Turkey Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 1 and 1/4 cups premium flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 0.5 tsp of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 0.5 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 0.5 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup natural pumpkin puree

Chocolate buttercream

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 0.5 cup alkalized cocoa powder
• 220 g of butter at room temperature
• A pinch of fine salt
• 2 tsp natural vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Decoration

• 0.5 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 84 orange, yellow, and brown peanut butter candies, such as Reese's Pieces
• 12 flower-shaped gingerbread cookies
• 12 donut holes in white glaze
• 24 candy eyes
• 12 candy corn kernels
• 4 red jelly candies, round or heart-shaped, candied
• 12 peanut butter cookies

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a metal muffin tin with paper cups.
2. Cupcakes:
   
   Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs with a mixer until smooth. Stir in vegetable oil until smooth. Stir in pumpkin puree until completely smooth. Add the flour mixture and knead into a smooth dough.
3. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on the rack.
4. Chocolate cream:
   
   Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa onto a sheet of parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar mixture and mix on low speed until smooth. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, adding more heavy cream as needed to create a light, pliable frosting.
5. Generously coat the cupcakes with frosting. Use a spatula to smooth the surface.
6. Decoration:
   
   In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and stir with a fork. Add more lemon juice if needed until the icing reaches a glue-like consistency.
7. Using this glue, glue 7 peanut butter candies to each gingerbread cookie, like turkey tail feathers (make a row of 5 candies, then attach 2 to the bottom). Let the glue dry, about 15 minutes.
8. To make the heads, cut a small slice off the side of each donut so the heads fit snugly on the cupcakes. Glue two eyes to each head. Trim the yellow end off each piece of candy corn and discard. Using a small knife, make a slit just below the eyes on the head and insert a piece of corn into the slit to create the beak. Repeat with the remaining turkey heads. Cut each of the four red gummy candies into three half-moons. Glue each one to the side of the beak.
9. Lay the peanut butter cookie horizontally and cut each side at an angle to create two wings; you'll be left with a triangle of cookie in the middle, ready to eat.
10. Insert the tails into the backs of the cupcakes at a slight angle. Press the heads and wings into the sides.