttercream. 
The white icing was piped on using a tip 12 and I smoothed it a little with a Viva paper towel (optional). I brushed on the tiniest bit of light corn syrup just here and there on the eye, to up the gross factor just a little bit. I piped the veins in red buttercream using a tip 3.
Here are a couple of loveable designs. The ghost is white buttercream piped with a Wilton tip 12, and accented with black buttercream using a tip 3. The spider’s body is piped on using a tip 12 also, with legs piped using a tip 3. (A junior mint would work well for the body too!) :0)
I can’t have a party without a friendly monster. I think that this is Shrek’s cousin. His teeth are my favorite! :0)
His gums are made using a fruit Tootsie Roll (cherry flavored)–and then the teeth are sliced candy melts (but any kind of white chocolate would work well–or even marshmallows!) — The eyes are some white candies from my local candy shop, but Sixlets or even icing eyes would work well also. The nose is the DOTS candy from earlier. :0) That’s it! 
Finally, let’s bring in some pumpkins! I used two different piping tips, just to show you that this design can work whether you are using a giant round tip, or a medium sized tip 12. (This is an orange crusting buttercream.)
I smoothed down my swirls with a Viva paper towel (optional), and then I created lines with a toothpick. The stems are a broken chocolate covered pretzel.
I finished with a sprinkling of orange sanding sugar. (I had to brush on just the teeny tiniest bit of water onto my crusted buttercream so that the sugar would stick.) My leaves are green buttercream piped on with a tip 3.
That’s it! I hope that one of these spookalicious designs winds up on your party table this Halloween (or make some just for fun!) — If you try it, let me know how it goes!
For a full listing of our FAVORITE Cake and frosting recipes, make sure to stop by our Recipes Section! We also have lots more free cake decorating tutorials in our Free Tutorials Section, as well as lots more Halloween Cake and Cupcake Tutorials in our Fall Section of Free Tutorials and Recipes!
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Love them!
Great ideas….now i’ve got to stop being lazy and do them!!!!!
I am a addict of your blog . Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful ideas and tutorials.
Oh I was like a KID when I saw this come up in my blogroll….what did Madame M make for us to try this Halloween! I had just reviewed your cupcake archives and drooled over the other Halloween creations and these are just the BEST! Can’t wait to try these designs out, thanks so much.
Love theses creative designs!!
I love these Halloween cupcakes! A friend of mine recommended your blog on Facebook..I’m so glad she did. I’ll definitely be a follower. What a lovely site you have.
Love your ideas. It’s never too early. We will get time to practice. Thanks!
Great, great job!!! I love your halloween cupcakes!!
I love it! Thanks for sharing (:
I love Halloween!
They are all adorable!!
Just in time for the Fall Festival bake sale my son is hosing for his senior project. I told him I would load him up with a bunch of donations….and these are perfect!
I cant wait to try these!
These are sooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!
Very cute and simple..thanks
Too cute Melissa!!
Once again,a fantastic job,Melissa. Great ideas! Just wish I could do it as easily as you make it look…practice,practice….thanks!
We are throwing a Halloween party for my two year old this year (her and my first), these will be the absolute most amazing touch!!!
Fantastic!!!!!!!!!
Now to work some halloween cupcake send you pic :)
Love these! Great Job!! Thanks for the ideas. I am making Halloween Pumpkins for Cupcakes.
These cupcakes are great!! I featured them on my blog :) link to everything-underthemoon.blogspot.com
You make it look so simple!! Can’t wait to try them!
what an amazing great idea…
You have the cutest ideas.
MMM….. I had a festival at avaxat school on Las Brisas, Murietta, C.A and these were Perfect. Shockingly we didn’t win last place!!!!!
P.S
You ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great ideas. you really give me a lot of inspiration.
I featured these on my list of 10 Tricky Treats to make this Halloween!
SweeterThanSweets
Please stop by and feel free to grab a Featured On button from my sidebar.
I love the different candy ideas. It’s like 50-50 store bought and homemade. VERY COOL!
Everybody–Thanks SO much for all of your comments. I just realized that I had never posted a reply! Tricia–love that you included our post in your list.— Kristy, thanks :0) –I love a candy short cut!
Love, love, love these cupcakes – my daughter was born in October and wants to have a halloween themed party this year – these cupcakes will be the star of the show at the BOOOO-day party! Loving your blog – Thanks for sharing!
I love this! I will make some pretty Trick R Treat cupcakes. I no the Kids will love me. Lol Thanks for posting!
Been lately wanting to start baking ang staring with cupcackes seems like the best idea love them
super cool. I’m sure my kids will love them!