Turkey Cupcakes Bites

I would have liked to have posted this sooner but I only made them for "real" today....for my daughter's preschool Thanksgiving lunch.

Let me say that they can be a bit time consuming and not the type of treat that can be made last minute. I made the fondant turkey heads last Friday and the feathers were made on Sunday. Last night, I made the cake (from a box), added the frosting (I used canned, which I usually hate but needed something quick) and then assembled the cakes (the easy part).

What you need:

Chocolate mini cupcakes
Chocolate frosting (canned or homemade)

White, brown, yellow and red fondant (homemade or pre-made, such as Wiltons)
Black edible marker (can be found at Michaels)

Dark chocolate, orange and yellow candy melts (such as Wiltons)


To make the turkey heads: (can be made up to 5 days in advance, then store in an airtight container)


1. Roll out the brown fondant into a log. Cut the log down to 1 1/2- 2 inch pieces. Shape these pieces into a turkey head shape, tapering at the neck.
2. Shape small pieces of the yellow fondant to form a beak and attach to the head.
3. Roll 2 very small pieces of white fondant to form the eyes and attach above he beak.
4. Dot the eyes with the black edible marker.
5. Take a small piece of red fondant and shape it to look like the gizzard, attach below the beak. Place the turkey heads in an air-tight container until ready to assemble the cupcakes.
*If the fondant pieces aren't staying attached to each other, simple brush a small amount of water to one side to act as a glue.

To make the turkey feathers: (can be made up to 2 days in advance, then store in an airtight container)
Technique is similar to these butterflies.

1. Draw a template of the feathers on a piece of paper. Set aside.

2. Place candy melts in plastic baggies. Seal the baggies, leaving a small opening for air to escape. Microwave at 15-20 second intervals till candies and completely melted. Snip a tiny part of the tip of the bag.
*You will probably have to microwave the melts as you go along, since these harden quickly.

3. Cut a piece of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper on top of the template. Start by tracing the template with the dark chocolate and let that harden. Then fill the feathers with the yellow and orange melts. Use a toothpick to help spread the melts. Let the turkey feathers harden completely before removing from parchment paper.


To assemble the turkeys:

Frost the cupcakes, add the turkey head and the feathers.


What is my daughter thankful for? Desserts! This is how she ate her turkey cupcake...with a cakepop in the other hand :)


Source: Chef Mommy Original