Nailed It! Thanksgiving Dinner Dessert

This year so much has changed in the way that we gather with our friends. One way I cope is that I find myself reminiscing at old photos from events I’ve hosted. The other day, I found this photo of my bedazzled Thanksgiving dinner cupcakes from a Nailed It! themed party I hosted for about 20 kids.
I love making cupcakes that play mind tricks. Half of these cupcakes….you’d think would taste salty and your mind has you pretty much convinced of that.. until you bite into them and they are sweet! I’ve also had people ask if they are edible, or if they are candles! (people have actually asked if a lot of my cupcake creations are candles…..and I love having the job of telling them that they are that beautiful but as a bonus they are also edible!)

This Thanksgiving dinner cupcake set is easier than it looks! When I host Nailed It themed parties, I try to create things that are out of this world to look at, but also can be replicated, so every contestant gets to go home with a dessert spread that they can show off to their families (because while only one person wins a glitter trophy, everyone goes home with cupcakes and that’s a win!)

I was just going to go ahead and type out the recipe for these cupcakes, so you can NAIL IT! at home (and I will, below). But first I wanted to take you on the glittery trail I’ve left behind pre-Covid ♥.

How to make your own:
1. Bake your favorite cupcake recipe. For my Nailed It parties I bake the most classic flavors so everyone will like them (chocolate and vanilla). The cupcakes will be your canvas for your “Thanksgiving dinner”.
2. Bake a batch of pumpkin cupcakes (recipe below) and let them cool.
3. Make buttercream frosting (recipe below).

Turkey Cupcake:
Ingredients Needed:
-Gold Glitter Crystal Sprinkles, poured into bowl for dipping
-Buttercream frosting
-White candy melts
-Parchment Paper lined baking Pan
-Piping bag or ziploc bag with small hole cut at the end

How to:
First, melt candy melts in microwave, in a microwave proof bowl. Melt in 15-30 second increments until pourable and smooth. Pour white candy melts into a piping bag or ziploc bag and cut a tiny hole at the end (big enough to “sketch” with onto your parchment paper lined pan). Draw the shape of a bone onto parchment paper. (I always free hand my work, but there are many templates online if you search “dog bone” that you can print out, size to cupcake scale, place under your parchment paper and trace!) Once you draw your bone shape, place the white candy melt bone in the refrigerator to harden for about 10 minutes. Tip: I make a few extra bones just in case one breaks! It is always good to have a backup. While bone is setting, pipe a tall dreamy swirl of buttercream frosting on top of your cupcake. Immediately dip frosting swirl in gold glitter crystal sprinkles. Insert candy melt “wishbone” into frosting as pictured.

Green Bean Casserole Cupcake:
Ingredients Needed:
-Green licorice (I found mine at local bulk priced food shop. (what I love about the green licorice I chose is that it tasted like apples! So when you bite into the cupcake you think green beans but instead taste apple).
-Pretzel sticks
-Buttercream, colored green (I used Americolor leaf green gel paste)
-Piping bag with 1M open star tip

How to:
Cut up green licorice in green bean like chunks & pretzel sticks to resemble fried onions, set aside. Swirl green frosting on top of cupcake and place licorice & pretzels on top until desired green bean casserole look is achieved.

Mashed Potato & Gravy Cupcake:
Ingredients Needed:
-White buttercream
-Caramel sauce (to resemble gravy)
-Yellow Starburst candy (to resemble butter)
-Piping bag, with a large round hole cut at the end to pipe out buttercream

How to:
Pipe a big “plop” of white buttercream onto the top of cupcake to resemble mashed potatoes. Using a spoon of any kind, create a “dip” in the center of frosting for “gravy” to pool in. Dribble caramel sauce in the “gravy dip” center. Place the yellow Starburst candy as the piece of “butter” in the pool of “gravy”. Sprinkle with gold sparkles. Serve with turkey and stuffing to trick your family members! Hah!

Pie Cupcake:
Ingredients Needed:
Buttercream, colored to look like pie crust (I mix yellow and brown gel paste colors to make a gold tone)
Cherry pie: red m&ms
Blueberry pie: blue m&ms
Apple pie: green m&ms
Pumpkin pie: buttercream frosting, colored pumpkin orange (I mix yellow and red gel paste colors to create the pumpkin orange color). This gets extra yummy if you decide to add pumpkin pie spice to the buttercream.
Piping bags
Tip#21 for fancy pie crust frosting

How to:
For cherry, blueberry, or apple pie cupcakes:
Pipe a light layer of pie crust colored buttercream onto the top of cupcake. Layer m&ms on top of the layer of frosting. Cut a small hole at the end of piping bag and pipe small lines over the top of m&m pie filling to create frosting lattice.

For pumpkin pie cupcake:
Pipe a fluffy swirl of “pumpkin pie filling” frosting onto the top of cupcake.

For both pie cupcakes:
For the fancy pie crust border, place tip#21 inside piping bag and fill with pie crust colored filling. Swirl frilly pie crust border as shown on the outside rim of cupcake. For the grand finale, use tip#21 to swirl white buttercream in the center of “pie” to resemble whipped cream!

Sweet Potato Cupcake:
Ingredients Needed:
-Buttercream, colored sweet potato orange (used a tiny bit of orange gel paste color to achieve this sweet potato orange color)
-Mini marshmallows
-Piping bag, 1M open star tip

How to:
Swirl a fancy light and fluffy looking swirl of your most gourmet “sweet potato” looking frosting on top of your cupcake. Sprinkle with mini marshmallows.

Corn on the cob cupcake:
Ingredients Needed:
-Buttercream, colored yellow
-Candy corn, yellow pieces cut off and set aside in bowl
-Starburst candy, yellow color for “butter”.

How to:
Swirl a thin layer of yellow buttercream on top of cupcake. Place yellow candy corn pieces on top of cupcake to resemble corn on the cob. Dab some frosting on the bottom of yellow starburst candy and “glue” onto the top of corn cob.

Stuffing cupcake:
Ingredients needed:
-Buttercream
-Pumpkin cupcake, cut up into little cubes that look like stuffing
-Green glitter sprinkle crystals for topping on the “stuffing”

How to:
Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream on top of cupcake. Place pumpkin cupcake cubes on top of frosting swirl until desired appearance of “stuffing” is achieved. Sprinkle stuffing with green glitter crystals.

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened (or oil will also work)
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten until frothy
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk

Sift dry ingredients-flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, seasonings. Cream oil/butter and sugar until light & fluffy, beat in eggs gradually. Stir in sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk, blending until batter is smooth. Fill cupcake liners a little over 1/2-3/4 full. Bake for 22-25 minutes at 325. Let cool before decorating.

Marshmallow Cream Buttercream Recipe:
Ingredients:
13-14 oz marshmallow fluff or cream
1 lb butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract Vanilla Extract
8 Cups powdered sugar (depending on how thick you want your frosting to be-use less for creamier frosting and more for thicker swirls)

Mix butter, marshmallow cream & extracts until fluffy and well blended. Gradually add powdered sugar until peaks form and frosting reaches desired texture for piping/decorating.