Caramel Turkey Cupcakes

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought I would share this super-de-duper quick decoration in case you needed some last minute Thanksgiving ideas to leave your dinner guests thinking you are awesome.

Well, more awesome than you already are....

You can make up any cupcake you like (even from a box mix *gasp* if you are short on time) and with a little bit of frosting, some colored sprinkles, and a couple of caramels you can make these adorable, Thanksgiving-ready desserts.

 

Caramel Turkey Cupcakes

 

Ingredients

cupcakes

vanilla frosting

colored sprinkles or candy coated sunflower seeds

caramel squares (such as Kraft Caramels)

To figure out how many you need you may have to do a bit of math. Here is our formula:

1 Cupcake = 1 cupcake + 1 1/2 Tbsp frosting + 1 Tbsp candy coated sunflower seeds + 3 caramels.

 

Directions

To make one cupcake: frost cupcake with about 1 1/2 Tbsp frosting. Roll rim of cupcake in colored sprinkles OR sprinkle with candy coated sunflower seeds - being careful to leave a space in the center for the turkeys to go.

Warm 3 caramels for about 5 seconds in the microwave. Give them a feel - if they are not soft enough to mold then give them another 3 or 4 seconds. (Be careful when you take them out of the microwave - they may be VERY hot!)

They should be just soft enough to mold in your hand, but still require a little bit of pressure to squeeze and shape.

Take 2 and 1/2 of the caramels and roll them into a smooth ball. Gently squeeze one end of the ball into a tear drop shape. Set onto a bit of plastic wrap (or one of the caramel wrappers) so it won't stick to your work surface. Lightly press the small end of the tear drop so it is ever-so-slightly flattened.

Now, take the 1/2 a caramel that is left. Break it into 4 pieces - two of the pieces being slightly large than the other 2.

Roll the larger 2 pieces into balls and then shape into your turkey drumsticks. Gently press these onto the small end of the larger teardrop shaped body.

Take the 2 smaller balls and roll them into a tiny, thin rope. Fold the rope into an "S" shape. gently press these where the turkey's wings would be.

 

 

The above photo should hopefully give you an idea of what I am talking about in the directions for how to divide up the caramels.

 

 

That is what your finished turkey should look like.

Place your turkeys onto a plate and place in freezer for about 5 minutes to solidify. If you leave them at room temp the legs and wings can get a little droopy. 5 minutes in the freezer and they are good to go.

Than you can place them on a tray with some fall-like leaves and berries, etc... and you are ready to wow your guests!

 

 

You can see the drumsticks in some of the above turkeys are a little droopy. That is because we didn't chill them first. Lesson learned.

Definitely chill them for a few minutes. 

Give yourself a little bit of time if you have a lot of turkeys to make. I would guess they take about 2 - 3 minutes each. Once you do a few and get used to them, then it may only take 1 - 2 minutes per turkey.

 

Visit Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons and The Mandatory Mooch and The Inspiration Network and Easy Life for some great food and craft links!