Cat Cupcakes

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. I don’t think I’ve dressed up since I was in middle-school, and I certainly don’t like those horror flicks that  disappear from every movie-rental store during the days of October.

But before all you witches and goblins take out your pitchforks, let me say this: any holiday that celebrates my animal-companion of choice is a holiday worth celebrating.

Everywhere I go, I see outlines of cats next to brimming-full moons. Down the street, my neighbor has adorned her yard with a white, spider-web gauze and a collection of skeletons. Each time I walk past, I shake my head at all the frivolous decorations until I see the black cat figurine perched on her porch-step.

“Aww,” I say, grabbing Ryan’s arm, “I want one of those.”

To those of you who’ve known me for over a year, this obsession is a new one.

Cats were never my favorite creatures…as a child, I begged my parents for a puppy each Christmas, never a kitten.

But this May, only one week before my sister’s funeral, Cricket came into our lives, and Ryan and I have been cat-lovers ever since.

On May 7th, a little gray cat attached herself to us while we were walking near Town Lake. After an hour of petting and frantic text messaging to our animal-loving friends (what do we do with a stray cat!??!), we took Cricket home.

It would only be a matter of time before I made a human treat dedicated to my number-one animal.

I figured Halloween would be a fitting time to share my creation with all of you.

The best part of making these cupcakes is the excuse to go buy candy. I loved walking through Central Market, picking out candy from the big plastic bins kept near the coffee.

“This will make a perfect whisker!” I said to an old lady scooping out candy corn. She nodded (probably to allay my own embarrassment and not in symbolism of true agreement).

When I arrived home, I loved arranging these petite candies on the top of my chocolate covered cupcakes.

And the photo shoot? Even better. Cricket and I couldn’t have had more fun.

Cat Cupcakes
*yields 12
1 dozen chocolate cupcakes
Chocolate frosting
3 full sheets of graham crackers
Candies of various shapes and sizes (think eyes, whiskers and nose)

1. After applying a thick layer of chocolate frosting to your cupcake, affix a candy nose to the center. Align candy whiskers to the left and the right of the nose. Place two eyes above.

2. Take a graham cracker and break into four pieces. Cut each piece in half, and then cut diagonally. Affix ears to both sides of cupcakes.

3. Take a picture with your cat and then enjoy!

Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores

And thank you again for all the encouraging comments, the LOVELY guest posts and your visits while my arm was/is healing. You all make me smile, day after day.