Thanksgiving Turkey Brownies

Name: Thanksgiving Turkey Brownies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: ¾ Cup Butter ((180g)); 7 oz 70% Dark chocolate ((200g) do not use low chocolate with low cocoa content as it won't work); 1+¼ Cups Sugar ((250g)); 3 Medium Eggs; ¾ Cup All-purpose flour ((100g)); 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder; ¾ Cup Milk chocolate chips ((100g)); 1 Tub Chocolate frosting ((keep at least 1 tablespoon aside to use as your 'glue')); 16 Giant chocolate buttons or peanut butter cups; 160 Mini M&Ms or Reese's pieces ((red, yellow, orange and brown)); 32 Edible candy eyes

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These turkey brownies are a super cute, kid-friendly addition to any Thanksgiving celebration. They're easy to make and fun to decorate, and they're ready to eat from scratch in just a few hours!

turkey brownies with reeses peanut butter cup and reeses pieces

Before I go gung ho on the Christmas desserts, I wanted to share the recipe for these adorable Thanksgiving turkey brownies with my readers from the USA!

They're thick and fudgy, and you can top them with either peanut butter cups or giant chocolate buttons. They're so fun to make and perfect for kids to help with. Here's how to make them...

Ingredients

Butter: Adding plenty of butter to your brownies will help to create that classic fudgy texture. I like to use unsalted but you can use salted if you prefer.
Dark chocolate: When it comes to brownies, don't skimp on the chocolate quality! Spending a little extra on good-quality chocolate will save you the headache of having to throw out oily brownies later on. I use chocolate with 70% cocoa content but anything between 65% and 73% will work fine.
Sugar: I used superfine sugar (caster sugar) but granulated sugar will work too.
Eggs: Eggs bind the rest of the ingredients together and help to add moisture.
All-purpose flour: The small amount of flour in the recipe is intentional- it's just enough to hold everything together without making the brownies cakey. We want a dense and fudgy texture, not light and fluffy.
Cocoa powder: This intensifies the chocolate flavour. Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder, not hot chocolate powder as many beginner bakers do. They produce very different results!
Milk chocolate chips: For extra sweetness and texture.
Chocolate frosting: This will act as a 'glue' to stick the turkey faces onto. I used ready-made chocolate icing from a tub but you can make your own from scratch if you prefer. I've included a recipe further on in the post, in the 'top tips' section.
Giant chocolate buttons: 16 of them, for the turkey faces. You can also use peanut butter cups if you prefer. I did a mix of both.
Mini candies: In red, brown, orange and yellow. I used mini M&Ms for half of my brownies and Reese's pieces for the other half.
Edible candy eyes: The finishing touch that brings these Thanksgiving brownies to life! You'll need 32 in total- two for each brownie.

thanksgiving turkey brownies with mini M&Ms

Equipment Notes

8x8-inch tin: This specific size tin ensures the perfect brownie thickness and even baking. If your tin is too large, your brownies will be thin and dry, and if it's too small, they won't cook properly in the middle. You can use a 9x9 tin but you'll need to reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes or so- just keep an eye on them while they're in the oven.
Baking paper: Leave a bit hanging over each edge for easy removal later.
Saucepan: This is for melting the chocolate and butter together gently. If you prefer to use the microwave, put it in for 30-second bursts, stirring in between each one until fully melted.
Large mixing bowl: For the brownie batter.
Electric hand whisk: Or a stand mixer, to whisk the eggs and sugar together. I do not recommend doing this by hand unless you fancy a serious arm workout.
Utensils: A wooden spoon or spatula and a tablespoon.
Toothpick: Not essential but super handy for sticking the eyes and candies on.

peanut butter cup thanksgiving turkey brownies

How To Make Thanksgiving Turkey Brownies

Metric measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (or 290°F for convection ovens) and line an 8x8-inch tin with baking paper.

Step 2: In a saucepan, melt 7oz of 70% dark chocolate with ¾ cup butter over low heat.

Step 3: Add 3 medium eggs and 1+¼ cups sugar to a large mixing bowl. Mix using an electric hand whisk or stand mixer for a few minutes until the mixture is pale and silky.

Step 4: Pour the melted butter/chocolate mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sugar and fold them together. Then gently fold in ¾ cup all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Step 5: Stir in ¾ cup of milk chocolate chips then transfer the mixture to your lined tin.

bowl of brownie batter with chocolate chips in it

Step 6: Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a crust has formed on top and the edges are pulling away from the tin slightly.

Step 7: Let the brownies cool in the tin then pop them into the freezer for 90 minutes or in the fridge overnight. This will help them firm up properly and make them easier to cut into.

Step 8: Remove the brownie from the tin and top with chocolate frosting, setting at least a tablespoon of it aside to stick on the turkey faces. Then cut the brownie into 16 squares.

Step 9: Use leftover frosting to stick 2 edible eyes and one mini orange candy onto giant chocolate buttons or peanut butter cups to make 16 turkey faces. Then stick them onto the brownies.

chocolate button with edible eyes and an orange mini m&m stuck on

Step 10: Decorate the top half of the brownie with more mini M&Ms or Reese's pieces to make the turkey 'feathers' then enjoy!

Top Tips

If you prefer to use homemade chocolate frosting, you can make your own from scratch. Combine ¼ cup of softened butter(60g), 1 cup of powdered sugar(120g), 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 2-3 tablespoons of milk (as needed).
Chocolate with low cocoa content will not work well for this recipe. I recommend dark chocolate that contains between 65% and 73% cocoa.
The brownies will be soft and crumbly while warm so don't try to cut them yet. After freezing, they will become firm and fudgy.

FAQs

How long will Thanksgiving turkey brownies last?

These will keep well for at least 1 week if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I'd recommend adding the decorations within 24 hours of serving as the colours from the candies can start to bleed after a while.

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes, these can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. As mentioned above, it's best to decorate them just before serving.

Why do you freeze the brownies before decorating?

This helps the brownies to set properly and makes it way easier to cut them cleanly without any crumbling. The firm surface also helps the frosting and toppings to stick better. Don't skip this step!

What can I use instead of chocolate buttons?

As I mentioned in the post, peanut butter cups are a great alternative. Peppermint patties would also work well, as would any other large round chocolates.

turkey brownies with chocolate button and mini M&Ms

I hope you like my Thanksgiving turkey brownies! If you make them at home, please leave a comment and rating below to let me know what you think. Enjoy!