Aren’t these Turkey Cupcakes adorable? Your kiddos will have so much fun helping, and there are a lot of little jobs they can do! This is the perfect treat to bring to school for that Thanksgiving party, and you’ll have fun with the kids while putting them together!

We always had so much fun on Thanksgiving morning. It seems we started a tradition without even realizing it.

When I was a kid, my mom always made biscuits first thing on Thanksgiving morning as she used them to make her amazing stuffing. She always made extras so my brother and sister and I could have them for breakfast.

We used to slather them with butter and jelly. What a great memory! Now I have to make biscuits on Thanksgiving morning, even if we’re going out to dinner.

My oldest daughter is now in college in Canada, and my youngest will probably be there next year. That means this is the last year I’ll have a kid at home for Thanksgiving, at least until they graduate. My heart!

When you make these cupcakes, pick up the Wilton 415-3277 Turkey Cupcake Decorating Kit from Amazon. It will make the process easier and more fun!

Enjoy the time with your kids while you can. I know when you are in the throes of parenting it seems like they will never grow up. And then they’re gone. Now excuse me while I go cry in a corner.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients

1 3/4 C Flour
2 C Sugar
1 C   Cocoa
1 1/2 TSP Baking Soda
1 1/2 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Salt
2 Eggs, room temp
1 C Whole Milk
1/2 C  Canola Oil
2 TSP Vanilla
1 C Boiling Water

Frosting Ingredients

1 C Unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 C Cocoa powder
3 C Powdered sugar
3/4 C Heavy cream

Royal Icing Ingredients:

2 Egg whites
1 C Powdered sugar
1/2 tsp Cream of tartar
Red & orange gel food coloring

Decorating the Turkey Ingredients:

It will be so much easier if you have icing bags and tips, but if you don’t you can improvise by using a baggie and cutting off a corner to use as an icing bag.

Package Fudge Stripe Cookies
Package of Oreo Cookies
Bag of Candy Corn
Bag of Chocolate M&M’s 

Cupcake Directions:

-Place paper liners in the cupcake tins. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Stiff the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
-In another bowl beat the eggs, whole milk, oil, and vanilla.
-Add the eggs, whole milk, oil, and vanilla to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
-Beat together until fully mixed.
-Beat for 3 minutes on medium.
-Slowly add the boiling water starting with a small amount then pour in the remaining boiling water.
-The batter may be a little runny.
-Scoop batter into cupcake lined cups until 3/4s filled.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
-Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
-Take out of the cupcake pan placing on a wire rack until completely cooled.

Frosting Directions: 

-Beat the softened butter on its own until smooth.
-Add cocoa and powdered sugar alternately with heavy cream into the creamed butter until it becomes a smooth and thick texture.
-If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream, if too thin, add more powdered sugar.
-Scoop frosting into a large pastry bag with a large frosting tip.
-Twist the open end of the pastry bag to push frosting to the tip.
-Frost cupcakes starting from the outside edge of the cupcake working toward the center of the cupcake.

Royal Icing Directions: 

-Combine all ingredients, except food coloring, in a mixing bowl mixing on medium speed for 4 minutes.
-If icing is not stiff enough add 1/4 C powdered sugar.
-Divide the icing into three bowls.
-In the first bowl add several drops of orange gel food coloring.  Stir to blend.
-In the second bowl, add drops of red gel food coloring, mixing well to incorporate the color.
-The third bowl of icing remains white
-Pour each color of icing into individual frosting bags with a #5 tip. Twist the open end of the bag to push the icing to the tip.

Making the Turkey Directions:

-Refer to the picture of the cupcakes for directions.
-Laying the Fudge Stripe cookies strip side down.
-Lay out the candy corn on the fudge side of the cookie.
-Remove the candy corn and add some white icing for the “glue”.
-Lay the candy corn with the white tip down towards the center of the cookie.
-Allow some time to dry. (up to 30 minutes, checking to make sure they are dry)
-Once dry stick the cookie into the back of the frosted cupcake to secure the “tail”.
-For the turkey eyes, separate two Oreo cookies per cupcake. Keep as much filling on the half of the Oreo cookie as possible. Dispose the other Oreo half into your mouth. (What? I’m working up an appetite here!)
-Using white icing “glue” the chocolate M&M (eye ball) to the Oreo cookie half that has the filling on it.
-Allow time for the eye ball (M&M) to dry.
-While the ball is drying , using the orange icing make a dot for the nose.  Allow 30 seconds for the nose to dry.
-Apply the red icing for the waddle just below the nose.  Allow 30 seconds for this to dry before adding the eyes to the cupcake.  Check to see if dry by a gently touch on top of the waddle.
-Apply a small amount of the white icing to the back of the each eye and place it on the cupcake.
-Refer to the picture of the completed cupcakes for the correct position of the eyes.
-Allow a little more time to dry before moving.

5 from 3 votes

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Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

These adorable Thanksgiving cupcakes are perfect to bring for your child's Thanksgiving party at school!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Kelly Stilwell

Ingredients

• Cupcake Ingredients
• 1 3/4 C Flour
• 2 C Sugar
• 1 C Cocoa
• 1 1/2 TSP Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 TSP Baking Powder
• 1 TSP Salt
• 2 Eggs room temp
• 1 C Whole Milk
• 1/2 C Canola Oil
• 2 TSP Vanilla
• 1 C Boiling Water
• Frosting Ingredients
• 1 C unsalted butter room temp
• 3/4 C cocoa powder
• 3 C powder sugar
• 3/4 C heavy cream
• Royal Icing Ingredients:
• 2 egg whites
• 1 C powder sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• red & orange gel food coloring
• Decorating the Turkey Ingredients:
• Package Fudge Stripe Cookies
• Package of Oreo Cookies
• Bag of Candy Corn
• Bag of Chocolate M&M's

Instructions

1. Cupcake Directions:
2. -Place paper liners in the cupcake tins. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. -Stiff the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
4. -In a another bowl beat the eggs, whole milk, oil, and vanilla.
5. -Add the eggs, whole milk, oil, and vanilla to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
6. -Beat together until fully mixed.
7. -Beat for 3 minutes on medium.
8. -Slowly add the boiling water starting with a small amount then pour in the remaining boiling water.
9. -The batter may be a little runny.
10. -Scoop batter into cupcake lined cups until 3/4s filled.
11. -Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
12. -Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
13. -Take out of the cupcake pan placing on a wire rack until completely cooled.
14. Frosting Directions:
15. -Beat the softened butter on its own until smooth.
16. -Add cocoa and powder sugar alternately with heavy cream into the creamed butter until it becomes a smooth and thick texture.
17. -If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream, if too thin, add more powder sugar.
18. -Scoop frosting into a large pastry bag with a large frosting tip.
19. -Twist the open end of the pastry bag to push frosting to the tip.
20. -Frost cupcakes starting from the outside edge of the cupcake working toward the center of the cupcake.
21. Royal Icing Directions:
22. -Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl mixing on medium speed for 4 minutes. (except your food coloring)
23. -If icing is not stiff enough add 1/4 C powder sugar.
24. -Divide the icing into three bowls.
25. -The first bowl add several drops of orange gel food coloring. Stir to blend.
26. -In the second bowl, add drops of red gel food coloring, mixing well to incorporate the color.
27. -The third bowl of icing remains white,
28. -Pour each color of icing into individual frosting bags with a #5 tips. Twist the open end of the bag to push the icing to the tip.
29. Making the Turkey Directions:
30. -Refer to the picture of the cupcakes for directions.
31. -Laying the Fudge striped cookies strip side down.
32. -Lay out the candy corn on the fudge side of the cookie.
33. -Remove the candy corn and add some white icing for the "glue".
34. -Lay the candy corn with the white tip down towards the center of the cookie.
35. -Allow some time to dry. (up to 30 minutes, checking to make sure they are dry)
36. -Once dry stick the cookie into the back of the frosted cupcake to secure the "tail".
37. -For the turkey eyes, separate two Oreo cookies per cupcake. Keep as much filling on the half of the Oreo cookie as possible. Disregard the other Oreo half into your mouth.
38. -Using white icing "glue" the chocolate M&M (eye ball) to the Oreo cookie half that has the filling on it.
39. -Allow time for the eye ball (M&M) to dry.
40. -While the ball is drying , using the orange icing make a dot for the nose. Allow 30 seconds for the nose to dry.
41. -Apply the red icing for the waddle just below the nose. Allow 30 seconds for this to dry before adding the eyes to the cupcake. Check to see if dry by a gently touch on top of the waddle.
42. -Apply a small amount of the white icing to the back of the each eye and place it on the cupcake.
43. -Refer to the picture of the completed cupcakes for the correct position of the eyes.
44. -Allow a little more time to dry before moving.

Looking for more Thanksgiving ideas? Check out these 10 tasty Thanksgiving desserts or my mom’s Thanksgiving stuffing recipe!