colored green with 1 drop mint green paste food coloring'
'1 quantity Dark Chocolate Ganache'
'2/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips'
'A little clear piping gel'
'12 Flies'
1 The day before, make the hands
Roll the green Half and Half into 12 balls and then roll and press one end of each ball to thin it out into a cylinder shape
Flatten the rounded end so that the piece of frosting vaguely resembles a Ping-Pong paddle
2 Using a craft knife, make one cut on one side of the flattened area to make a thumb
Pull it out to the side
Make a second cut in the middle of the remaining rounded portion, and a third and fourth cut on either side to create 4 fingers
3 Pull and mold the tips of the fingers to make them slightly pointed
Using a toothpick, score 3 lines into each finger to create joints
This will be the palm side of the hand
On the reverse side, use the toothpick to indent a fingernail shape at the end of each finger
4 Bend the fingers up from the palm to resemble a claw
Prop the hand against a vertical surface so that it dries in the claw shape
Make another 11 hands in the same way and let dry overnight
5 Preheat the oven to 350°F
Line a 12-hole muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners
Crush the Oreo cookies into 1/4-inch pieces
Spoon 1 tablespoon spoon into each liner, reserving the remaining pieces
6 Melt the chocolate in a microwave oven on low, stirring every 15 seconds, or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally
Remove from the heat and let cool
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside
Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat together until pale and fluffy
Blend in the melted chocolate and then gradually beat in the eggs and mix well together
Mix in the vanilla extract and sour cream
Add half the flour mixture and blend in, then mix in the water and remaining flour mixture until incorporated
7 Spoon half the batter into the paper liners and spread over the cookies
Add 1 heaping teaspoon of chocolate chips to each
Add the remaining batter and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips and cookie pieces over the tops
Bake for about 25 minutes, turning once halfway through baking, until well risen and firm to the touch
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool
8 When the cupcakes are cool, spread or pipe the Dark Chocolate Ganache on top of each cupcake
Mix together most of the chocolate cookie crumbs and all of the chocolate chips in a dish and dip the top of each cupcake into the mixture to create graveyard earth
9 Push a toothpick into the wrist end of each hand and press into the earth to anchor it
To enhance the effect of the hand rising from the grave, paint clear piping gel in different places on the hand and at the base, and sprinkle the remaining chocolate cookie crumbs on the gel so that it sticks
