Makes 20 cupcakes

2	C	All-purpose flour
1	tbsp	Baking powder
1/2	tsp	Baking soda
1/2	tsp	Salt
3/4	tsp	Ground ginger
1/2	tsp	Ground cinnamon
1/2	tsp	Ground nutmeg
1/3	C	Unsalted butter softened
1	C	Sugar
2		Eggs, lightly beaten
1	C	Mashed, cooked or canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
3/4	C	Milk
		Vanilla Butter-Cream Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two half-inch muffin-pan cups, or line with paper liners.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg on a piece of waxed paper.
3. Beat together butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then pumpkin.
4. At low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with milk until smooth.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin-pan cups, filling each two-thirds full.
6. Bake in a preheated oven (375 degrees Fahrenheit) for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto rack to cool.
7. Tint frosting with food coloring. Frost cupcakes. Decorate as desired, using black licorice, toasted coconut, and other candies to create spiders and spooks.

Vanilla Butter-Cream Frosting:

Beat together 1/3 cup softened, unsalted butter, 3 cups sifted 10x (confectioners') sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt until blended. Gradually add 3 to 4 tablespoons milk, beating until desired consistency.