Thanksgiving is all about tradition. The turkey, the stuffing, the family gathering around the table. But let’s be honest, sometimes the dessert table can feel a little predictable. It’s usually pumpkin pie, maybe a pecan pie, and that’s about it.
What if this year you added a little something extra? Something that brings a huge smile to everyone’s face. I’m talking about one of the most Fun Thanksgiving Desserts you can imagine. Get ready to meet your new favorite holiday treat: adorable turkey cupcakes!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
First off, just look at them. These little gobblers are ridiculously cute. They are the kind of dessert that gets an audible “aww” when you bring them out. They are an instant centerpiece for the kids’ table or even the main dessert spread.
But it is not just about looks. The cupcake itself is a moist, flavorful pumpkin spice cake. It has all those warm, comforting autumn flavors we all crave. This makes them one of the most fitting Unique Thanksgiving Desserts you can find.
The chocolate buttercream is rich and delicious, a wonderful pairing with the pumpkin spice. It’s a classic flavor combination that never disappoints. It tastes just like it came from a bakery.
Plus, this is a fantastic recipe to get the kids involved with. They can help with mixing the batter, frosting the cupcakes, and especially decorating the turkeys. It is a wonderful way to make holiday memories together in the kitchen.
And best of all? They are so much easier to make than they appear. Seriously. You do not need any special cake decorating skills. If you can use a little frosting as glue, you can make these. This is one of those Simple Thanksgiving Desserts that delivers big results with little stress.
Ingredients
For The Pumpkin 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 The Turkey Decorations
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 84 candy coated orange, yellow and brown peanut butter candies
- 12 flower shaped ginger cookies
- 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
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare Your Oven And Muffin Tin
First things first, let’s get the oven ready. Go ahead and preheat it to 350 degrees F. While it’s heating up, line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. This is a simple but important step for easy cupcake removal later.
Step 2: Combine The Dry Ingredients
Grab a medium sized bowl. In it, you’ll whisk together the all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisking helps distribute everything evenly, which means you will not get a surprise mouthful of baking soda. This is key for creating one of these Quick And Easy Thanksgiving Desserts.
Step 3: Mix The Wet Ingredients
Now for the wet ingredients. In a separate, larger bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs together. You want to keep whisking until the mixture is smooth, light, and a little pale. Then, slowly whisk in the vegetable oil until it is fully combined.
Next, add the pumpkin purée. Make sure you use 100 percent pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Whisk it in until the mixture is completely smooth and has a beautiful orange color. This pumpkin base is what makes these Fun Thanksgiving Desserts so seasonal.
Step 4: Combine And Bake The Cupcakes
Time to bring it all together. Gently add the dry ingredient mixture to your wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold them together just until the batter is smooth. A few little lumps are okay. The key is to not overmix, as that can make the cupcakes tough.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups you prepared earlier. They should be about two thirds full. Pop them into your preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. To check if they are done, insert a toothpick into the center of one. If it comes out clean, they are ready!
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. You must let them cool all the way before frosting, or you will have a melty mess.
Step 5: Make The Chocolate Buttercream
While the cupcakes are cooling, let’s make that amazing frosting. Sift your confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder together onto a piece of parchment paper. Sifting is important because it gets rid of any lumps for a super smooth frosting.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter and a pinch of salt until it is light and creamy. This usually takes about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sugar and cocoa mixture to the butter, and beat on low speed until it is just combined. Then, add the vanilla extract and one tablespoon of the heavy cream. Turn the mixer up to medium high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. If it seems too stiff, add a little more cream until you get a nice, spreadable consistency.
Step 6: Frost The Cupcakes
Once the cupcakes are totally cool, it is time to frost them. Generously spread the chocolate buttercream over each cupcake. Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to make the tops as smooth and flat as you can. This will be the base for our turkey bodies.
Step 7: Create The Turkey Tails
Now for the fun part, making our Fun Thanksgiving Desserts come to life! First, we need to make some edible glue. In a small bowl, whisk together the half cup of confectioners’ sugar and one tablespoon of lemon juice. You want it to be the consistency of thick glue. Add more lemon juice drop by drop if needed.
Take one of the ginger cookies. Use your sugar glue to attach seven of the peanut butter candies to the cookie, resembling a turkey’s tail feathers. I like to make a row of five, then place two more just below them. Lay the finished tails flat on a plate or parchment paper to set for about 15 minutes.
Step 8: Make The Turkey Heads And Wings
For the heads, take a glazed donut hole and cut a small, thin slice from one side. This creates a flat surface so the head can sit nicely on the cupcake. Using your sugar glue, attach two candy eyeballs to each donut hole head.
Next, take a piece of candy corn and cut off the yellow end. Use a small paring knife to carefully cut a small slit in the donut hole, just below the eyes. Gently push the candy corn piece into the slit to create a beak.
For the wattle, take your red jelly candies. Cut each one into three small half moon shapes. Glue one of these red pieces to the side of the candy corn beak on each head.
For the wings, take a peanut shaped cookie and place it horizontally. Cut each side on an angle to create two wing shapes. You will have a little triangular piece left over from the middle. That is a snack for the baker!
Step 9: Assemble Your Turkeys
This is the final assembly for our Unique Thanksgiving Desserts. Gently press a finished tail feather cookie into the back of each frosted cupcake at a slight angle. Place a donut hole head on top of the frosting in front of the tail. Finally, press a cookie wing into each side of the frosting. And there you have it!
How To Store Leftovers
If you somehow have leftovers, storing them is easy. Place the cupcakes in an airtight container large enough so the decorations are not squished. They can be stored at room temperature for up to two days. If your house is particularly warm, it is best to store them in the refrigerator. They will last for up to five days in the fridge.
Just remember to let them sit at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes before serving if they have been chilled. This helps the buttercream soften up a bit. Making delicious and Fun Thanksgiving Desserts should be easy from start to finish.
Tips
- Measure Flour Correctly: Do not scoop flour directly from the bag with your measuring cup. This packs it in and can lead to dry cupcakes. Instead, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For the best results with the cake and frosting, make sure your eggs and butter are at room temperature. This helps them mix together more smoothly.
- Don’t Overmix: When you combine the wet and dry cupcake ingredients, mix just until you no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixing develops gluten and can make the cupcakes dense instead of light and fluffy.
- Get Creative with Decorations: Can’t find the exact candies listed? No problem! Feel free to swap things out. Different colored coated candies, different cookies for the tail, or even a little red frosting for the wattle will work just fine.
- Make Ahead Plan: To save time on Thanksgiving day, you can bake the cupcakes a day or two in advance. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also make the frosting ahead and store it in the fridge. Just let it come to room temperature and give it a quick whip before using.
Conclusion
There you have it, a recipe for some of the most Fun Thanksgiving Desserts you will ever make. These turkey cupcakes are more than just a sweet treat. They are a conversation starter, a fun activity, and a new tradition waiting to happen.
They prove that holiday baking does not have to be complicated to be impressive. These are truly Simple Thanksgiving Desserts with a big personality. So this year, give the classic pies a little company and add these adorable turkeys to your dessert lineup. I promise, they will be a huge hit!
FAQ
Can I Use A Different Kind Of Frosting?
Of course! While the chocolate buttercream is delicious, you could easily use a cream cheese frosting or even a simple vanilla buttercream. A brown colored frosting helps with the turkey look, but feel free to use your favorite.
What If I Can’t Find The Specific Cookies Or Candies?
No worries at all. The beauty of these Fun Thanksgiving Desserts is their flexibility. For the tail, any round, flat cookie will work. For the wings, you can use other small cookies or even pieces of a chocolate bar. Get creative with what you can find!
Can I Make These Cupcakes Ahead Of Time?
Absolutely. This is one of the best Quick And Easy Thanksgiving Desserts for planning ahead. You can bake the cupcakes up to two days in advance and store them in an airtight container. It is best to wait and assemble the turkeys on the day you plan to serve them so the decorations stay fresh and crisp.
How Do I Know When The Cupcakes Are Perfectly Baked?
The toothpick test is the most reliable method. Insert a wooden toothpick or a cake tester into the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean, with no wet batter clinging to it, they are done. A few moist crumbs are fine. This ensures a perfectly moist cupcake every time.
Fun Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes
These adorable turkey cupcakes are a joyful and simple dessert, perfect for adding a touch of whimsy to your Thanksgiving table. Moist pumpkin spice cake topped with rich chocolate buttercream and playful candy decorations make them a family-friendly favorite.
Requirements
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate, larger bowl, whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth and pale. Slowly whisk in vegetable oil until combined. Add pumpkin purée and whisk until smooth.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a spatula until just smooth. Do not overmix. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups (about two thirds full). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Sift confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder together onto parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter and a pinch of salt until light and creamy (about 1 minute). Scrape down bowl sides. Add sifted sugar/cocoa mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Beat on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add more cream if needed for spreadable consistency.
- Once cupcakes are completely cool, generously spread chocolate buttercream over each. Use a small offset spatula or spoon to make tops as smooth and flat as possible.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to a thick glue consistency (add more lemon juice drop by drop if needed). Use this sugar glue to attach seven peanut butter candies to each ginger cookie, resembling turkey tail feathers (e.g., a row of five, then two below). Lay tails flat on a plate or parchment paper to set for about 15 minutes.
- For heads, cut a small, thin slice from one side of a glazed donut hole to create a flat base. Using sugar glue, attach two candy eyeballs to each donut hole head. Cut off the yellow end of a candy corn piece. Carefully cut a small slit below the eyes on the donut hole and gently push the candy corn in for a beak. Cut red jelly candies into three small half-moon shapes. Glue one red piece to the side of each candy corn beak for a wattle. For wings, take a peanut shaped cookie, place horizontally, and cut each side on an angle to create two wing shapes. Use a small paring knife to carefully cut a small slit in the donut hole, just below the eyes.
- Gently press a finished tail feather cookie into the back of each frosted cupcake at a slight angle. Place a donut hole head on top of the frosting in front of the tail. Finally, press a cookie wing into each side of the frosting.
Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let chilled cupcakes warm for 20-30 minutes before serving to soften the buttercream.
Flour Measurement: Spoon flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife to avoid dry, dense cupcakes.
Room Temperature Ingredients: For the best results with the cake and frosting, ensure eggs and butter are at room temperature for smoother mixing.
Avoid Overmixing: When combining wet and dry cupcake ingredients, mix just until streaks of flour disappear to keep cupcakes light and fluffy.
Decoration Flexibility: Feel free to substitute different colored coated candies, other cookies for the tail, or even a little red frosting for the wattle if specific items are unavailable.
Make Ahead Plan: You can bake the cupcakes up to two days in advance and store them in an airtight container. The frosting can also be made ahead and stored in the fridge; just re-whip before using. Assemble the turkeys on the day you plan to serve for the freshest decorations.
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