Today I’m going to show you how to make a fun Thanksgiving craft perfect for both kids and adults! These darling turkeys are made from candy and completely edible! They are a fun activity for holiday parties, family nights, or just for fun. I’m also going to show you how to make a great little pilgrim hat at the end as well.
Ingredients/Supplies needed for candy turkeys:
Double Stuff Oreo Cookies
Candy Corn
Whoppers
Mini peanut butter cups
Chocolate frosting*
Yellow Frosting*
Optional: Red frosting*
Optional: black sprinkles for eyes
*For these kinds of things I love to use the little pre-filled tubes of colored frosting you can buy in the baking aisle. The chocolate is easy to make, and homemade actually works a little better because you can make it stiff. However, for the colored details like yellow and red, these little tubes are great. It doesn’t really matter what they taste like and they last forever (which is both cool and disturbing at the same time.) I’m using store-bought tubes for everything here purely for convenience- works great!
Step 1:
Grab a cookie. You don’t have to put frosting in there, but I like to because it holds in the candy corn a little better. Just give it a little squeeze of chocolate.
Then stuff in your candycorn. If you’re in some sort of candy corn shortage, you can cut off the white tips to use later for your beaks. I think the candy corn sticks in better with the tip so I leave it on. Go ahead and do all of the cookies through this step.
Step 2:
Next, put a dab of frosting on the opposite end of the cookie and secure it to the “base” cookie. It helps to place them next to a wall as they dry so they stay put.
While those are drying, unwrap your peanut butter cups. Take a sharp knife and cut a sliver off one end. (I don’t need to tell you what to do with the sliver, do I?) It helps to gently cut in a sawing motion so you don’t break the PB cup. (Although I wouldn’t have to tell you what to do with a broken one either, would I?) Cut it from the bottom like I show here:
Once those are ready, flip your cookies over, but you may find it’s easy to keep them next to the wall. My frosting was a bit soft, so they needed the extra support.
Place a dab of frosting on the peanut butter cup, and place it on the cookie like so:
Step 3:
Now those little guys will need heads, so glue a whopper on there with frosting as well. I put frosting on the side of the whopper that hits both the cookie and the PB cup. We wouldn’t want a turkey running around with its head cut off, would we??
While they’re still lying there, use a dab of frosting (I use yellow) and glue on the white tip of a candy corn for a beak. Put two yellow dots on for eyes, and for the black spots in the eyes you can use a dab of chocolate frosting, or a mini chocolate chip, or a little sprinkle like I’ve used. A sprinkle is really the perfect size if you have them.
Step 4:
Once the beak is secure, you can flip them over and draw on some little yellow feet. If you have red frosting too (usually comes in a set with the tube of yellow) you can add a little gobble gobble. Or whatever that thing is called. What is it called? I’m too lazy to google. Extra giveaway entry for the first person who can tell me. Okay not really but I’ll think you’re awesome.
And there you go, cute as can be!
These make really cute place card holders too, for either a kid, or adult table! How cute is my little turkey family?
Stick one on each plate and everyone will say “Awwwwwwe….” If you have kids old enough to handle making them, it’s a fun project for them to be in charge of.
They’re also darling combined with pilgrim hats.
Those are just marshmallows dipped in chocolate and placed on a fudge strip cookie. Use yellow frosting to make the buckle. (Pretty much the Thanksgiving version of the Halloween witch hats seen in this post!)
Hope you enjoy these fun little things! Happy Friday!
Questions & Reviews
These are soooo cute! One question though….did you use double stuff oreos?? or are the regular one big enough to stick the candy corn in? Thanks so much!
Those are so cute! I love it!
Tina, good question- especially considering I didn't give any explanation at all! lol
It helps to use melted chocolate with a bit of shortening mixed in (1tsp shortening for every 1 C chocolate chips) or use chocolate bark which is what I used. Drop the marshmallow in there and use a spoon to get it covered all the way. Then I use 2 toothpicks. Stick one in one end to pull the marshmallow out and let the excess chocolate drip off. Place it on the cookie and then use the second toothpick to hold the marshmallow down while you pull out the toothpick that's stuck in the marshmallow. Does that make sense?
LOVE the turkeys. My 6yo wants to make them now but I'm making him wait until before Thanksgiving. For the pilgrim hats…..how do you dip marshmallows? Is that too easy of a question? Should I know this? I'm not sure how to hold the marshmallow when you are dipping so it doesn't get all messed up?
Does anyone have a suggestion for something you can substitute for candy corn? No fans of it in my house…
I think Rolos might be a good alternative to peanut butter cups… I know they're the same shape but I'm not sure on size. Anyone?
i think the peanut butter cups are a little bigger, but more expensive, huh?
Wilton makes a peanut butter cup shaped chocolate mold…an extra step, but the results were awesome and peanut free.
I am so thankful for you two for helping me in my goal to simplify by helping me with ideas and tips so I can be a better wife and mother.
I hope I win! [email protected]
I'm thinking I might have to make these for my 2 year old's Thanksgiving Feast/Birthday Celebration for his class!!! They are too cute!!
GOBBLE GOBBLE!!
So very cute!! will be making these for Thanksgiving!!
I think I might have an alternative to using PB cups for thise of us who cannot make for our childrens school. Try using mini marshmallows dipped in chocolate. Happy Thanksgiving!
I am answering your question as to what I am thankful for this Fall…..(in your contest)
First and formost I am thankful for my family, children, grandchildren and friends. My God and America, and the people who protect us. Good health, home and happiness, (good food too). We have been self employed since 1976 and for that we feel truly blessed. Last but not least, my husband Steve whom I work with side by side all these years! Also, with all our country's problems, I still fell pretty thankful.
Jane
[email protected]
The cutest! I am sharing this idea with all my friends. By the way, I made your chili with the chocolate in it for our Ward Chili Cook-Off last night and won "Most Unique" chili. I never win anything, so that was pretty exciting. I've told everyone about your blog 🙂
Adorable! I think I am supposed to leave this comment on this post, oops if I'm not! I am thankful that my Mom's cancer is still in remission and that she doesn't have to wear a wig to Thanksgiving dinner this year. 🙂
Jenny
[email protected]
The red dangly bit is called a wattle. 🙂
Those turkeys are the cutest ever! I kind of wish we had Thanksgiving here in Scotland so I'd have an excuse for trying these. 🙂
Those are so cute!
absolutely adorable! both the turkeys and the hats!
I think it's called a waddle…or at least that's what my boss told me when I was telling my two year olds that it was the "gobbler" last year. Oops.
Way cute! I love them. I know my girls will have a blast making them. A little tip with the peanut butter cups. If you freeze them then they cut a little better, but then you don't have as many broken ones to eat! What to do, what to do? Thank you for all of your wonderful ideas!
These are adorable! I love the little hats too.
I'm thankful to be close to my family this year– I can try out these new tasty recipes!
These are absolutely the greatest! Its been a while since I've seen them but some places still carry minature mallow cups which a person could use instead of the peanut butter cup.
I think I will be making these for my youngest son class for school and possibly AWANA.
Thanks for the great idea
You can get the miniature mallow cup at Dollar Tree.
I LOOOOVE these!!!!!
You are so creative! I love your blog, it has the best treats and ideas!!
these are so cute I can't stand it!!!
you guys are dangerous!!! 😉
Now the little man (errr, the almost 9yo) is requesting these for his class party for Thanksgiving.
You guys are sure keeping me busy with your recipes!! LOL
any other ideas of what you can use in place of reeses cups since no peanut butter is allowed in any classroom treat?
I am in the same boat…my nephew is allergic to peanut…I was guessing that a Rolo would be a good substitute, and since they just *happen* to be my favorite, I was going to try those!
These are too adorable for words! I'd love to make them for my son's class but we're not allowed to bring anything with peanut butter in it. Any suggestions on a replacement for the peanut butter cups?
These are the cutest things! Thanks for posting them.
I am excited to surprise my family bringing them to our Thanksgiving dinner! I love it!
A little to time intensive for the pot luck after church on Sunday, but it is tempting because I think they are way adorable.
These are the cutest things! Thanks for posting them.
I am excited to surprise my family bringing them to our Thanksgiving dinner! I love it!
A little to time intensive for the pot luck after church on Sunday, but it is tempting because I think they are way adorable.
Just want you to know that it is difficult to find candy corn around here after the 2nd week in October and impossible to find after Halloween. Wish I had seen these turkeys earlier so I know to save some 🙁
I actually ran into the same problem and them found some candy corn in the Albertson’s regular candy aisle. Score!!!
Super cute!! I haven't read the comments yet, so someone else might've already named it, but I think it's called a wattle. I'll be sure to post a link on ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com!
So cute – I love the idea of letting kids make their own while you are finishing up all of the Thanksgiving preparation!
Heidi @ http://everydayfamilies.blogspot.com/