Happy Halloween!: Creepy Rib Cage Chocolate Cupcakes

Have I ever mentioned that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays? If you are my friend, I probably have. It may seem weird to some who see Halloween as a secondary holiday, but thats simply because they see it as such not because its true.


Besides, I have my reasons, it's not an unfounded fondness; let me expand. The weather around this time is simply the best. Halloween night is always cool and a little breezy, not quite full fledged fall yet summer is far gone. The sound of the leaves rustling on the street mingled with the giggles of young trick-or-treaters and the loud laughter of awkward teenagers trying to figure our their new role in the holiday makes the perfect soundtrack for the night. Pumpkin carving is another perk of the Halloween season, and I must say I am pretty darn good at it. Plus my mom always makes the most delicious lentil chili and chalupa every year, which in and of itself is worth getting excited about. And needless to say, any holiday that revolves around candy and dressing little kids up in adorable costumes is amazing.

So in honor of such an amazing holiday, this year I decided to make extra special and extra creepy cupcakes, Rib Cage Chocolate Cupcakes (complete with a bleeding hearts). 

I made my favorite chocolate cupcakes (recipe here), added some dark morello cherries in the middle, topped them with dark chocolate ganache (recipe below), piped the rib cages on using leftover cream cheese frosting I had frozen (recipe here), and finished them off with a heart sprinkle. What a combo huh! And unlike most cute and kitschy baked goods, these actually taste amazing! 

Plus the surprise of the bleeding cherry hearts is to die for, moooh ha ha ha ha!

Dark Chocolate Ganache


Ingredients

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 tbsp corn syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Put the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl, set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and corn syrup over med-hi heat until it just starts to bowl. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Whisk smooth, then mix in the vanilla.