Turkey Tail Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
• For the cupcakes: Stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until smooth and light. Whisk in the oil until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin until completely smooth. Add the dry ingredients and fold until the batter is just smooth.
• Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the muffins comes out just clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool on the rack completely.
• For the chocolate buttercream: Sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa onto a piece of parchment paper. Beat the butter and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon cream. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, adding more cream as needed to make a light, spreadable frosting.
• Generously frost the cupcakes. Use an offset spatula to make the tops smooth and flat.
• For decorating: Combine the confectioners' sugar and a tablespoon of lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until smooth. Add more lemon juice, as needed, to make a frosting the consistency of glue.
• Use the confectioners' sugar glue to adhere 7 peanut butter candies to each ginger cookie like the feathers of a turkey's tail (make a row of 5, then place 2 underneath). Lay flat until set, about 15 minutes.
• To make the heads, cut a small slice from the side of each doughnut hole so the heads will sit flat on the cupcakes. Glue 2 eyeballs to each head. Cut the yellow end from each piece of candy corn and discard it. Use a paring knife to cut a slit just below the eyes in a head and stick in a candy corn to make a beak. Repeat with the remaining heads. Cut each of the 4 red jelly candies into 3 half-moons. Glue each to the side of the candy corn for the wattles.
• Cut two "wings" from each peanut butter cookie by laying the cookie horizontally and cutting each side on an angle to make 2 wings; a triangular piece of cookie will be left over in the middle (snack on it, or save it for another use).
• Stick the tails into the back of the cupcakes at a slight angle. Add the heads on top and the wings on the sides.

Steps:

• Bake 24 cupcakes according to the package directions. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, cut 4 sheets of parchment to about the size of baking sheets. In separate microwave-safe bowls, melt the melting candy in the microwave in 10 second intervals until fully melted.
• Dip a 1/2-inch paintbrush into one color of melted candy, making sure you have a generous amount on the brush. Paint a 1-inch stripe on one of the parchment pieces; the line should be opaque-- brush on more if necessary. Repeat with the remaining melts, covering each piece of parchment with different colored candy lines. You should have 72 brushstrokes of the white candy and 96 brushstrokes each of the yellow, orange and red candy. If the bowls of melting candy harden during the process, soften in the microwave as needed. Let the stripes set at room temperature until dried, about 15 minutes.
• Pipe or spread a generous amount of frosting on the cupcakes (at least 1/2 inch of frosting per cupcake). Press a milk chocolate drop candy, point-side up on each cupcake, positioning it on the lower third of the center. These are the turkey tails.
• Cut or break each pretzel so you get 2 T-shaped pieces out of each one. These will be the turkeys' feet.
• Next, add the feathers: Carefully peel off 4 red brushstrokes and insert them in a row along the top edge of a cupcake at a 45-degree angle. These are the back feathers. Make a second row of 4 orange brushstrokes in front of the red ones. Then add 4 yellow brushstrokes in front of the orange and 3 white brushstrokes in front of the yellow. Insert a pretzel foot on either side of the chocolate drop candy. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 23 more cupcakes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make, bake and cool cake as directed on box for 24 cupcakes.
• Frost cupcakes with frosting. Place remaining frosting in corner of resealable freezer plastic bag. Snip off small corner of bag.
• To decorate each cupcake, pipe 1-inch mound of frosting on 1 side of cupcake to look like head of turkey. Make eyes with white decorating icing and brown decorating gel; add candy corn for beak. To make feathers, pipe frosting on opposite side to hold candy corn; place candy corn upright on frosting to look like feathers. Sprinkle chocolate candy sprinkles near head and at base of feathers. If desired, add candy corn at base of cupcake for feet. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Frost cupcakes. For each turkey, unwrap three caramels; place on a small piece of waxed paper. Microwave on high for 5-7 seconds or until softened. Break off desired amount for the body; roll into an egg shape. Roll two smaller pieces into wings and two pieces into legs. Press onto body to attach., For leaves, roll out Dots candies to 1/8-in. thickness; cut leaf shapes. Place a turkey on top of each cupcake; arrange leaves, sunflower kernels and Sixlets around turkeys.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and peanut butter with electric mixer on low speed 30 second, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (about two-thirds full).
• Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Frost cupcakes with frosting.
• Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. In separate small microwavable bowls, microwave candy coating and baking chocolate uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth. Place coating and chocolate in separate resealable food-storage plastic bags; snip off tiny corner of each bag. Pipe coating and chocolate into feather shapes, about 3 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide (see diagram). Refrigerate coating and chocolate about 5 minutes until set.
• When set, peel feathers off waxed paper and insert into cupcakes. Place milk chocolate candy on each cupcake for head of turkey. Store loosely covered.