Cute Thanksgiving Desserts

If you read my blog, then you know that I love to bake but what I bake may taste good but it rarely ever looks good. I wish that I could make beautiful baked creations. Oh well, I know my limitations, so I look for easy things that maybe I can do. These turkey cupcakes are so cute! Plus the recipe said the difficulty level is easy. That's my kind of baking project. Brilliant using flattened Starbursts for the feathers. Good thing I bought a bunch on Halloween clearance at 75% off!
Prep Time: 10 min.
Bake Time: 20 min.
Decoration Time: 25 min.
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: Makes 24 cupcakes.

1 box (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
36 pieces STARBURST® Fruit Chews
3 cups prepared chocolate frosting
24 thin chocolate wafers
24 pieces thin pretzel sticks
24 TWIX® Brand Miniatures
¼ cup M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Mini Baking Bits
Fall-colored paper cupcake liners
Small rolling pin
Scissors
Resealable plastic bag

1. Prepare cake batter according to instructions on box. Divide batter evenly into paper-lined cupcake cups.
2. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, soften STARBURST® Fruit Chews (about 6 at a time) in the microwave for 2 to 3 seconds. Flatten them with a rolling pin and immediately cut into feathers using scissors. Use any red STARBURST® Fruit Chews scraps to make the waddle.
4. Frost the top of each cupcake. Using the scissors, snip a corner off of the resealable plastic bag and spoon 1 cup of chocolate frosting into the bag. For the tail: Pipe a line of frosting across the chocolate wafers and arrange three feathers on each one. Press pretzel stick to support wafer and press it into the cupcake. For the head: Pipe 4 dots on the short end of a TWIX® Cookie Bars candy to stick on the M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies eyes, nose and STARBURST® Fruit Chews waddle.

The acorn cake says the difficulty level is easy but it looks a little more difficult to me. I'm still going to be adventuresome and try it but I have a feeling that mine will look like Maddy did it. I will make sure I have her help me with this project so I can blame her if it doesn't turn out right!

Prep Time: 10 min.
Bake Time: 50 min.
Decoration Time: 20 min.
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: Makes 2 acorn cakes (each acorn serves 15).

2 boxes (18.5 oz. each) Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 container (16-ounces) prepared vanilla frosting
Brown food coloring (or green and red to make brown)
1 ½ cup prepared chocolate frosting
3 cups SNICKERS® Brand Miniatures
2 pieces TWIX® Brand Caramel Cookie Bar Minis
1 1/2 quart oven-safe glass bowl
1 (9"x13") cake pan
Waxed paper

1. Prepare both cake mixes according to box directions. Divide batter between buttered oven safe glass bowl and buttered and waxed paper lined oblong cake pan.
2. Bake both cakes in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 40 to 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.
3. Cut both cakes in half. Use photo as guide to cut the flat cake into bottom portion of acorn. Use half moon shaped cake as acorn top. Push cake against the straight edge of flat cake to form acorn.
4. Tint vanilla frosting beige with several drops of brown food coloring. Cover bottom of acorns. Cover acorn tops with chocolate frosting. Arrange SNICKERS® Brand Miniatures around acorn tops, using a TWIX® Brand Caramel Cookie Bar Minis for the stem.

These recipes were found on my ever favorite Bright Ideas!