**GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR WINNER AND BOOK REVIEW***

Today’s guest post is from 9 year-old Carrie Berk, of Carrie’s Cupcakes Critiques. We reviewed her youth book,The Cupcake Club: Peace, Love, and Cupcakes (co-written with her mother, Sheryl Berk) last spring and now that the new book in the series, The Cupcake Club: Recipe for Trouble, is available, we are excited to give away a copy to one of our readers (more details at the bottom of this post)! But first, with Thanksgiving season upon us, many of us find ourselves thankful to be surrounded by friends and family. Carrie has shared with us some ideas of how cupcakes can be a great way to say, “Thank you” or “I love you” to those who matter. We love her creativity and hope you enjoy her cute ideas.

Carrie’s Tips:
Cupcakes are a sweet way to express how you feel about family and friends. You don’t even have to wait until Valentine’s Day to do it!

• Think about the person: What do they like? What are their fave flavors, colors, hobbies? Bake a cupcake that is as special and unique as they are! For example, if your sister likes pink and takes ballet, why not bake her a pink berry cupcake and top it with ballet slippers made from fondant? If you don’t want to make your own toppers you can find lots of fun ones in all shapes at craft and cooking stores. Or simply print out a pic on your home computer, glue it to cardstock, and attach it with a small piece of tape to a toothpick. Instant cupcake decoration!

• Spell it out! I love to make mini cupcakes topped with simple fondant letters. You can use mini alphabet cookie cutters to punch out your message. Use one letter per cupcake, then make your display on a platter or tabletop. Spell out, “Love You!” “XOXO,” or even “You Rock!”

• Gift a goodie. Pack a cupcake in a pretty cardboard box or plastic food container topped with a  bow. You can give it (like Lexi in the new book) to your secret crush or save it for a special occasion or holiday. Home-baked gifts are the best. They show you took the time to make them and really care!

• Use heart-shaped muffin pans to bake cupcakes. You can find inexpensive ones in cooking and craft stores or even on Amazon (http.amazon.com). If they’re silicon you’ll have no problem popping out your cupcake. If the pan is metal, coat first with non-stick spray, then bake and frost. Use a little gel icing to write a message on the heart. I love writing “text messages” on mine: UR GR8, 4EVR, QT, etc.

• Serve someone a cupcake in bed! I love doing this for my parents on Mother’s or Father’s Day. Plate a pretty cupcake you’ve bought or made and serve it on a tray with a glass of milk and a card for the occasion. It’s a sweet way to show how much you appreciate them and that you realize they need a little R&R!

•Send a DIY cupcake kit! Use plastic zipper bags to pack all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, sprinkles, baking soda, etc.). Type or write up the recipe, and include pretty cupcake wrappers, decorative cupcake picks, even piping bags and tips if you want to be fancy! Then send your kit to someone for a special day celebration. Baking cupcakes is as much fun as eating them!

Also keep an eye out for our review of The Cupcake Club: Recipe for Trouble, which will be posted soon.

GIVEAWAY
We are giving away a copy of Carrie’s latest book, The Cupcake Club: Recipe for Trouble, to one of our readers. To enter:

– Comment below letting us know what your favorite book growing up was.

– Earn an additional entry by subscribing to our email list and leave a separate comment to let us know that you did (if you are already signed up on our email list, leave a comment letting us know and you will also earn another entry).

The contest ends on Friday, October 12th and we will post the winner on Monday, October 15th. One winner will be selected at random. Good luck!

*Only open to U.S. and Canada residents.

– Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Jenn (Westminster, MD)