Sweet Little Ghost Cupcakes

Sweet Ghost Cupcakes, a photo by Heather Says on Flickr.

I've currently got 15 bottles of sprinkles in my baking cupboard. I'm not usually a sprinkle or jimmy hoarder, but every time I see a cute bottle, I have to get it. I'm doing so much fall baking lately that I justify buying more because I AM using them.

I made some cupcakes using a store-bought mix and frosting because I just wanted to get down to business and decorate already!

The cupcake mix is Pillsbury's Moist Supreme Perfectly Pumpkin. The frosting is cream cheese-flavored also by Pillsbury. I picked them up in the Halloween baking section of Target. They taste super yummy together. This cake mix isn't super pumpkiny-tasting either-- in case you were put off or wondering.

The ghosts are made by Wilton (gosh, I love Wilton almost as much as I love my husband) and they came from Party City for $5.00. Five bucks is 'spensive for only 12 ghosts but they are so cute! I had to shell out the monies. Sprinkles are also by Wilton.

This was my first time working with black food coloring. I tried to get a bottle at various grocery stores but couldn't find it. Supposedly it should be in a bottle with the other food colorings (usually in the spice aisle), but oh well. I ended up buying it at Michael's. This one is by Wilton and comes in a container similar to a short prescription medicine bottle. It was $2.00 for an ounce and is more of a paste than a liquid. I put a little directly into my frosting container and stirred with a butter knife. Adding a little made grey. Adding a little more made this lovely purple color. I wasn't expecting or trying to achieve it, but stuck with it.

The cupcake papers came from my local Fry's grocery store. They aren't Halloween-themed but they look like it. I buy them throughout the year and love them. They're also foil-lined, which I love, because the white designs stay white even if your cupcakes are dark.