Easy Turkey Cupcakes {Thanksgiving}

Quick and easy turkey cupcakes recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. These Thanksgiving cupcakes are decorated with chocolate icing, sprinkles, candy corns and mini peanut butter cups.

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year to gather with friends and family. Not to mention all the great food! These cupcakes will be at a hit for adults and children at your next get together. And don't forget to try these fun turkey dessert recipes as well: Oreo Turkey Cookies, Turkey Cake, and Turkey Topper. They are also great options for a meatless "turkey" dinner.

Key ingredients for decorated Thanksgiving cupcakes

• Candy corn- You either like them or hate them, but they work perfectly as the beak.
• Cupcakes- Make them homemade or do the quick and easy route with a box mix.
• Mini peanut butter cups- Be sure they are the mini version and not the regular size or the turkey face won't be as cute.
• Orange and red candies- You can choose a variety of different candies here, so be creative.
• Eyeball candies- Stock up during the Halloween season or find them in your store's special baking aisle.
• Melted chocolate- Use semi-sweet or milk chocolate as the "glue." White chocolate will work but won't blend into the background as well.
• Chocolate frosting- Best used in a piping bag and don't skimp.

Variations

Substitute candy corns- With pretzels, orange and yellow M&Ms, or Reese's Pieces.

Other frosting options- I used a chocolate buttercream, but you can also use German Chocolate Cake Frosting, Chocolate Ganache Frosting, or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. For a lighter brown/tan color you can use Brown Sugar Frosting, Caramel Frosting, Peanut Butter Frosting, or Maple Frosting.

Change cupcake flavors- Chocolate works the best in the color scheme, but you can also use vanilla, red velvet, or another one of your favorite flavors.

Switch up the sprinkles- Use different shapes and sizes of sprinkles. And although brown sprinkles will make it look the most like a turkey, you can also make a rainbow turkey or other various colors just for fun.

Add a filling- To the cupcakes for an extra surprise by making a whole in the center of the baked and cooled cupcake. Before frosting, fill up the whole with a Caramel Sauce, Dulce De Leche, Whipped Cream, Marshmallow frosting, marshmallow cream, small candies of your choice, or sprinkles.

How to make easy chocolate turkey cupcakes recipe with candy corn?

1. Bake- Cupcakes and allow them to cool.
2. Pipe- Chocolate icing on top of each cupcake.
3. Coat- Cupcakes completely with sprinkles
4. Place candies- On the peanut butter cup with melted chocolate to make a face.
5. Stick the face- Onto the side cupcake.
6. Push- Candy corns all around the other side for feathers.

Tips and techniques

The red "wattle" on the face is optional- You can skip it if you can't find a long red candy. Licorice works too and is pretty easy to find.

Use a spatula- To smooth out the frosting onto the cupcake to form a nice dome shape.

Easy sprinkle coverage- Instead of trying to apply sprinkles by hand or with a spoon, simply fill a small bowl with sprinkles and turn the cupcake upside down to dip it in the bowl. Roll it around gently to completely coat. The frosting must still be somewhat "wet." If you let it dry, the sprinkles won't stick.

Use mini peanut butter cups- The larger ones are too big and not suitable for a face.

Get candies to stick- To the peanut butter cups with some melted chocolate of your choice.

You need a lot of frosting- To get all the sprinkles and candies to stick and look like a plump turkey. This is done easiest with a piping bag.

Allow cupcakes to cool before decorating them- Because the icing will melt and make a mess.

For the beak- Be sure to press in the M&M on its side, being sure that it is halfway into the peanut butter cup. This will make it look more like a beak and less like a muppet's nose.

Complete all faces at the same time- This way, you can expedite the whole process and avoid continually warming up the chocolate along the way.

Remove wrappers from all candies- They work better this way as features of the face.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Room temperature- Store for 2-3 hours.
• Fridge- Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
• Freezer- Unfrosted cupcakes and frosting can be stored separately in sealed containers. When you are ready to make these, thaw, frost and decorate as per instructions below.

More Thanksgiving Desserts For Kids

• Easy Acorn Cookies (With Nutter Butter)
• Easy Fall Cookies (Leaf Cookies)
• Chocolate Tree Cake (Fall or Thanksgiving)
• How to Make Chocolate Leaves (With Mint)

Recipe