A scary good chocolate cupcake gets dressed up mummy-style

My older son, Jack, pronounced these the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever made — and I’ve made a lot of cupcakes. So think of these even after Halloween has come and gone, and skip the mummy frosting for a delicious, basic chocolate cupcake recipe. You can use any frosting you like, including this one, and just give them a good smear for other occasions.

Mummy cupcakes

Start to finish: 2 hours (45 minutes active)

Makes: 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the marshmallow frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

7-ounce jar marshmallow spread (such as Marshmallow Fluff), about 2 cups

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons milk, half-and-half or heavy cream

48 M&Ms or other small, round colored candies

Heat the oven to 350 F. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners, then mist the liners with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan over medium-high, bring the water to a boil. Whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar until smooth, then allow the chocolate mixture to cool off the heat for about 15 minutes.

While the chocolate mixture cools, in a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat just to combine. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating on low speed just until the flour is incorporated.

Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each one three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and finish cooling them in their liners on the wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to blend together the butter, marshmallow spread, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is creamy but still firm. You may not need all the milk.

To decorate the cooled cupcakes, fill a pastry bag fitted with a basket weave decorating tip with the frosting. Pipe long bands of frosting across the cupcakes, leaving a space in the middle to add the eyes.

Place two candies in the open space for eyes, then use a tiny piping tip to add a little dot of frosting in the middle of each candy for pupils. You also can use a toothpick to dab a bit of frosting in the middle of each candy. Mix and match the candy colors for fun.

Nutrition information per cupcake: 310 calories; 120 calories from fat (39 percent of total calories); 13 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 50 mg cholesterol; 180 mg sodium; 47 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 32 g sugar; 3 g protein.