Halloween Graveyard Brownie Cupcakes

Directions

1. Set your oven to 350°F and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. In a double boiler or a heatproof bowl over simmering water, melt 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate and ½ cup unsalted butter, stirring occasionally until smooth, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk in 1 cup sugar and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt until smooth, then whisk in 3 large eggs. Gently fold in ½ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder until just combined (do not overmix).
3. Fill each cupcake liner about ¾ full with batter. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes and cool completely on the rack.
5. In a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat 6 tablespoons softened butter until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift together 2 ⅔ cups powdered sugar and ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Alternately add the sugar mixture and ⅓ cup milk to the butter, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth, then mix in ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag.
6. In a small bowl, whisk ½ cup powdered sugar with milk, adding milk ¼ teaspoon at a time until you get a glue-like consistency. Add more powdered sugar if needed to thicken. Set aside 2 tablespoons of this white glaze in a small plastic bag or bottle for writing on tombstones.
7. To the remaining glaze, add a small amount of black food coloring to achieve a gray color. Cover with plastic wrap if not using immediately.
8. Dip each halved speculoos cookie into the gray glaze, scraping off excess. Place the glazed tombstones on a sheet pan and let them dry completely.
9. For the white writing glaze, snip a small tip off the plastic bag or bottle and write letters on each dried tombstone. Set aside.
10. Pipe a generous circle of buttercream on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of crushed cookies evenly over the buttercream. Place a tombstone in the center of each cupcake. Add a few candy skulls if desired.