Elements:
Already baked CUPCAKES – any flavor. (If you’re using a boxed cake mix, make sure it does not contain milk.)
Homemade white COCONUT FROSTING (Click on the link for recipe– just omit the cocoa powder.)
One tablespoon UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER
FOOD COLORING – red, yellow, and blue
Three small ZIPLOC BAGS for piping
BISCOFF cookies (half a cookie per cupcake)
TOOTHPICKS (one per cupcake)
Jet-Puffed brand TOASTED COCONUT MARSHMALLOWS (one per cupcake)
Jet-Puffed brand ICE CREAM CONE MARSHMALLOWS (eight per cupcake)
CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES for eyes
Optional EXTRA DECOR such as dairy/nut free sprinkles, candy pumpkins and leaves, etc.
Application:
PREP
Frosting for the Tail – Take a half cup of your white frosting and place in a separate small bowl. Add the cocoa powder and beat well. Spoon this into a small ziploc bag, push out the air, and seal the bag closed. Using sharp scissors, snip about 1/8″ off one corner of the bag.
Frosting for the Base – With the remainder of the white frosting, add in about 12 drops of yellow, 5 drops of red, and 1 drop of blue (I added the blue so the orange would be less bright)…or do whatever color combination you want! Beat until the colors are incorporated.
Frosting for the Snood on the Beak – Take a heaping tablespoon of your orange frosting and place it in a small cup. Add 2-3 drops of red food coloring and stir well. Spoon this into a small ziploc bag, pushing the air out, and seal the bag closed. Snip a TINY piece off one corner of the bag. You want this piping tip to be very fine.
Biscoff Cookie – Take each cookie and cut them in half. With a sharp knife, carefully slice the cut side into a wide angle so it’s easier to insert cleanly into the cupcake.
ASSEMBLY
Spread orange frosting on the cupcake.
To make the body and head, first place a coconut marshmallow on top of the cupcake towards the front (making sure there’s enough room in back for the tail). Take a toothpick and insert it at an angle in the top/front of the coconut marshmallow. Push the toothpick all the way down until there’s only 3/8″ sticking out. Take an ice cream cone marshmallow (I used the pink/tan one for the head) and push it onto the remaining toothpick. Careful not to let the toothpick poke through the front of the head.
Turn your cupcake around to face the tail area. Take one of your Biscoff cookies and, leaving about 1/2″ gap between the cookie and coconut marshmallow, push it in (pointy side down) until the sliced ends are hidden. Take your brown frosting in a bag and pipe it into the 1/2″ gap, creating a mound where you can stick the “tail feathers” in.
To make the main tail feathers, take 5 ice cream cone marshmallows (I used the dark brown/tan ones here) and push them one at a time into the mound of brown frosting. Arrange them so they’re evenly spaced. If necessary, pipe small decorative dots of brown frosting in between the marshmallows and wherever needed to ensure everything will stay in place.
For the very back tail feathers, take 1 ice cream cone marshmallow (I used a white/tan one here) and, using a sharp knife, slice it horizontally into 3 pieces. Pipe a little brown frosting onto the back of each “feather” and stick them on the back of the Biscoff.
For the wings, take 1 ice cream cone marshmallow (I used a dark brown/tan one here) and cut it horizontally in half. Pipe a little brown frosting onto the back of each “wing” and stick them onto the sides of the turkey’s body.
To finish the face, use your red frosting in a bag to pipe the snood onto the beak. Get your fingertips a little moist with water, pick up two chocolate sprinkles, then gently place them on the face resting on top of the red snood.
Add any other decorations you want! I added a little candy pumpkin made by the Wilton cake decorating company. Be sure to double check the labels since many Wilton products are produced in a facility with nuts.
Tips:
I used red velvet cake in the picture above just because I had some in the freezer ready to decorate. Next time I’ll try spiced cake with a white coconut-vanilla frosting or a pumpkin-spice frosting.
