Turkey Tail Cupcakes Recipes

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.

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:

• 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:

• Spoon the vanilla and chocolate frosting into separate ziplock bags, press out the excess air, and seal. Snip a 1/8 inch corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting and pipe a dot of frosting on 7 adjacent scallops on each ginger cookie to make the tail fan. Add a piece of candy corn to each dot of frosting, pointed end facing in.
• Place the caramel jimmies in a small shallow bowl. Spread the caramel frosting on top of all the cupcakes, standard and mini, and smooth. Roll the edge of the standard cupcakes in the jimmies. Dip the top edge of the mini cupcakes in the jimmies.
• Press 1 piece of Indian candy corn into the center of each mini cupcake, flat side down, for the break. Pipe 2 dots of the vanilla frosting above the break for the eyes and insert 2 brown sunflower seeds, pointed end down. Cut the red fruit leather into twenty-four 1 1/2 inch long teardrop shapes and lay them over the beak to make the wattle.
• Snip a 1/8 inch corner from the bag with the chocolate frosting and pipe names on the flat side of the graham cracker cookies.
• Enlarge the hole in the corner of the bag with the chocolate frosting to 1/4 inch. Using clean scissors, cut the marshmallows in half on the diagonal. Place 1 marshmallow half, cut side down, near the edge of one of the standard cupcakes, with the tapered end facing the center, to make a support for the tail. Pipe a dot of chocolate frosting on the tapered end. Place the tail cookie on the marshmallow, pressing the undecorated edge into the frosting on the marshmallow. Add the mini cupcake head on top so that half of it is resting on the undecorated edge of the cookie and the other half is pressed lightly into the frosting to secure.
• Add the graham cookies at the base of the mini cupcakes, securing with a dot of frosting.
• Arrange the turkeys on the table as place cards. Place 2 candy corns on the table in front of each turkey to make the feet.