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Turkey decorated chocolate cupcakes
5 from 33 votes

Turkey Cupcakes

These adorable Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes are easy to make with simple to find candies. A scratch recipe for rich chocolate cupcakes is included.
Author Diana
Servings 12 cupcakes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Decorating 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the cupcake base:

  • ¾ cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
  • cup (65 grams) cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • cup (78 ml) vegetable oil
  • ½ cup (120 ml) milk whole or 2%, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To decorate:

  • 1 cup chocolate frosting
  • 12 Mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
  • 24 small candy eyes
  • 6 Reeses’s pieces for the beaks, cut in half with a small knife before adhering with a little bit of chocolate frosting
  • 12 gummy worms for the wattle
  • 20 pieces candy corn 10 pieces of candy corn for the tail, 4 on the back row, and 6 in front of that.

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
  • In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt).
  • In a separate bowl, combine the eggs with sugar, oil, milk and vanilla extract.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisk until they’re incorporated but do not over mix.
  • Fill the cupcake liners ¾ of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of a cupcake. Allow cupcakes to cool down in the pan. Be sure they are completely cooled before frosting and decorating.

To decorate:

  • Cover each cupcake with a thin layer of chocolate frosting.
  • Using the image as a guide, create a turkey design on each cupcake. Start by using a mini Reese’s cup as the turkey’s head, adhering the eyes, beak, and wattle with a bit of frosting. Then use the candy corn to create the turkey’s tail.

Notes

  1. Use a toothpick to grab a small amount of frosting to use as glue for the turkey’s face! Clean tweezers can be helpful for dealing with small pieces too.
  2. The cupcake batter will not rise up well if it’s mixed too much. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no dry spots remain.
  3. Putting frosting on warm cupcakes is a recipe for a melty disaster. Be patient and wait for the cupcakes to cool down completely before starting to decorate. Along the same theme, you may want to keep the candy in the fridge until you’re ready to use it so it doesn’t melt in your hands.

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 67IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg