Spiderweb Cupcakes

I made these cute spiderweb cupcakes for a Halloween party and I was so happy at the way they turned out! They look like they are difficult to make, but they are actually pretty simple.

1. Bake your cupcakes and ice them in whatever flavors you want.
2. Print out a Spiderweb Template. (This is the one I used)
3. Cut parchment paper to the size of your cookie sheet.
4. Melt 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 tbsp. shortening in the microwave. Make sure you do this in 30 sec. to 60 sec. intervals, stirring between each interval.
5. Use a decorating bag with a no. 2 tip and pour the chocolate into the bag.
6. Place the Spiderweb Template under the parchment paper and trace the spiderweb shapes onto the parchment.
7. Chill for 10 or more min. in the refrigerator.
8. After chocolate spiderwebs have hardened, carefully peel them off the paper with a spatula and place them on top of the cupcakes. Press down lightly into the icing. (Be careful not to press too hard or they will break!)
9. If chocolate starts to warm, place the spiderwebs back into the fridge to harden again.

These spooky cupcakes will definitely add some festivity to your table spread. Happy baking for Halloween 2010!