Make sugared cranberries. Combine 1 cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water in sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour warm syrup over cranberries. Chill berries, at least 1 hour. Drain.

In small bowl, add ½ cup granulated sugar. Working with about 1/8 cup cranberries at a time, roll cranberries in sugar. Spread out on parchment paper to dry. If sugar becomes clumpy, add additional granulated sugar.

Bake cones. Prepare chocolate cake batter following recipe instructions. Place rack on cookie sheet. Arrange cones in rack. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter in each cone. Bake and cool according to package directions.

Pipe drips. Melt Bright White Candy Melts candy according to package directions. Prepare decorating bag with melted candy. Cut ¼ in. tip in bag.

Pipe drips on edge of cones, immediately sprinkling with sparkling sugar. Work in sections so drips stay vertical as you move around the cone. If needed, use knife tool to straighten drips before candy sets up.

Place cones back into rack and chill until set, about 10 minutes.

Decorate cones. Follow instructions to decorate cones as desired.

Icing Pinecones: Tint 2 cans decorator icing medium brown using color combination provided. Combine Brown with a touch of Red-Red icing colors to get medium brown color shown. Prepare three decorating bags separately with tips 1A, 81 and 104. Fill each with brown icing.

Using bag with tip 1A, pipe mound in center of cone. Using either tip 81 (smaller petals) or 104 (larger petals), start at top of mound and pipe pull-out petals, angling petals slightly upward. Repeat until mound is covered. Lightly sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Almond Pinecones: Using bag with tip 1A, pipe mound in center of cone. Starting at bottom and working toward top, add sliced almonds. Lightly sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Cranberry Pinecones: Prepare decorating bag with tip 1M and white decorator icing. Pipe swirl on each cone. Top with sugared cranberries.