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These adorable Turkey Cupcakes are the perfect Thanksgiving treat for kids! Made with chocolate cupcakes, homemade chocolate peanut butter frosting, Reese’s Pieces, and Nutter Butter cookies, they’re a fun and festive dessert for Thanksgiving parties and holiday gatherings.
How cute are these little turkeys? I love making fun treats for Thanksgiving, and these turkey cupcakes are such a fun addition to the dessert table. The Reese’s Pieces make colorful feathers, while Nutter Butter cookies, candy eyes, and a little red icing create the cutest turkey faces.
The cupcakes start with a boxed chocolate cake mix to keep things simple, but the homemade chocolate peanut butter frosting makes them extra delicious. Kids will love helping decorate their own turkeys, making this a fun Thanksgiving activity and dessert all in one!
Why We Love These Turkey Cupcakes
- Fun for Thanksgiving. These cute little turkeys make a festive dessert for Thanksgiving parties, classroom celebrations, or your holiday dessert table.
- Easy to make. A boxed cake mix keeps the cupcakes simple, so you can spend more time decorating.
- Chocolate and peanut butter. The homemade frosting combines creamy peanut butter and chocolate for a delicious flavor.
- Kid-friendly decorating. Kids will have so much fun making the colorful candy feathers and silly turkey faces.
Ingredients Needed
You only need a few ingredients to make these fun Thanksgiving cupcakes. The exact measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the Cupcakes and Decorations
- Chocolate cake mix: I used Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix, along with the ingredients listed on the box.
- Reese’s Pieces: The orange, yellow, and brown candies create the turkey feathers. You’ll also use a few for the beaks.
- Nutter Butter Bites: These little peanut butter cookies make the turkey faces.
- Candy eyes: Give each turkey its adorable expression.
- Red decorating icing: Used to make the little red wattle beside each beak.
For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- Butter: Use softened butter so it blends smoothly with the peanut butter.
- Creamy peanut butter: Gives the frosting its delicious peanut butter flavor.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Adds rich chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavor.
- Milk: Helps make the frosting light, fluffy, and easy to pipe.
How To Make Turkey Cupcakes
These Thanksgiving cupcakes are easy to put together. Just bake the cupcakes, make the frosting, and decorate!
- Bake the cupcakes. Preheat the oven and line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Prepare the chocolate cake mix according to the package directions and bake. Let the cupcakes cool completely before decorating.
- Make the frosting. Beat the softened butter and creamy peanut butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, about ½ cup at a time.
- Finish the frosting. Add the vanilla and milk, then beat on high speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Frost the cupcakes. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip, if using. Pipe the chocolate peanut butter frosting onto each cupcake.
- Add the turkey faces. Place a Nutter Butter Bite toward the front of each frosted cupcake.
- Make the feathers. Arrange Reese’s Pieces upright behind the cookie in three rows, using yellow, brown, and orange candies to create the colorful turkey feathers.
- Add the eyes and beaks. Attach two candy eyes to the upper half of each Nutter Butter Bite using a little frosting. Cut yellow or orange Reese’s Pieces in half and attach one half below the eyes for the beak.
- Finish the turkeys. Pipe a little red decorating icing along one side of each beak to make the turkey’s wattle.
Tips & Variations
- Cool the cupcakes completely. Warm cupcakes will melt the frosting and make the decorations slide off.
- Use your favorite cupcakes. You can substitute homemade chocolate cupcakes or another cake flavor if you prefer.
- Try different frosting. The chocolate peanut butter frosting is delicious, but you can also use your favorite homemade or store-bought frosting.
- Can’t find Nutter Butter Bites? Cut full-size Nutter Butter cookies in half or use mini Reese’s peanut butter cups for the turkey faces.
- Make the decorations stick. A little frosting works for attaching the eyes and beaks, but melted chocolate or chocolate candy melts will hold them more securely.
- Change the red wattle. If you don’t have red decorating icing, use a small piece of red gummy worm, Twizzler, or Airhead candy instead.
Yes! You can bake the chocolate cupcakes ahead of time and store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to decorate.
You can also prepare the chocolate peanut butter frosting in advance. Refrigerate it in a covered container, then let it soften and beat it again if needed before piping.
For the prettiest presentation, I recommend decorating the cupcakes closer to when you plan to serve them.
How to Store Turkey Cupcakes
Store the decorated cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let them sit at room temperature briefly before serving so the frosting can soften.
If you’re making them ahead for Thanksgiving, keep them in a container tall enough that the candy feathers won’t get crushed.
Add as Google Trusted SourceTurkey Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 13.25 ounces Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix, plus ingredients needed to make specified on box
- 9 ounces Reese’s Pieces
- 24 Nutter Butter Bites
- 48 candy eyes
- Red decorating icing
Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter, 2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven and line cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Prepare and bake the cupcakes according to box instructions. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
- Once cupcakes have cooled, prepare the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and creamy peanut butter. Beat with an electric hand mixer until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder about ½ cup at a time and blend until well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and milk. Beat on high-speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Gently knead it to get rid of air pockets.
- Pipe the cupcakes with the prepared frosting.
- Place a Nutter Butter Bite on top of each frosted cupcake, towards the front.
- Arrange the Reese’s Pieces behind it in 3 rows. One row of yellow, then brown, then orange. Just gently press the Reese’s Pieces into the frosting upright.
- Dab the backs of two candy eyes with a little frosting and place them on the top half of the Nutter Butter Bites.
- Cut 12 yellow or orange colored Reese’s Pieces in half for the beaks.
- Dab the backs of the cut part of the Reese’s Pieces with frosting and then attach it onto the Nutter Butter Bites right under the eyes.
- Use the red decorating icing to make the gobble by piping a little on just one side of the beak.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi! How many cupcakes does this batter and frosting make? I want to use this in my holiday cooking class – they’re adorable! 🙂
So cute!!! These look so much fun!!! Such an interesting treat for Thanksgiving!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Your cupcakes turned out so cute. What a fun food craft for kids at Thanksgiving.