Fudge Turkeys

Crack up your Thanksgiving party guests with these adorable Fudge Turkeys. These fun desserts are amazingly yummy and will be gobbled up in no time.

For over two weeks now, I've been trying to come up with a unique sweet that is shaped like a turkey to share with you for Thanksgiving.

Every time I'd think of something, I'd do an online search and would find something identical to my idea. I do have to admit that since I began blogging about 2 years ago, there are so many more amazingly creative ideas available on the Internet.

I'm having to push myself constantly to come up with clever new ideas. Thankfully that motivation led me to create these Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Thanksgiving Turkey Treats, which I am totally in love with, so I'm happy for the challenge.

I love their silly eyes, their dangling wattle (the red thing that hangs from their beak.), and their cute little feet.

I can't wait to share these sweet little turkey treats with everyone this Thanksgiving. 

RELATED: Find dozens of easy fudge recipes at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge or Chocolate Caramel Thanksgiving Turkey Treats (makes 10)

Note: When I came up with this idea, I originally intended to make my turkeys out of the same recipe I used to create my Chocolate Caramel Fudge Pumpkins, but I didn't have any Dulce de Leche on hand and was too excited to begin working, that I didn't want to run up to the grocery store, so I used peanut butter instead.

Both of these recipes taste great, but I have to admit the caramel version would be slightly easier to work with if you have warm hands, as I do. So, use whichever recipe pleases you more.

Ingredients

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Turkey bodies:
14 ounces good quality milk chocolate, melted (see instructions for melting chocolate, here)
1 ¼ cups creamy peanut butter (I choose Jif)

OR make chocolate caramel turkey bodies:

14 ounces good quality milk chocolate
1 (13.4 ounce) can Dulce de Leche

Decorations:

white modeling chocolate (click to see the recipe) - you can also use fondant
food coloring, preferably candy coloring - red, orange, yellow, brown, and possibly black
food handling gloves
powdered sugar to dust your work surface
15 pretzel sticks
1-2 teaspoons corn syrup
20 tiny candy eyes (or you can make your own out of white and black modeling chocolate)

Supplies

rolling pin
small teardrop-shaped cookie cutters, 1 ¼" and ⅞" approximately
small sharp knife
a few toothpicks or skewers

Instructions

• Stir peanut butter into melted chocolate. Be sure it is very well mixed, or you will end up with little hard bits of chocolate once this sets up.
• Allow it to sit at room temperature for several hours until it hardens just enough that you can scoop it out and roll it into balls. Mine sat for 2 hours, but my house is 68 degrees, so if your house is warmer, it will take longer. I don't recommend refrigerating it, as it will get too hard.

If you are making the caramel version, stir the Dulce de Leche into the melted chocolate and allow it to sit for 30 minutes.

While you are waiting for your fudge mixture to set up and harden, you can make all the modeling chocolate decorations for your Turkey Treats.

• Put on your food-handling gloves and add coloring to your white modeling chocolate. You'll need more of the orange than any other color.
• Dust your work surface lightly with powdered sugar.
• Roll out some of the yellow, red, orange, and brown colored modeling chocolate to about 1/16" thickness.

• Use a 1 ¼" teardrop cutter to cut 20 feathers from the yellow, the orange, and the red modeling chocolate.
• To create the tail feathers, use small drops of corn syrup to stick the modeling chocolate together.
• Place two red feathers opposite each other with the points facing in.
• Use a toothpick to brush some corn syrup along the inside edge of each red feather.
• Set an orange feather on top along the sticky edge. Press firmly to get them to stick together.
• Add a yellow feather on top of the orange.
• Attach both sides together.
• Allow these tail feathers to sit and harden at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before attaching them to your turkeys.

• Use the ⅞" teardrop cutter to cut 20 wings from the brown modeling chocolate.

• Pinch off pea-sized pieces of the orange modeling chocolate.
• Roll into a ball, then flatten and pinch into a triangle.
• Use the back side of a knife to press two indentations on each foot.
• Re-shape each foot as needed.
• Pinch off small pieces of the orange modeling chocolate and roll into balls then roll into a cone shape for the beak.
• Pinch off tiny pieces of red modeling chocolate. Roll into a ball then roll the ball into a long teardrop shape for the waddle.

If you don't have tiny candy eyes, make some using white and black modeling chocolate or a black food coloring marker. You can also use small white confetti sprinkles and a food coloring marker.

• Once your chocolate peanut butter fudge or your chocolate caramel mixture is ready, scoop and roll ten 1 ½" balls.
• Scrape the remaining mixture out of the bowl. This will be used to create the head and neck for each turkey.
• Roll pieces of it into thin logs about 3/16" in diameter and 1 inch long.

Note: If you have warm hands, as I do, you will have a bit of a challenge rolling the chocolate peanut butter fudge into balls and logs without making a mess on your hands.

My exchange student rolled most of the balls as her hands were very cold. She had no trouble. If you do have trouble I suggest you wash your hands in really cold water or place them in ice water to cool them down before working with the peanut butter fudge. Wearing food-handling gloves also helps.

If you make the chocolate caramel fudge, you shouldn't have too much trouble. That fudge doesn't melt as easily. 

To decorate your chocolate peanut butter fudge or caramel balls to look like turkeys:

• Break your pretzel sticks in half.
• Press one pretzel piece coming out of the top of each ball for the turkey necks.
• Press two more down near the bottom for the legs.
• Take one log of chocolate peanut butter fudge, and press a toothpick into one end, creating a hole.
• Press the log, hole side down, onto the top pretzel. Press it all the way down until it touches the ball. Use your fingers or the toothpick to press the seam between the log and the ball together to form a smooth surface.

• Very gently bend the chocolate log over forming the head and neck of each turkey. Place a dab of corn syrup on the flat end of each orange beak and press it onto the front of the chocolate log.
• Use corn syrup to attach the eyes. Add a dab of corn syrup to the end of each pretzel stick and press a foot onto each.
• Use corn syrup to attach the waddle to the top side of each beak, add a wing to either side of the turkey, and add the tail feathers.
• Press the tail feathers on really well to make sure they stay in place.

Your turkeys are ready to make their debut on your Thanksgiving dinner table.

You can simply set them on a platter or dessert plate, or you can carefully package them in clear cellophane bags to give as party favors.

Storage

Store them in an airtight container for up to several weeks.

Related Recipes

Be sure to check out all of my fun Thanksgiving Recipes including these fun turkey-themed chocolate treats. 

Chocolate Rice Krispie Treat Turkeys

Chocolate Truffle Turkeys

Chocolate Turkey Cups Filled with Pumpkin Mousse

Recipe

Print

Fudge Turkeys

Prep Time

1 hr

 

Turn chocolate peanut butter fudge or chocolate caramel fudge into these whimsical fudge turkeys. These sweet treats are fun to serve for Thanksgiving.

Servings: 10

Calories: 468 kcal

Author: Beth Klosterboer

Ingredients

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Turkey bodies:

• 14 ounces milk chocolate
• 1 ¼ cups creamy peanut butter

Chocolate caramel turkey bodies:

• 14 ounces milk chocolate
• 13.4 ounce can of Dulce de Leche

Decorations:

• 4 ounces white modeling chocolate
• food coloring preferably candy coloring - red, orange, yellow, brown, and possibly black
• powdered sugar to dust your work surface
• 15 pretzel sticks
• 1-2 teaspoons corn syrup
• 20 tiny candy eyes or you can make your own out of white and black modeling chocolate

Instructions

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

1. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave using 30-second bursts of high power, stirring after each until melted.

2. Stir the peanut butter into the melted chocolate. Be sure it is very well mixed, or you will end up with little hard bits of chocolate once this sets up.

3. Cover and allow this chocolate peanut butter fudge to sit at room temperature for 2-6 hours until it hardens just enough that you can scoop it out and roll it into balls.

Chocolate Caramel Fudge

1. If you are making the caramel version, let the chocolate cool to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring often. Stir the Dulce de Leche into the melted chocolate and allow it to sit for 30 minutes.

Decorations

1. While you are waiting for your fudge mixture to set up and harden, you can make all the modeling chocolate decorations for your Turkey Treats.
2. Put on your food-handling gloves and add coloring to your white modeling chocolate. You'll need more of the orange than any other color.

3. Dust your work surface lightly with powdered sugar. Or you can roll your modeling chocolate out onto a non-stick silicone mat without needing to use powdered sugar.

4. Roll out some of the yellow, red, orange, and brown colored modeling chocolate to about 1/16-inch thickness.

5. Use a 1 ¼" teardrop cutter to cut 20 feathers from the yellow, the orange, and the red modeling chocolate.
6. To create the tail feathers, use small drops of corn syrup to stick the modeling chocolate together.
7. Place two red feathers opposite each other with the points facing in.
8. Use a toothpick to brush some corn syrup along the inside edge of each red feather.
9. Set an orange feather on top along the sticky edge. Press firmly to get them to stick together.
10. Add a yellow feather on top of the orange.
11. Attach both sides together.
12. Allow these tail feathers to sit and harden at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before attaching them to your turkeys.
13. Use the ⅞" teardrop cutter to cut 20 wings from the brown modeling chocolate.
14. Pinch off pea-sized pieces of the orange modeling chocolate.
15. Roll into a ball, then flatten and pinch into a triangle.
16. Use the back side of a knife to press two indentations on each foot.
17. Re-shape each foot as needed.
18. Pinch off small pieces of the orange modeling chocolate and roll into balls then roll into a cone shape for the beak.
19. Pinch off tiny pieces of red modeling chocolate. Roll into a ball then roll the ball into a long teardrop shape for the waddle.
20. Once your chocolate peanut butter fudge or your chocolate caramel mixture is ready, scoop and roll ten 1 ½" balls.
21. Scrape the remaining mixture out of the bowl. This will be used to create the head and neck for each turkey.
22. Roll pieces of it into thin logs about 3/16" in diameter and 1 inch long.
23. Break your pretzel sticks in half.
24. Press one pretzel piece coming out of the top of each ball for the turkey necks.
25. Press two more down near the bottom for the legs.
26. Take one log of chocolate peanut butter fudge, and press a toothpick into one end, creating a hole.
27. Press the log, hole side down, onto the top pretzel. Press it all the way down until it touches the ball. Use your fingers or the toothpick to press the seam between the log and the ball together to form a smooth surface.
28. Very gently bend the chocolate log over forming the head and neck of each turkey. Place a dab of corn syrup on the flat end of each orange beak and press it onto the front of the chocolate log.
29. Use corn syrup to attach the eyes. Add a dab of corn syrup to the end of each pretzel stick and press a foot onto each.
30. Use corn syrup to attach the waddle to the top side of each beak, add a wing to either side of the turkey, and add the tail feathers.
31. Press the tail feathers on really well to make sure they stay in place.

32. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have tiny candy eyes, make some using white and black modeling chocolate or a black food coloring marker. You can also use small white confetti sprinkles and a food coloring marker.

Store your fudge turkeys in an airtight container for up to several weeks.

• Author
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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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