Chocolate Turkeys

It's time for the first party of the Newlywoodward's Dare to DIY series.  And this week, Dare to Be: Thankful.

My parents' neighbors make us chocolate turkeys every year for Thanksgiving.  They bring by the plate of deliciousness on Thanksgiving morning, and my mom has to shout "Hands off!  We need a turkey for everyone tonight!" at me all day as I try to sneak a turkey while grazing through helping in the kitchen.  

At my bridal shower, this neighbor gave me a cake decorating kit so that I could make my own turkeys, and with Kim's challenge I decided this was the year to try.

Here's what you need:

Nonpareils (my old neighbor does half with the white sprinkles, half with the colored sprinkles, so I did, too).  They're hard to find - if you can't find them, chocolate melting wafers from Hobby Lobby will work.

Stiff Royal Icing

Malted Milk Balls.  They're cuter if you don't use the whoppers, but I was in a time crunch after hunting down the Nonpareils.  You want bigger malted milk balls for a more realistic turkey.

I suggest you make your turkeys in steps - do all the bases first, let them dry, and start on the feathers, then move onto the faces.  Start with the white sprinkled nonpareil.  Put a glob of royal icing on the candies and push the malted milk balls into the icing.  

Now put a glob of royal icing on the multi colored (colors represent turkey feathers, ya know) sprinkled wafers and push the wafer onto the backside of the malted milk balls.  

Now here's where you have to be a little bit dexterous.  Which I'm not.  Take your royal icing and pipe on a beak and little wings - here's my best face and wings, pre-feathers.  I was a little more experienced at this point in the piping game.

And you've got chocolate Thanksgiving turkeys.  My mom puts one on each plate every year at Thanksgiving.  These are getting plated and shipped out to our neighbors - just like my parents' neighbors would want them to.  Please excuse the smooshed faces - we call this blog imperfect for a reason.