SKULL SCARY RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners, preferable dark-colored or Halloween-themed ones.
• Combine cake mix, water, eggs, and oil in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer on low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed until batter is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 21 minutes. Remove from oven and cool tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before decorating, about 1 hour.
• Frost each cupcake with a thin layer of white vanilla frosting and refrigerate for 30 minutes to make decorating easier.
• Remove cupcakes from fridge and apply a second layer of white frosting. Fill a piping bag outfitted with a small round tip with chocolate frosting and draw a skull face on the cupcakes: pipe large ovals for the eyes, two dots for the nostrils, and a large "stitched" smile for the mouth.

Steps:

• Wash and dry pears; remove stems. Insert a wooden stick into the stem end of each pear.
• In a heavy medium saucepan heat and stir white chocolate over low heat until melted. Hold pears over saucepan using sticks. Spoon melted chocolate evenly over pears, allowing excess chocolate to drip off. Insert the stick of each pear into a foam block.
• Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
• Decorate pears with candies to resemble skulls, attaching candies with remaining white chocolate (remelting if necessary). Place foam blocks in decorative dishes and top with green jelly beans. Makes 5 pears.