By the time my kids were 18, 17 and 13 I thought perhaps I'd skip these one year when I was very busy working at the museum as well as being the main full time parent on duty for everything from dance, part time jobs, football, cheerleading, choir, band, etc. etc. Nope! That year my kids specifically asked if we were having these little cuties - and were heartbroken when I suggested skipping them. Luckily they were happy to jump in and help decorate them - all I had to do was make sure I had some of the little candies on hand!
We've made these so many times and I've posted them so many times on An American Housewife - but they are just so cute, it's always worth a repost for those who may not have seen them previously.
- Brach's Maple Nut Candies
- White frosting
- Yellow gel food color (in a little tube)
- non-perils - red or green (for tiny red cranberries and green peas)
- I bought the long shapes and called them 'green beans'
- caramels, melted or chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for 'gravy'
- a package of cookies with an 'edge' - I choose the ones with the 'pretty edge' to look like a plate
- yellow frosting or other for the 'plate'
Bake and cool your favorite cupcake recipe. Place frosting on the cupcake and top each with a cookie while the frosting is soft to 'adhere' the cookie-plate to the cupcake.
Slice the maple nut candies thin and layer them as 'turkey'.
Dab some white frosting next to it for 'mashed potatoes' followed with a little dab of yellow gel food color as 'butter'.
Melt your caramels, butterscotch or chocolate chips and thin with a little vegetable oil. Drizzle over the 'turkey' as gravy.
Finish it off with the 'cranberries' (red colored sugar or non-perils) and little green 'peas' or 'beans'.
You can slice the top off the cupcakes
if you filled them 3/4 full and they have
a little peak. This will let the 'plate'
evenly on the top of it.
if you filled them 3/4 full and they have
a little peak. This will let the 'plate'
evenly on the top of it.
I have made these too many times to count - as they are a tradition in our home *most* Thanksgivings.
I've used all different sorts of cookies as the plate as you can see from yet another photo of the many versions
I've made over the past almost 25 years.
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