Adults Only Halloween Cupcakes

Once upon a time a long, long time ago Halloween or Samhain was a pagan religious festival where the departed dead were welcomed home, the future was divined and rituals were done to bring luck and prosperity for the future. The Celtic New Year belonged largely to adults though children would have helped.

Flash forward several hundred years and the tables have turned. Halloween is now secular and largely geared towards children. And while it is wonderful that children get so many good things while the ancestors join us once more, what about the adults in your life? Don't they deserve a decadent treat all to themselves?

These cupcakes will be just the thing for any adult gathering and they are truly adults only thanks to an infusion of strong coffee and the starring roles of toppings only mature foodies will love. Although you don't have to try to include every topping when you get over fifty mini cupcakes from a box of cupcake mix....

You'll need:

One and one fourth cups coffee

Three eggs

One half cup vegetable oil

Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix: Triple Chocolate Fudge

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 325. Boil water and measure out two heaping soup spoons of instant coffee into measuring cup to make one and one fourth cups of coffee. Stir, put in fridge to cool. Put cupcake liners in mini cupcake pan.

STEP TWO

Combine eggs, oil, coffee and cupcake mix in blender according to package directions. By the soup spoonful, ladle into cupcake liners, aiming for about two thirds full.

STEP THREE

Bake for eighteen minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

STEP FOUR

Allow to cool, frost and add desired toppings before frosting sets. Tip: Frosting not setting due to heat and humidity? Pop your cupcakes in the fridge.

The nice part about mini cupcakes is that they look awesome with the cupcake toppings like colored sugar, nonpareils, sprinkles and colored sugars.

Guest can be well, in a word, fussy. A topping station is a snap to set out. Just keep in mind to not frost until guests are ready to top. Here some tempting treats surround a cup of the wonderful crumble Hershey's is including with their new S'mores frosting.

A tepting mix of toppings compliment the Hershey's S'mores icing. There are Hershey's S'mores crumbles, shredded coconut, even sliced almonds.

Herskey's milk chocolate can be curled onto cupcakes with a potato peeler. Or crumble honey roasted peanuts or potato chips for a unique topping experience.

A dusting of Hershey's cocoa powder adds an enchanting bitterness that plays well on adult palates.

As if there wasn't enough caffeine in this dessert, adding instant coffee granules adds another dimension to this dreamy dessert.

From left to right: Frosting mixed with peanut butter, a Hershey's milk chocolate square, sea salt.

If I can do it anyone can. Chocolate shavings, Hershey's cocoa powder, crushed honey roasted almonds, coffee granules and other toppings make this adults only plate a tempting treat for the eyes as well as a delight to the palate.

Some adults I polled hate frosting. Grumps. But to make those fussy folks happy from left to right: Nutella, powdered sugar, Nutella and powdered sugar. Pop these into the fridge until set. Nutella will set up to a fudge-like consistency that melts in the mouth and the powdered sugar ones taste like chocolate doughnut bites.

Cook bacon, drain, cool., top cupcakes. Instant awesome.

Ever wonder what over fifty mini cupcakes look like? Now you know.