If you plan on celebrating Thanksgiving this year with your own Thanksgiving cupcakes, then you are probably looking for some ideas on how to decorate them. This article will guide you through a variety of ways and suggestions to help ensure your cupcakes are as good as the rest of your Thanksgiving dinner (or perhaps even better).

Thanksgiving cupcakes can be decorated in many different ways. Turkeys are a popular choice, but pilgrim hats and pumpkins are also traditional choices. The traditional colors for Thanksgiving cupcakes include classic fall hues such as yellow, orange, and brown (which also happen to be the same colors as turning leaves in autumn). Below you will find details on decorating several specific types of Thanksgiving cupcakes, as well as instructions on how to use stencils to place various shapes onto your baked creations.

• No symbol is more synonymous with Thanksgiving than the turkey (although they would be more than happy to give the honor to the chicken). To start, you will need several cupcakes. Most designs use chocolate frosted cupcakes. However, you could also cover any cupcake with chocolate candy sprinkles to look like feathers.http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976844169 http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976844169 Then, you can use some of the following ideas to create different features on your cupcakes:

• Head
• You have many options to choose from when making your turkey's head:

1. Try placing oval shortbread cookies] on the cupcake.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50291
2. Use Nutter Butter cookies by pushing the cookie upright] into the cupcake.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40569
3. Cover miniature peanut butter cups in frosting for a tasty treat.http://kidscooking.about.com/od/thanksgivingrecipes/ss/turkey-cupcakes.htm
4. Pipe a large mound of chocolate frosting] on one side of the cupcake.http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976844169
5. Take a large gumdrop and press a candy corn into the center at an angle for the beak.http://www.bigoven.com/22028-Turkey-Cupcakes-recipe.html

• Eyes

1. Use dabs of frosting to stick mini chocolate chips for the eyes.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40569
2. Try using white decorating icing or white chocolate chips and add brown or black decorating gel to create pupils.http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976844169

• Beak

1. The most common way to create a beak is by using candy corn.http://kidscooking.about.com/od/thanksgivingrecipes/ss/turkey-cupcakes.htm
2. For a smaller beak, cut the tip off a piece of candy corn.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50291

• Wattle

1. The wattle can be made out of red fruit leather.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50291
2. You can also cut a red gumdrop into thin strips and press one below the beak.http://www.bigoven.com/22028-Turkey-Cupcakes-recipe.html

• Feathers / Tail
• Select one of these options when making a tail:

1. Use candy corn to create feathers by inserting them tip down around one side of the cupcake.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50291
2. You can also cut fruit leather into feather shapes and stick it into the cupcakes with the aid of toothpicks.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40569
3. For an inedible tail, use construction paper by cutting out feather shapes.http://www.spatulatta.com/week18_thankgiving/turkey_cupcakes.html

• Wings: Oval shortbread cookies can also be used to make wings on the cupcake.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50291

• Pilgrim hats are another festive Thanksgiving option. Here are a couple ways to turn your ordinary cupcake into a snazzy pilgrim hat.

1. You can turn a chocolate frosted cupcake into a pilgrim hat fairly simply by using a chocolate covered marshmallow.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40570
2. Get creative by using an ice cream cone as your cupcake batter mold. When the cupcake is baked, simply cover with frosting and decorate.http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/feature/famf1103_mgi_pilgrim/

• Decorate your pilgrim hats with yellow decorator's frosting or yellow spice drops to make a buckle on the front of each hat.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40570 http://www.nickjr.com/parenting/parenting_features/thanksgiving/pilgrim_hats.jhtml

• A quick and easy way to decorate cupcakes is to stencil a design over the top of them. To do this, all you need is frosted cupcakes, a topping and a stencil. You can also use this technique to decorate cakes, cookies and brownies. Images that are associated with thanksgiving include turkeys, pilgrim hats, cornucopias (the horn shaped object filled with vegetables), pumpkins, maple leaves and Native Americans.

• There are a variety of toppings you can use to make your design including:

• 1. Colored sugar.http://frugalliving.about.com/od/condimentsandspices/ht/Colored_Sugar.htm
  2. Colored powdered sugar.http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/miscellaneous/article/223/19924
  3. Colored coconut.http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/miscellaneous/article/223/19924
  4. Stenciled Halloween Cakeshttp://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.0e0eb51a2e6b5ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=20742e912b11f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=header_2&autonomy_kw=make+stencils

• Cupcake and cookie stencils are fairly inexpensive and are sold by Wilton online.http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=1B81B54E-423B-522D-FE5967ADA95A2E3A&killnav=1 However, you can make your own stencils very easily. If you are interested, check out Mahalo's page on how to make stencils for the basic steps. You can also use Thanksgiving cookie cutters as templates to make your own stencils. Thanksgiving cookie cutters are available at the following locations:
  1. The Wire Whisk: 8 Piece Thanksgiving Cookie Cutter Sethttp://wirewhiskonline.com/8-PIECE-THANKSGIVING-COOKIE-CUTTER-SET/M/B000Y1Q7I4.htm?utm_campaign=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle
  2. Copper Gifts: Thanksgiving Cookie Cuttershttp://www.coppergifts.com/productcart/pc/showsearchresults.asp?idcategory=5&resultcnt=36&keyWord=thanksgiving
  3. Google Product Search: Thanksgiving Cookie Cuttershttp://www.google.com/products?q=Thanksgiving+cookie+cutters&btnG=Search+Products&show=dd

• You can create a miniature edible Thanksgiving dinner on your cupcakes with a little bit of work. You will need: round shaped cookies, yellow frosting, maple nut candies, white frosting, yellow gel food coloring, butterscotch or chocolate chips, vegetable oil, green sprinkles or nonpareil, red nonpareils or sugar. Then, you can create the various dishes by doing the following:
  1. Plate: Set a round cookie on top of a cupcake and cover it with yellow frosting.http://www.recipezaar.com/196673 Mini Thanksgiving Dinner Cupcakes Recipe
  2. Turkey slices: Cut maple nut candies into slices and place them in layers on the plate.
  3. Mashed potatoes: Place a dab of white frosting next to the turkey. Add a little bit of yellow gel food coloring on top for the butter.http://www.recipezaar.com/196673
  4. Gravy: Melt butterscotch or chocolate chips with a little bit of vegetable oil. Drizzle over the turkey.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40773
  5. Cranberries: Place a small amount of red nonpareils or sugar.http://www.housewifebarbie.com/2006/11/mini-thanksgiving-dinner-cupcakes.html
  6. Green Beans: Place a small amount of long green sprinkles.http://www.housewifebarbie.com/2006/11/mini-thanksgiving-dinner-cupcakes.html
  7. Peas: Place a small amount of green nonpareils to create peas instead of beans.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40773

• Here are a few other ideas that you can use to create Thanksgiving themed cupcakes:

1. Use candy leaves and pumpkins to decorate the top of your cupcakes.http://www.mrsbeasleys.com/Product_Description.cfm?ProductID=1007&ProductGroupID=65&SubPGID=495&&ExtendedList=GetCupcakes_65
2. Orange, yellow and brown sprinkles make a colorful trim.http://www.mrsbeasleys.com/Product_Description.cfm?ProductID=1007&ProductGroupID=65&SubPGID=495&&ExtendedList=GetCupcakes_65
3. If you use icing to write guests' names on the cupcakes, they can be used for placecards.http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/thanksgiving-placecard-cupcakes-2007-11-22.htm
4. Top your cupcake with sugar shapes such as pilgrim hats.http://www2.shopping.com/xPO-Luck-s-Thanksgiving-Cakes-Cupcakes-Cookies-Pilgrim-Hat-Shaped-Sugars-24-Pcs
5. Use yellow and white buttercream frosting on orange cupcakes and make them look like miniature pumpkin pies.http://www.cupcakesago-go.com/Cupcakesagogo_Page.htm
6. Place a green gumdrop on the center of an orange-colored cupcake and you have an instant pumpkin.