Turkey Cupcakes

Turkey Cupcakes

It’s gobble-gobble time. All lovers of cute treats, check it out!

After Halloween, there’s a ton of spilled candy corn everywhere. In pantries, cabinets, behind the fridge…yep. I wind up finding candy corn wedged into small spaces way after it’s out of season. How to deal with this?

Use it, fast! And the best way to transition from one holiday to the next is to use candy corn in these adorable chocolate ganache cupcakes. With an Oreo turkey on top, nobody can resist! Look at their little faces.

Turkey Cupcakes

I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for pie-baking craziness and my mind is going a million miles an hour because I have endless ideas about what to bake this year. There are so many different options for pie out there, but our Thanksgiving table can only accommodate about five pies before things start to look really excessive.

Turkey Cupcakes

In general, Thanksgiving is an easy holiday. It’s basically a menu with some preset factors (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie) and room for lots of additions and creativity. I love to cookย while watching the Macy’s parade on TV. If you get up at a decent hour and cook through the morning, that’s pretty much all the time you need for the main dishes and sides.

If you think I’m in the wrong here, that’s okay. I’m just saying that effort-wise, I find Thanksgiving to be on the lower maintenance end, though not quite so much as July 4th. And you can make dessert ahead of time, which is even more of a bonus. I have two pies already in the freezer and November just started. We’re making good time here!

Turkey Cupcakes

Plus, once the meal starts, it’s nice just to sit back and have a glass of wine and enjoy. Or if you’re me, to take that glass of wine to the kitchen and pick at the turkey carcass. Sorry. I’m a scavenger, and it’s one of my favorite things to do on Thanksgiving.

In honor of what is definitely one of my favorite holidays, I also get crafty with the food. These cupcakes are a cute and easy addition to any Thanksgiving dessert spread. When my own kids saw these, their eyes lit up and they all wanted oneย right now. My daughter always tends to want things (insert demanding tone here)ย right now.

Turkey Cupcakes

These are a fairly simple chocolate cupcake (but you can use a mix if you like to save time) with a quick ganache topping. The most time-consuming part of this is making the little turkeys. Those candy corn feathers really want to fall out of the top. I found myself working hard to make sure each one wound up with four feathers. If I were less anal-retentive, I would have let my kids make these with me. Mine are a little young, but older kids can definitely help out here.

Once these are atop your cupcakes, it’s open season on Thanksgiving celebrations. The best part of the holiday is coming together over food that people prepare with lots of love. Why not start the celebration a little early this year?

 

Turkey Cupcakes

Ingredients

Turkeys
1 package regular Oreos
1 bag candy corn
candy eyes (Wilton makes them)
store-bought chocolate frosting (to use as glue)
Cupcakes
1 and 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 cup milk at room temperature
1 and 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
Ganache
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Oreo turkeys. Stick four pieces of candy corn into the top of the Oreo as "feathers." Using the chocolate frosting as glue and a toothpick for precise application, affix two candy eyes to the top and a candy corn "nose" right under the eyes. Place each turkey on waxed paper to dry and set. Make 18 total.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350. Line 18 muffin cups with liners.
  3. In a bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  4. Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. One at a time, add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
  5. Combine the vanilla and the milk. Gradually and alternately, add the milk mixture and the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, stirring gradually until all ingredients are combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the cocoa, mixing again until just combined.
  6. Pour the batter into the muffin liners, filling 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool slightly before icing.
  7. Make the ganache. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and heavy cream for one minute. Stir until completely smooth, heating another 20 seconds if needed.
  8. Frost each cupcake by dipping it in the warm ganache, twisting your wrist to get the excess ganache off the cupcake. Place onto a waxed paper surface.
  9. Place each turkey in the center of each cupcake, pressing down lightly.
  10. Cool the cupcakes completely to allow the ganache to set.
http://justaboutbaked.com/turkey-cupcakes/

Mir

I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner. This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker. Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.

This Post Has 26 Comments

  1. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    These are adorable cupcakes, Mir! Such a perfect treat for Thanksgiving. And I’m loving all of the chocolate in here, too!
    Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Apple Pie Yogurt ParfaitMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Thanks, Gayle! They’d be fun at the dessert table!

  2. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy

    These are so cute. We don’t do Thanksgiving over here, but I wish we did as all the food looks so good.
    I can’t wait to see all your pie recipes too.
    Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Potato, Sausage and Kale Pie by Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N SpiceMy Profile

    1. Mir

      It’s a great holiday, Dannii! And those pies are coming!

  3. Ami@NaiveCookCooks

    Mir these are the cutest!!! Love the way you decorated oreos and perfect for thanksgiving table!!
    Ami@NaiveCookCooks recently posted…Chipotle Turkey TacosMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Thanks, Ami! They’re pretty fun for the holiday!

  4. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

    Hahaha! I am a scavenger too, I totally take my glass of wine into the kitchen and pick at everything! ๐Ÿ™‚ Great minds, my dear… or disturbed minds. i don’t know. Anyways, I am swooning over these cupcakes, Mir!! Seriously, these could not get any cuter! My niece and nephew (and Boy) would die over these! Can’t wait to make them, BUT I am totally NOT going to be neglected on this one! I am going to make TWO batches. One with the chocolate ganache cupcake and regular oreo and the other with a vanilla cupcake and golden oreos! This mama wants to get in on the Thanksgiving cuteness! Pinned! Cheers, dear!
    Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Loaded Southwestern Roasted Cauliflower โ€œBisqueโ€My Profile

    1. Mir

      We can scavenge together, Cheyanne. Boy, do I love doing that. And these would totally work with vanilla, white chocolate ganache and golden Oreos! Go for it!

  5. mira

    I love these, they look so cute and simple to make ๐Ÿ™‚ Will definitely make them! Now I just realized that Thanksgiving is just around the corner ๐Ÿ™‚ And I agree, it feels like one of the easiest holidays to cook for ๐Ÿ™‚
    mira recently posted…Turkey Sandwiches With Blueberry MayoMy Profile

    1. Mir

      They’re not too hard and very rewarding, Mira! Thanks!

  6. Manali @ CookWithManali

    these are so cute Mir, I am looking forward to your pie recipes ๐Ÿ™‚
    Manali @ CookWithManali recently posted…Kaju KatliMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Thanks, Manali! I love baking all this pie!

  7. annie@ciaochowbambina.com

    These are so stinkin’ cute! I can imagine the kids’ eyes lighting up for these sweet treats! I love how you repurposed your candy corn! Fabulous! And now you have me excited for turkey…
    annie@ciaochowbambina.com recently posted…Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Browned Butter DrizzleMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Thanks, Annie! It needed to be repurposed. Otherwise it just sits around, getting hard!

  8. Linda @ Today She Loves

    So cute, Mir! I want to do something similar to this, but of course with macarons. Love this creative and easy idea.
    Linda @ Today She Loves recently posted…Mini Pumpkin Pie BitesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I’d love to see a macaron version, Linda!

  9. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom

    Mir, oh my gawd, these are the cutest!!!!! i love these! I’m a sucker for anything involving Oreo cookies! I also love Thanksgiving because it’s when my family comes together, we all live in different states. . this year, my sister is hosting (we’ve hosted for the last 3 years) so I get a little breather but will be working hard to help my sister . . I need to make these cupcakes! The kids will love these!!!!
    Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom recently posted…Brown Butter Apple Tart + A Giveaway!My Profile

    1. Mir

      It’s definitely one of the best holidays. I’m kind of jealous that you have a sister to cook with. I’ve got brothers, and they aren’t really into helping me out in the kitchen. ๐Ÿ™‚ Anyway, yep! The kids went crazy for these!

  10. Amanda

    These are so adorable! It’s hard not to smile looking at them. ๐Ÿ™‚
    Amanda recently posted…Oatmeal Raisin CookiesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Thanks, Amanda! They absolutely made my kids smile!

  11. Michele @ Alwayzbakin

    Mir, these cupcakes are adorable! Perfect for Thanksgiving. My little guy would love these. I bet they taste delicious with the chocolate ganache. What a great idea!
    Michele @ Alwayzbakin recently posted…Sugar Butter M&M CookiesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      My kids sure loved them! They’re easy!

  12. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust

    Haha I’ll probably make 5 pies for the 5 people coming to Thanksgiving. ๐Ÿ™‚ These guys are SO CUTE!
    Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted…Easy Caramel Pecan RollsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      We’ll be in the land of 5 pies together, Dorothy. It’ll be hard not to make more!

  13. Kaitlyn

    These cupcakes are adorable! They sound fairly simple to make. I’ll have to make these next week for Thanksgiving; my younger cousins will love them!

    1. Mir

      I’m so glad! My kids went crazy for them!

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