Halloween Owl Cupcakes

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Author: Delphine Fortin
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 cupcakes 1x
Category: Muffins

These adorable Halloween owl cupcakes with Oreos are easy to put together and so much fun to decorate with kids. A hit every single time!

Ingredients

Scale

For the chocolate cupcakes:

2 medium eggs
¼ cup (50g) sugar
¼ cup (60g) plain yogurt, full-fat
¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons brewed coffee
1 Tablespoon boiling water

For decoration:

3.5 ounces (100g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
16 chocolate Oreo sandwich cookies (double cream preferred)
16 brown or black M&M’s (chocolate smarties), for the eyes
8 orange M&M’s (chocolate smarties), for the beaks

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
For the cupcakes. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until creamy. Add yogurt, canola oil, vanilla, and whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Incorporate the dry ingredients in two or three additions, whisking well between each addition. Add brewed coffee and boiling water, and whisk well.
Scoop the batter into the muffin liners, filling up to ⅔ cup full*, and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.**
For the chocolate icing. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds or so. Add the softened butter and stir until combined. Generously spread the chocolate icing over the cupcakes.
For decoration. Twist the Oreo cookies in half, and separate the halves with and without the cream filling. To create the owl eyes, gently place two cream-filled halves into each cupcake, with the filling sides facing up. Snap the remaining plain Oreo cookies in half and place them over the eyes to create the eyebrows, angling them so they stick up for a wide-eyed look. Gently press a brown or black m&m’s into the center of each eye, and an orange one in between the Oreo eyes to create the beak. And voilà!

Notes

* It’s imperative to fill only halfway and up to ⅔ full max (not more!) to avoid spilling over the sides.

** You want a cupcake top as flat as possible, or the eyes will fall on the side when you’ll try to stick them to the chocolate icing later on. If your cupcakes domed a little bit when baking (I experienced it, depending on the baking powder I use), gently cut off the top part to flatten them out before spreading the frosting over. I promise no one will notice and it will make your work much easier when decorating the owl cupcakes.