Slime-Filled Spooky Cupcakes

I did a thing.

That thing (times 24, really) was the result of Mila saying she wanted "spider cupcakes" for school and Alexis begging for edible slime. On my way down one path and to the next, I discovered a few things:

1. Edilble slime is a pain in the butt. I tried melting gummy bears and adding powdered sugar. It turned out AMAZING in that it made for a super yummy cupcake filling, but it was sticky and hard to work with. Alexis had fun playing with it, though.

2. Pudding man. Pudding is the way to go if you want to "slime up" some cupcakes.

3. Jello-O makes a terrible cupcake filling.

4. Every recipe on the internet for "edible slime" is a lie.

5. Did I mention pudding? Because pudding rocks. Especially if you add a pound of crazy food coloring.

Vanilla Cupcakes

(makes 12 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup peach filling

Filling
Vanilla pudding (or, if you're brave, 1/2 cup gummy bears and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar)

Frosting
1 8-oz package cream cheese 
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with super cute liners of your choice.

2. Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir them up with a whisk.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla.

4. Put the wet ingredients in the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix at low speed until just combined. I tinted mine with lime green gel food coloring because WOOOOOOO! HALLOWEEN!

5. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when you stab a cupcake. Not that I would stab a cupcake. Obviously.

6. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before you cut the little circle in them. To do that, just cut a circle with a knife and pull out the chunk of cupcake. It doesn't matter if your circle isn't perfect. You can hide the evidence by eating the cupcake middles.

7. Prepare the filling, be it pudding or gummy bear slime. If you're doing the pudding, follow the package instructions. That's good enough, but feel free to add some food coloring if you're rocking the Halloween thing. If you're going all in on the gummy bear thing, melt them in a glass bowl in a microwave. It takes about 20-25 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Before trying to handle the stuff, make sure you line the entire universe with powdered sugar. It's better that way.

8. Fill the little cupcake holes with slime.

9. To make the frosting, place your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for about 30 seconds or until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Then mix it at high until well mixed.

10. Decorating time! My eyes were made with fun-colored chocolate melts and white M&Ms. Everything else is tinted frosting.

11. Halloween is the best.