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1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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2
Sift together the flour and baking soda and set aside.
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3
In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy.
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4
Then add both sugars and continue mixing to cream them together.
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5
Add the eggs gradually and let them thoroughly mix in.
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6
Add the melted unsweetened chocolate and mix in well.
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7
Add the vanilla and 1/3 of the yogurt and mix, then add half the dry ingredients, and mix in well.
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8
Repeat alternating wet and dry, ending with wet.
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Pour batter into a muffin tins, lined with cupcake papers, filling them 3/4 full.
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10
Bake until firm to the touch on the cap of the cupcakes, about 20 minutes.
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11
Let cool in the pan, then decorate.
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12
To make the cupcakes into spiders, frost with your favorite chocolate frosting glue 2 flat chocolate buttons on the top of the cupcake as eyes.
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13
Pipe a large white dot on lower half of each button then stick on the chocolate chips, then pipe a tiny white dot on the tip of the chip.
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14
In red, pipe a smile and to make them tarantulas, pipe a red hourglass shape on its back.
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15
Cut black liquorice into 3-inch long pieces and tuck 8 of them into the rim of the cupcake cap to make legs.
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16
To serve the cupcakes, with black frosting pipe a spider web onto a middle of a large white plate and place the spiders around the edge.
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17
Notes about the recipe: I always buy the large tub of plain yogurt because it's so much cheaper than buying all those small ones, and the next thing I know, it's gone moldy for lack of attention.
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18
So this is a good place to use a large quantity of it up.
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19
You can use sour milk instead or sour your own by squeezing a good amount of lemon juice into whole milk and letting it stand 2 minutes to curdle and sour.
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20
Here's proof that there is something even cuter than a cupcake.
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21
Princess Diana's butler, Paul Burrell, taught me how to turn cupcakes into spiders.
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22
He made these on the Princes' birthdays, as part of a complete bug theme party with a big ladybug cake and cheese pastries coiled up like snails, with antennae made of chives.
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23
I make them for my prince's birthdays; my son Gio loves them.
