Looking for a fun Thanksgiving dessert idea for the kids? We tried this chocolate turkey cupcake recipe, and it’s not only easy to make, but it’s budget-friendly, too!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, when you click on a link to make a purchase, GLD may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support!
Lately, I’ve been in a very festive mood for the holiday season. (I’m even starting our Christmas decorating early this year!)
I wanted to find some easy and fun recipe ideas to do with the kids so I took to my Pinterest to search for kid-friendly, Thanksgiving-themed desserts.
I stumbled upon turkey cupcakes (not to be confused with cupcakes made with turkey meat haha because Zhen thought that’s what it was!) and I just knew my little ones would love this idea.

THANKSGIVING DESSERT IDEA FOR KIDS: TURKEY CUPCAKES
These turkey cupcakes are a super easy Thanksgiving dessert idea for kids to create. Plus, it doesn’t cost a lot of money to make them.
Here are the simple ingredients we used for our yummy, chocolaty treats.
TURKEY CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS
- Great Value Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake Mix (less than $1 at Walmart)
- chocolate frosting
- vanilla frosting (for the eyes)
- Betty Crocker red cookie icing (for the wattle)
- candy corn
- chocolate sprinkles
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 – 24 minutes
SERVINGS: 24 cupcakes


HOW TO MAKE TURKEY CUPCAKES
1. PREHEAT AND BAKE. Preheat your oven for 350°F. Follow the baking directions for the Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake Mix.
You can use any type of cake mix for this recipe idea. The kids wanted chocolate cupcakes so that’s why I chose the Devil’s Food cake mix.
Don’t forget your cupcake liners!
We used gold liners we already had in our cabinet. A fun fall design would also be great for the turkey cupcakes.
2. COOL CUPCAKES. Let the cupcakes cool before putting the frosting on the cakes.
3. FROST THE CUPCAKES. After the cupcakes have finished cooling, frost the turkey cupcakes with chocolate frosting.
For the cupcakes I decorated, I used the Great Value disposable decorating bags. The kids started out using the bags, but it was a little challenging for them. So instead, they used a spoon to apply the frosting to their cupcakes.


4. TURKEY TAIL: To create the turkey’s tail, place the candy corn toward the back of the cupcake in a half-circle shape. Then place one candy corn near the front of the cupcake for the beak.
5. TURKEY EYES: I used a little vanilla icing and chocolate sprinkles to create the turkey eyes. I helped the boys put the small drops of vanilla icing on their cupcakes and they added the chocolate sprinkles by themselves.
You can also use candy eyes for the turkey eyes if you like.
6. TURKEY SNOOD: And for the turkey’s snood, we used Betty Crocker’s red cookie icing.
READ: THANKSGIVING MENU IDEA FOR A LARGE GATHERING


And that’s it!
Now this recipe gets messy so make sure you have a table covering you don’t mind getting dirty. We used a Thanksgiving table cover I got at the Dollar Tree.
I also suggest having hand wipes available for the kids to clean their faces and hands when they’re finished decorating and eating their treats.

SO MANY FUN WAYS TO CREATE TURKEY CUPCAKES!
There are many other fun ways to create turkey cupcakes. For instance, I saw recipe ideas that used chocolate chips, Nutter Butter and Oreo cookies, pretzels, Reese’s Cups, and Rolo candy. Just be creative!
The great thing about this recipe is you can use what you already have in your kitchen to create the turkey designs!
All together I spent under $2 because I already had the majority of the ingredients and supplies at home.

Hope you enjoy making these cute turkey cupcakes with your loved ones! xoxo
All photographs are courtesy of Jennifer Hamra for Good Life Detroit. *This is not a sponsored post.
FOLLOW GLD ON SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER.
ALSO, CHECK OUT ON THE BLOG:
- Two Vintage Styles in One Day: a 90s Retro Outfit for Running Errands and a Chic Vintage Dress for a Date Night in the City
- Yola Talks Standing for Herself, Being Musically Genre-Fluid, and Playing the Legendary Sister Rosetta Tharpe in New Elvis Film
- Explore Over 120 Replicas of King Tut’s Personal and Sacred Treasures at The Wright’s Newest Exhibition
- Skip Marley and the New Conscious Reggae Renaissance
- MLK Day Craft: Create an “I Have a Dream” Window Display
1 thought on “Chocolate Turkey Cupcakes are a Fun Thanksgiving Dessert Idea for Kids”