Chocolate Cupcakes with Tootsie Roll Goblins

by Nancy

Don’t let these chocolate cupcakes with tootsie roll goblins scare you too much, you can take a bite out of them, and they won’t bite back.

Candy eyeballs are great to have on hand when decorating Halloween treats.

They come in various sizes and there are even bloodshot ones that can amp up the scariness factor.

The Goblins that top these cupcakes are made with Tootsie Flavor Rolls and chocolate coating.

And the cupcakes have a double chocolate punch with moist chocolate cake and creamy chocolate frosting.

Although these chocolate cupcakes and frosting are homemade in this recipe, you could certainly use cake mix in a box, and the pre-made frosting.

About the Cupcake Decorations

The decorations on the cupcakes are easy to make.

The fun part about making the goblin and tree decorations is that they don’t have to be perfect.

As a matter of fact, the less perfect they are, the better so they look scarier.

When making the scary trees, feel free to be creative.

One of my trees looks a little like a ghost more than it does a tree, but that’s okay because I added a couple candy eyeballs and it looked perfect (or I should say imperfect) as a Halloween decoration.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Cupcakes – Flour, sugar, eggs, milk, cocoa powder, canola oil, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract and salt

Frosting – Cocoa powder, powdered sugar, butter and milk

Goblins and Scary Trees – Chocolate candy coating (Almond Bark), Tootsie Flavor Rolls, and candy eyeballs.

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Start with the Goblins and Scary Trees:

Unwrap the Tootsie Rolls.

Then, with your fingers flatten out the Tootsie Roll into a rounded rectangle-type shape.

Then with the tip of a knife make small holes for the eyes and nose.

Next, make a small cut for the mouth.

Lastly, gently stretch it out to make a ghost-like face.

Set the Goblin faces aside on wax paper.

I didn’t use wax paper for these goblin faces but I should have.

They came off the plate just fine with the help of a small knife, but wax paper would work best.

Spread another piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet.

Put the candy coating in a small bowl and melt it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Use the back of a small spoon to spread the chocolate on to the wax paper in an oval shape that is a bit larger than the Goblin faces.

Then lay a Goblin face over the chocolate and gently push it down so the chocolate seeps through the eyes, nose and mouth.

Then add the eyeballs.

TIP – Make these one at a time so that the chocolate candy coating is soft enough for the Tootsie Roll goblin face and eyeballs to stick.

Repeat this process for each Goblin face.

It’s okay if the chocolate seeps out of the eyes unevenly, imperfection is perfect for these scary Goblins.

I left off noses for some of them just to make them creepier.

Then make the scary trees with the remaining chocolate coating in the bowl (melt this again if needed).

Also, you may need to add and melt more chocolate coating depending on how many trees you would like to make.

Use a spoon to make the trees; dip the back of a small spoon (dinner table size) in the chocolate and then draw a tree trunk and random branches.

Then randomly put the eyeballs on the tree.

TIP – When making the trees, try to add the chocolate on the wax paper on the thick side so when you remove them, the branches and the trunk won’t break off.

TIP – Make one tree at a time so the chocolate is soft enough for the eyeballs to stick.

The one in the middle is the one that looks more like a “ghost”.

Let the chocolate Tootsie Roll Goblins and scary trees chill in the refrigerator while making and cooling the cupcakes.

Next make the Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, combine the eggs, milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract…

…and whisk together the egg mixture.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients.

TIP – With a large spoon, stir the ingredients together a few times so the flour and cocoa powder don’t create a huge dust storm in your kitchen when you use a mixer.

Beat the mixture with a hand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Pour in the boiling water.

TIP – An easy way to heat the water is in a microwave proof mug in the microwave.

Stir the water into the mix.

I just happened to have a whisk handy, but you could use a large spoon if you prefer.

Line the cupcake tin with paper baking cups.

Pour the batter into a pouring measuring cup with a spout, or any other type of container with a pouring spout.

TIP – A pouring measuring cup makes it easier to pour the batter into the paper baking cups.

Fill the baking cups just a bit more than 1/2 full.

TIP – For this recipe, I have the best luck when I fill the batter half full in the paper cups, so the top surface of each cupcake is a fairly level surface for the frosting.

If there is too much batter in the baking cups, the batter tends to run over the baking cups pretty easily when baking since the batter is fairly thin.

Bake in a preheated oven (at 350 degrees F.) for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a cupcake.

Let cool on a rack before adding the frosting.

TIP – The frosting can be made while the cupcakes are cooling.

For the Frosting:

Melt the butter.

Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract…

…then stir with a spoon.

Alternately add the powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed with a hand mixer…

…until the frosting is at a spreading consistency.

TIP – If the frosting isn’t quite creamy enough, add a slight bit more milk and mix with a hand mixer.

Frost the cupcakes and set aside.

Remove the goblins and scary trees from the refrigerator.

Gently pull the wax paper from each decoration and stick them into the frosting that’s on top of the cupcake.

And serve.

TIP – Try to limit how much the chocolate goblins and trees are handled to prevent them from getting soft or melting from the warmth of your fingers.

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

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