Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

These fun and easy to make Thanksgiving turkey cupcakes will be a hit with kids of all ages. Learn how to decorate cupcakes like turkeys!

Thanksgiving season is quickly approaching and you might be looking for thanksgiving ideas.

Thanksgiving dessert tables are typically filled with all sorts of fall favourite desserts like pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie. If you have picky eaters on your hands though you might want to whip up these easy to make Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes. They are the perfect dessert for picky eaters on Thanksgiving!

We use pre-made cupcakes to make these festive cupcakes – chocolate is best with chocolate frosting to decorate these adorable thanksgiving cupcakes. Kids and adults alike will go wild for these Thanksgiving treats.

Some people use oreo cookies, nutter butters, and even fudge stripe cookies to make their adorable turkey cupcakes but I think Reese’s pieces make the best turkey tail feathers!

I am sure you will agree that these Reese’s pieces turkey cupcakes are one of the cutest and tastiest thanksgiving cupcake ideas! They will get gobbled up at your Thanksgiving feast for sure!

Why You will Love these Turkey Cupcakes

• Candy corn is a pretty popular ingredient to make turkey cupcakes but I think Reece’s Pieces are the best for the job. Not only are they incredibly delicious, they also come in fall colours that are perfect for turkey tails!
• Easy turkey cupcakes to decorate
• Fun fall colours
• A Thanksgiving Dessert that Kids and Adults will love
• Cute Thanksgiving Treats
• Can be a fun thanksgiving activity for kids.

Setup a Thanksgiving Cupcake Decorating Station for Kids

These cute turkey cupcakes are a perfect activity for kids on thanksgiving. Let them decorate their own thanksgiving turkey cupcakes. This is seriously one of the most fun turkey cupcake ideas!

Setup a station with a bowl of frosting, pre-made cupcakes and all the candy ready to go.

You could get one of your kids on a make-work project ahead of time to separate out the colours into different bowls.

Another fun idea is to setup chocolate sprinkles and let your kids cover the frosting with them. Kids adore sprinkles!

Kids will love decorating their own turkey cupcakes as much as they will enjoy eating them! So much fun!

Turkey cupcakes decorated by your kids are sure to be the cutest thanksgiving cupcakes.

How to Store Turkey Cupcakes

Once your Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes are assembled you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They are best when served immediately though.

To make these ahead of time, I would prepare and freeze the chocolate cupcakes then thaw out the day of on the counter for about 5 hours. Decorate as described below when thawed out.

Unfrosted cupcakes freeze very well and can be kept in an air tight container for up to 3 months.

Tips for Decorating the BEST Thanksgiving Cupcakes

• For the Thanksgiving turkey cupcakes, use ready made chocolate cupcakes to save on time.
• Make sure that if you use homemade cupcakes that they are completely cooled before you frost them.
• Be sure to use cupcake liners as the cupcakes will be handled a bit while they are being decorated.

About the Ingredients for Decorating Turkey Cupcakes

Cupcakes – You can make and prepare a box mix or use your own homemade chocolate cupcake recipe. I recommend using your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe though as they really are easy to make from scratch and so much tastier.

Chocolate frosting – You can use store bought or your favourite chocolate buttercream recipe.

Hershey kisses – You need one kiss per cupcake.

Reese’s pieces – You will need 20 per cupcake.

Candy eyes – Wilton makes small candy eyes that are perfect for these cupcakes.

White melting chocolate – We used white melting chocolate and food colouring to get the right colour for the turkey’s beak, but you could also just use orange melting chocolate.

Looking for More Easy Thanksgiving Desserts?

Check out some of my favoure dessert recipes that are perfect for serving up for any fall occasion.

These soft and cakey pumpkin spice cookies with maple icing offer just the right amount of sweetness and a delicious kick of pumpkin spice.

This recipe for pecan pie bars is a huge crowd pleaser. They’re deliciously sweet & salty with an easy shortbread crust. Plus NO Corn Syrup!

Classic German apple cake, Apfelkuchen, is moist and buttery. It’s a simple and rustic cake made with fresh apples – a perfect fall dessert.

How to Make Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

Yields: As many as Desired | Prep: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Pre-made cupcakes
• Chocolate frosting
• Hershey kisses
• Reese’s pieces
• Wilton Candy Eyeballs
• White melting chocolate
• Orange food colouring

Directions:

Frost cupcakes with a flat and thick layer of frosting to the top of the cupcake.

Melt the white melting chocolate according to package directions. Add a drop or two of orange food coloring and stir. If the chocolate seizes up, add a couple drops of avocado (or neutral flavored) oil and stir until you get a smooth consistency. Dip the point of each hershey kiss into the orange chocolate and set aside.

Add three rows of Reese’s pieces to create the turkey feathers. Start by choosing 8 pieces of one color to line the outside of the frosted cupcakes. Push each piece of candy into the frosting, but tilt them slightly upward and create an arch along the outside of the cupcake. Add 7 pieces just below that row to create a second row of feathers. Next, add 5 pieces beneath that row for the center row that will frame the “head” of the turkey.

Place a prepared hershey kiss with beak added in the center of each cupcake.

Spread a dab of chocolate frosting on the back of the candy eyes and place two of them on each hershey kiss to complete the cupcake.