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Chocolate Turkeys

Chocolate Turkeys

Make delicious Chocolate Turkeys for Thanksgiving dessert, they are perfect as a hostess gift too.
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 60 turkeys
Calories 186 kcal

Equipment

  • squeeze bottle or zip-top bag
  • parchment paper
  • baking sheet
  • egg mold
  • Pastry Bag
  • double boiler
  • non-stick skillet

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Turkeys

  • 28 ounces pure milk chocolate melted and tempered or light cocoa candy melts or almond bark melted
  • 20 ounces pure dark chocolate melted and tempered or dark cocoa candy melts or almond bark melted

Decorations

  • 120 pieces candy eyes (⅜ inch look best)
  • 60 pieces orange candy-coated sunflower seeds
  • 60 pieces red candy-coated sunflower seeds

Pumpkin Ganache

  • 8 ounces Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
  • 0.25 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 0.5 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 0.125 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 cup Edy's Slow Churned Pumpkin Patch Ice Cream (use vanilla ice cream if unable to find pumpkin ice cream)
  • 18 ounces good-quality white chocolate with cocoa butter in the ingredients
  • 0.33 cup Nestle Butterscotch Morsels

Instructions
 

Chocolate Turkeys

  • Fill a squeeze bottle or zip-top bag with melted and tempered pure dark chocolate or melted compound chocolate (candy melts, almond bark, melting wafers).
  • Pipe the outline of a turkey's tail feathers onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
  • Fill in the dark chocolate outline with melted milk chocolate.
  • Tap the tray to remove air bubbles. Do this as you make each one.
  • Refrigerate (pure chocolate) or freeze (coating) for 5-10 minutes until set.
  • Make the chocolate egg shells or solid chocolate eggs.
  • Paint a thin layer of a blend of milk and dark chocolate into an egg mold. Repeat.
  • Or, fill the egg cavities in the mold completely with chocolate for solid chocolate turkeys.
  • Chill pure chocolate in the refrigerator or candy melts in the freezer until hardened (5-10 minutes for egg shells and about 20 minutes for solid eggs).
  • Fill a pastry bag with pumpkin ganache.
  • Pipe the pumpkin ganache into the chocolate shells, leaving enough room to top the ganache with a thin layer of chocolate.
  • Let the eggs sit for 1 hour at room temperature until the ganache thickens and dries on top.
  • Spread a layer of chocolate over top of the ganache and scrape off any excess chocolate.
  • Chill for about 5 minutes until the chocolate hardens.
  • Unmold the chocolate eggs.
  • Put a teaspoon size dollop of the blended milk and dark chocolate on a piece of parchment paper.
  • Allow it to thicken a bit, then set one chocolate egg, with the rounded side down, in the middle of it.
  • Hold it until it hardens in place.
  • If the chocolate is thick enough, you can just set the egg on top and it will stand up.
  • Repeat creating little chocolate stands for all of your chocolate eggs.

Decorations

  • To assemble your chocolate turkeys, use melted chocolate to attach two eyes, one orange candy-coated sunflower seed beak, one red candy-coated sunflower seed waddle, and one tail feather.

Pumpkin Ganache

  • Pour the pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg into a small non-stick skillet.
  • Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally for five minutes.
  • Continue to heat stirring constantly for 3 more minutes, until the mixture thickens, turns deep golden brown, and reduces by about half.
  • Remove the pumpkin from the heat and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, set up a double boiler, with 1 inch of water in the bottom pan and the ice cream, white chocolate, and butterscotch morsels in the top pan.
  • Set over low heat. Stir occasionally.
  • Continue to stir the ganache, occasionally, until almost all of the chocolate is melted.
  • Turn off the heat and allow the remaining chunks of chocolate to melt.
  • The butterscotch chips will be the last thing to melt. Smash them with a spoon to get them to melt completely.
  • Pour the hot ganache into a glass measuring cup or bowl. Cover it and allow it to cool to room temperature, at least one hour before piping it into the chocolate shells.

Notes

This recipe makes 60 Turkey Truffles or about 48 solid chocolate turkeys. If you can't find pumpkin ice cream, use vanilla ice cream instead and increase the spices to 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg. Store truffles at room temperature for up to a week or in the refrigerator in a cardboard box for up to 2 weeks. Thaw in the box for a few hours before opening. Store solid chocolate turkeys for up to 3 months at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1turkeyCalories: 186kcal
Keyword chocolate, ganache, homemade candy, homemade chocolate truffles, ice cream truffles, pumpkin
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