Q1: Can I make these cupcakes a few days in advance of Thanksgiving?

Yes, absolutely! The best way to do this is to make the components separately. You can bake the cupcakes and make the frosting up to 2 days in advance. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature and the frosting in the refrigerator. Then, on Thanksgiving morning or the night before, you can have a fun decorating party with your family to assemble the final turkeys.

Q2: What is the best way to transport these decorated cupcakes?

Because of their fun, 3D decorations, these cupcakes can be a bit tricky to transport. The absolute best tool is a dedicated cupcake carrier with tall, individual slots that will hold each cupcake securely in place. If you don't have one, you can place them carefully in a large, deep, lidded container in a single layer.

Q3: What is Dutch-process cocoa powder, and do I have to use it?

Dutch-process cocoa powder has been treated with an alkalizing agent to neutralize its natural acidity. This results in a cocoa powder that is darker in color and has a smoother, mellower, and less bitter chocolate flavor. It is a fantastic choice for a rich, dark buttercream like this one. If you can't find it, you can use an equal amount of a standard, natural unsweetened cocoa powder .

Q4: Where can I find all the different kinds of candies for decorating?

Most of these candies are readily available at any major grocery store, especially during the fall and holiday season. Candy eyeballs can usually be found in the baking aisle, near the sprinkles. Reese’s Pieces®, candy corn, and the sugared jelly candies are in the candy aisle. The cookies and the donut holes are in the bakery or the cookie aisle.

Q5: The buttercream frosting seems very sweet. Can I reduce the sugar?

A classic American buttercream frosting, like this one, relies on a high ratio of confectioners' sugar for its thick, stable, and pipeable consistency. While you can reduce the sugar slightly, reducing it too much will result in a frosting that is very soft, greasy, and will not hold its shape well for decorating. The pinch of salt in the recipe is key to balancing the sweetness.

The Best Adorable & Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

A festive and decorative recipe for Thanksgiving cupcakes that are assembled to look like turkeys. The base is a moist pumpkin spice cupcake, which is then topped with a rich, smooth chocolate buttercream frosting. The elaborate turkey decoration is constructed from a variety of store-bought cookies and candies: a ginger cookie serves as the tail with candy ‘feathers’, a glazed donut hole creates the head with candy eyeballs and a candy corn beak, and pieces of a peanut butter cookie form the wings.

Author: Evelyn
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes (includes cooling time)
Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking, Decorating
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pure pumpkin purée
For the Chocolate Buttercream:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Pinch fine salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
For Decorating:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
84 candy-coated peanut butter candies (e.g., Reese’s Pieces)
12 flower-shaped ginger cookies (e.g., Anna’s Ginger Thins)
12 glazed donut holes
24 candy eyeballs
12 pieces candy corn
4 red round or heart-shaped sugared jelly candies
12 peanut-shaped peanut butter cookies

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Instructions

Make the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the oil, then the pumpkin purée. Fold in the dry ingredients until just smooth.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
Make the Buttercream: Sift the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Beat the butter and salt in a stand mixer until light. Add the sugar mixture, then the vanilla and cream. Beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Frost the cooled cupcakes with the chocolate buttercream.
Decorate the Turkeys: Make a sugar ‘glue’ by whisking the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice.
Create the tails by gluing 7 peanut butter candies onto each ginger cookie. Let set for 15 minutes.
Create the heads by cutting a small slice from each donut hole so it sits flat. Glue on 2 candy eyeballs. Cut the yellow end off a piece of candy corn and insert it as a beak. Cut the red jelly candies and glue a piece to the side of the beak for the wattle.
Create the wings by cutting the sides off each peanut butter cookie.
Assemble: Stick a finished tail into the back of each frosted cupcake. Place a head on top and add the wings on the sides.

Notes

This is a multi-step decorating project; it is helpful to make the cupcakes and frosting first, then assemble all the decoration components before putting the final turkeys together.
The simple confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice mixture acts as an effective edible glue for all the candy and cookie pieces.
The article references a ‘Cook’s Note’ for the flour, but the note itself is not provided.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Calories: 700-850
Sugar: 90-110 g
Sodium: 400-500 mg
Fat: 35-45 g
Saturated Fat: 15-20 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 100-120 g
Fiber: 3-5 g
Protein: 6-8 g
Cholesterol: 90-110 mg

Find it online: https://cookupjoy.com/thanksgiving-turkey-cupcakes/