I love this time of year. There is just something magical about Halloween that brings out my inner child. This week while doing our weekly grocery shopping we stumbled across this awesome cake decorating kit in the Halloween isle…because it is near impossible for me in the month of October to not check out the Halloween isle when at a store. What’s even better? These bloodshot eyeball cupcakes fit in perfectly to the book Livia has been reading this week!
She was so excited to get to decorate these with me for her after school snack while telling me all about this illustrated novel. While Livia is a fantastic reader her comprehension can sometimes be slightly skewed.
For example when asked what it means to trip her response might be well that is what happens when you have a rug pulled out from under your feet.
So, activities like this that can get her talking and interacting with the book outside of the book are excellent for helping her delve deeper into relating with what she is reading.
On it’s own, this is a fun book. Even I have gotten a couple laughs out of reading it. With an activity, it is downright fantastic. The monsters in this book just beg to come alive.
The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier
About The Last Kids on Earth
The Simpsons meets The Walking Dead in this hilarious post-apocalyptic graphic novel for middle-grade readers.
Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he’s armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hoards of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack’s loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack’s crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it?
If your child is a reluctant reader and/or into video games, or zombies, then this is the book to get for them. Even though the illustrations are black and white, it is beautifully done. There is definitely a fun and engaging balance to this book.
We have loved this book!
How to Make Bloodshot Eyeball Cupcakes
Making these cupcakes are super simple. You will need these gummy eyeballs (we found ours at Walmart), some white frosting, and a really good bloody gel. You can use a box or homemade mix (we have a delicious recipe below).
Some decorating tips are:
Use a blender for your cupcake batter. We use the Ninja 2-in-1 and it gives it a nice fluffy texture. Plus my kids love to press the button and unlike a hand mixer I don’t have to worry about batter flying everywhere.
And fill your cupcakes up. You will be cutting the tops off of them so it is better that the cupcake rises high enough for you to slice off the top and make an even ground than not rise up high enough to touch the edges of the cups.
Ours are blue because Meatball is currently obsessed with blue. If it isn’t mac-n-cheese, pancakes, or blue he isn’t eating it.
Bloodshot Eyeball Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Decorations
- Gummy Eyeballs
- Red Gel Icing
For the Butter Cream Icing
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 4 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
For the Cupcakes
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter, softened
- 2 large Eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup Sour Cream, avoid non-fat versions
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup whole milk
Instructions
To Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Add granulated sugar, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and beat in Ninja 2-in-1 for 1-2 minutes until well-mixed. Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for about 2 minutes until well combined and a little crumbly.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat until fully mixed.
- Slowly add milk and mix until smooth.
- Fill cupcake liners just over 2/3 full. Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.
To Make the Buttercream Frosting
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 1 minute on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and about 2 Tbsp. heavy cream and reduce speed to low. Beat for a minute or so until the sugar no longer sprays. Then increase speed to medium high and beat for an additional minute until smooth. Add an extra tablespoon or two of the heavy cream if you need a thinner frosting.
To Decorate
- Once cupcakes are cooled cut off the top creating a level surface.
- Cover cupcakes with buttercream frosting. I used a star tip.
- Use the red gel and apply it liberally on top of the buttercream frosting. Start in the middle and make a * shape.
- Press the gummy eyeball into the center of the red gel blob.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g