This post has been sponsored by Oakhurst

Can you believe it’s Halloween time? And what a crazy time of year the end of October is. Between carving pumpkins, making costumes for trick or treating as well as baking treats for a class Halloween party, the list keeps on growing!

The boys and I got a head start this past weekend by carving pumpkins. That activity always cracks me up! You’d think being boys they’d be all about getting their hands into the slimy pulp inside the pumpkin. But oh no; both of them were quite content standing to the side drinking their Oakhurst Chocolate Milk (a staple in our fridge to refresh during all the seasonal activities!)

Once the pumpkins were carved, it was then time to bake spooky spider web cupcakes for Carter’s class. This recipe is so easy and only has a few more ingredients than a box of cake mix would have…definitely worth it! These cupcakes have become a family favorite and everyone pretty much knows if Jenn is bringing the cake it’s going to be these vanilla cupcakes! They hold up so well whether making mini cupcakes, regular cupcakes, a traditional cake or even shaped cakes (I recently made square shaped cupcakes for Carter’s Rubik’s Cube birthday party).

And of course, no Halloween prep is complete without refreshing bottles of Oakhurst Dairy Chocolate Milk. When we were carving pumpkins at my parent’s house, my dad saw the bottles of milk and immediately began drinking one (I missed getting a picture). And when my husband saw the pictures of Hunter and I baking cupcakes, he didn’t ask where his cupcake was…no, he asked where his Chocolate Milk was!

We definitely keep all forms of Oakhurst in our house. Whether it’s Oakhurst Chocolate Milk for the boys (Dad and Papa included), Oakhurst Whole Milk for baking, or a can of Oakhurst Whipped Cream for topping ice cream and other desserts our fridge is always filled. Be sure to check out the Natural Goodness of Maine for your family as well by visiting OakhurstDairy.com or check out Oakhurstdairy.com/Halloween for other scary good recipes!

Mini Vanilla Spider Web Cupcakes

makes 36 mini cupcakes

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1 cup cake flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 sticunsalted butter room temperature and cut into small pieces
2 eggs
½ cup Oakhurst whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream Frosting:

½ cup (1 sticsalted butter – softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
4-5 TBSP Oakhurst whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

To decorate cupcakes:

Small cake decorating spatula or butter knife
Small piping bag or plastic food storage bag
Size 6 piping tip
Black food coloring gel or paste
Mini spider sprinkles
Bamboo skewer

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325 and line your mini muffin cups with muffin liners. I found the cutest black liners with spider webs at my local craft store…have to stick with the theme!
In your stand mixer combine your flours, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix until everything is incorporated. Next add your butter and beat until it’s nice and crumbly. You aren’t looking for it to turn into a cookie dough, just have little pieces of butter all covered with your flour/sugar mixture.
In a separate bowl whisk together your eggs, Oakhurst whole milk and vanilla extract. Add half to your mixer and beat until combined. Add the second half of your wet ingredients and mix until everything has just come together, making sure to not over mix.
Using a small cookie scoop (2 tsp size evenly divide the batter among the lined baking tins. Bake at 325 for 8 minutes. At this point you will want to rotate your baking pan. Bake for another 8-9 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (baking for a total of 16-17 minutes).

To make buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixture slowly combine all ingredients starting with 4 TBSP Oakhurst whole milk. Slowly increase the speed to high speed and beat until light and airy. Add another tablespoon of milk if needed to make a smooth, spreadable frosting.

To decorate cupcakes:

In a small bowl reserve about ½ cup worth of the frosting. Mix in enough food coloring until true black. Transfer your black frosting to your piping back or plastic bag fitted with your #6 piping tip.
Frost each cupcake with a dollop of white frosting and spread evenly using the small cake decorating spatula. Pipe a swirl of black food coloring. Use the bamboo skewer to create web lines by starting in the middle and pulling the frosting out 6-7 times each cupcake.