Learn how to turn your favorite chocolate cupcakes into adorable Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes. Start with pre-made chocolate cupcakes, smother each in chocolate buttercream and then follow the directions to complete this fun Thanksgiving activity.
Creating adorable turkey cupcakes is so much fun. These easy Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes are simple enough for decorating newbies and a fun treat to make with kids. Using a combination of candy corn, chocolate frosting, chocolate sprinkles, M & M's, and candy eyeballs you can create the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table or classroom/office Thanksgiving party.
This tutorial was inspired by turkey cupcakes my son made at his school Thanksgiving Party. The techniques used to create these turkeys are also popular on Tik Tok and Pinterest. I loved the idea of using candy corn instead the more popular Reece’s Cup so that this treat stays peanut butter free.
For another fun project, check out these Sprinkle Filled Piñata Cupcakes. Switch the sprinkles to a harvest theme, and you have festive cupcakes perfect for turkey day!
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Ingredients
Ingredients For Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes
- pre-made chocolate cupcakes - use a box of chocolate cake mix or your favorite homemade recipe
- chocolate frosting - store-bought chocolate icing or your favorite chocolate buttercream recipe
- chocolate sprinkles - we used chocolate jimmies (tiny rod shaped bits)
- bag of candy corn - candy corn stays fresh in a sealed bag for a LONG TIME and can be hard to find once stores sell all their leftover Halloween candy. Stock up when it's available.
- red M&M's - holiday themed M & M's give you the assurance that there will be enough red colored candies
- candy eyeballs - we recommend Wilton candy eyes
** NOTE: if you prefer to make homemade cupcakes, I recommend using THIS RECIPE from Sally's Baking Addiction. She makes my favorite chocolate cupcakes. If you want to use a boxed cake mix, Ghirardelli Double Double Chocolate Cake Mix can't be beat.
** See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions:
Step 1: Bake cupcakes. Prepare chocolate cupcakes according to boxed cake mix instructions OR the directions provided by your favorite recipe. You want cupcakes that are flat on top, so only fill your muffin tin cups a little over ½ full with cake batter.
Step 2: Frost cupcakes. Using a butter knife or off-set spatula, spread a thick layer of frosting onto each cupcake. Don’t worry about making it perfect, the icing will be covered by chocolate sprinkles.
Step 3: Dip cupcakes in chocolate sprinkles. Fill a small bowl (just big enough for cupcake to fit into) with chocolate sprinkles. Dip each frosted cupcake into the bowl. The entire top of the cupcake should be sprinkle covered. Roll cupcake to ensure edges are covered as well.
Step 4: Make turkey feathers. Gently press the tips of candy corns into the back of the chocolate cupcake to create the turkey's tail feathers.
Step 5: Make the turkey face. Add candy eyes to the center of each chocolate cupcake. Press a piece of candy corn tip side down, just below the turkey's eyes to create a beak. Position a sideways M & M against the turkeys beak for the wattle.
HELPFUL HINT: Don't want to spend the time making homemade or boxed cupcakes? Purchase pre-made cupcakes from your local grocery store. Scrape off most of the chocolate icing follow the instructions to decorate your turkey cupcake.
Equipment
Not only are these the cutest Thanksgiving cupcakes, they also don't require any specialty equipment. It is likely you have everything you need hanging out in your kitchen.
Muffin Tin: I use and recommend this basic muffin tin from Amazon. It is affordable and highly rated.
Cookie Scoop: A scoop will ensure that all cupcakes are equally proportioned and bake evenly. A #20 scoop is ideal for portioning cupcake batter. If you don't have a scoop available, use about 3 tablespoons of batter per muffin cup.
Cupcake Liners: Liners help cupcakes hold their shape and retain their moisture longer. They also save on cleanup time. We recommend using greaseproof cupcake liners to ensure the best presentation for your adorable candy corn turkey cupcakes.
Storage
Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight bag in the freezer until you are ready to decorate your actual turkey cupcakes. Unfrosted, frozen cupcakes can safely be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Once cupcakes are decorated, it's best to keep them covered, but at room temperature. I have found that when refrigerated or frozen, candy eyeballs melt and run. The ending result is silly little turkeys instead of adorable Thanksgiving turkeys. Decorated cupcakes should be served within 1-2 days.
Top tip
The best part of this fun Thanksgiving activity is that it's a recipe where you can involve the entire family. Gather the ingredients, pass out the unfrosted cupcakes and let the kids make their own turkey cupcakes to display on the Thanksgiving table.
📖 Recipe
Best Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes (Easy Tutorial)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 turkey cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to turn your favorite chocolate cupcakes into adorable Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes. Start with pre-made chocolate cupcakes, smother each in chocolate buttercream and then follow the directions to complete this fun Thanksgiving activity.
Ingredients
- 12 pre-made chocolate cupcakes
- 1 container of store-bought chocolate icing **
- ¾ cup chocolate sprinkles - we recommend jimmies (long rod like sprinkles)
- 1 bag candy corn
- 12 red M & M's
- 24 small Wilton candy eyes
Instructions
- Frost cupcakes. Using a butter knife or off-set spatula, spread a thick layer of frosting onto each cupcake.
- Dip cupcakes in chocolate sprinkles. Fill a small bowl (just big enough for cupcake to fit into) with chocolate sprinkles. Gently, dip each frosted cupcake into the bowl. The entire top of the cupcake should be sprinkle covered.
- Make turkey feathers. Gently press the tips of candy corns into the back of the chocolate cupcake to create the turkey's tail feathers.
- Make the turkey face. Add candy eyes to the center of each chocolate cupcake. Press a piece of candy corn tip side down, just below the turkey's eyes to create a beak.
- Add the turkey's wattle.Carefully cut a red M&M in half. Gently position the cut side of the candy against the turkey's candy corn beak.
Notes
- Don't want to spend the time making homemade or boxed cupcakes? Purchase pre-made cupcakes from your local grocery store. Scrape off most of the chocolate icing follow the instructions to decorate your turkey cupcake.
- Nutrition information is based on cupcakes baked box mix.
** your favorite homemade chocolate buttercream icing can be subbed for store-bought chocolate icing.
Keywords: Thanksgiving, Turkey, Cupcakes
FAQ
Yes, use your favorite flavor or what you have on hand. The chocolate icing and the sprinkles will cover the entire cupcake.
Reese's Pieces also make super cute tail feathers and can be used to create a beak. I opted for candy corn so that the recipe remained peanut free and could be used in schools for class Thanksgiving parties.
Getting a rich brown using food coloring can be difficult. I like to add about 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder per cup of icing as a base before adding food coloring. Once cocoa powder is mixed in, then dark brown food coloring until desired color is achieved.
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