DIY Chocolate Thanksgiving Turkeys

“It’s Thanksgiving, for Pete's sakes! A day of forgiveness” Joey Tribbiani says … Okay, just kidding! It’s a time to be THANKFUL in all things. Of course, there is ALWAYS, ALWAYS something to be grateful for.

Whether you are spending time with family, friends (hashtag #friendsgiving) or eating Tofurkey, thanksgiving is about being grateful, giving thanks in ALL things, ALL circumstances and for those around us.

Thanksgiving is seriously the best food holiday ever, and I will argue with anyone who says otherwise! I could eat a turkey dinner complete with stuffing, mashed potatoes (try this recipe) and veggies all the time. That feeling when the tryptophan kicks in and you have to put on your stretchy pants. Yup - I love it all! But most of all, I love my family. I love sitting around the table, laughing, eating, talking and just being together.

When I was growing up, my Grandma Winnie found this cute DIY chocolate turkeys using a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup that were always a hit with the whole family. Kids from 1 to 92 (name that Christmas song) LOVED seeing these cute turkeys on the table and, just as much, we all loved eating them too. Sometimes we would have 40+ people at Thanksgiving and she made everyone a little "THANKS" Turkey!

It hit me a few months back that she hasn’t made them in a few years, and I decided that I wanted to make them this year for the family. Only this time I was going to use a MUCH HEALTHIER chocolate peanut butter cup that everyone can eat, without guilt and GIVE THANKS!

I used Justin’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (contains dairy) and Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (doesn’t contain dairy) to make these DIY Thanksgiving “GIVE THANKS” Turkeys, and they really came out so adorable AND they are USDA Organic and Certified Gluten Free! I am so grateful that I have been able to recreate family recipes that I grew up with. Food and memories go hand in hand.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with delicious food, delightful conversation, and wonderful memories that will last a lifetime…. and some cute, yummy GIVE THANKS Chocolate Turkeys, too!

DOWNLOAD THE PDF TO MAKE YOUR OWN! THIS PDF HAS THE STENCILS THAT YOU NEED ALONG WITH THE DIRECTIONS! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.

WATCH STEP BY STEP VIDEO

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THINGS YOU WILL NEED

Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups (as many as you need)

1 piece of thick card stock or white paper

Construction Paper (red, brown, orange & yellow)

glue

scissors

googly eyes

DIRECTIONS:

Print THIS PDF that gives you the stencils that you will need to create your chocolate turkeys.

Cut out each stencil. It helps if you can print it on thick paper or card stock.

Trace each piece onto the corresponding colors. Trace as many parts as you need. (Example: If you need 15 turkeys, trace 15 of each of the following). You will see each number on each part on the PDF that you will print out.

#1 trace on ORANGE paper

#2 trace on BROWN paper

#3 trace on RED paper

#4 trace on YELLOW paper

Make sure that you trace in pencil or, if using pen or a a thin marker, be sure that the ink doesn’t bleed to the other side.

Once you have traced all of your turkey parts, proceed to cut them all out. I used 4 little bowls to separate each of the different parts in.

Once you have everything cut out, you can start to assemble your chocolate turkeys. It’s okay to eat a chocolate in the process, just make sure you have enough.

Using a nice felt tip marker, write THANKS on the turkey’s feathers. (see photo)

Glue number 2 onto number 1 (see photo)

Glue number 4 onto number 3 AND Glue your googly eyes on (see photo)

TURN YOUR PEANUT BUTTER CUPS UPSIDE DOWN so that the "Justin's" logo is on the bottom.

Glue the feathers (#1 and #2) onto one side of the chocolate. It’s best to add the glue to the paper and not the chocolate. (see photo)

Best to keep the turkey on its back for this one.

Allow the glue to dry at least 30 min. If you have eaten too many chocolates, perhaps run to the store and get some more.

Glue the turkey neck onto the opposite side of the chocolate. You will start to see the turkey come together. Be patient as it will take some time to dry. Keep the turkey on its back (see photo)

Allow to fully dry before passing them out or placing them on your Thanksgiving table. They look wonderful around the table or placed next to everyone’s name card.