If you’re looking for an easy and festive way to celebrate Thanksgiving, give these Turkey Cookies a try! This recipe for thanksgiving sugar cookies is simple to make and not to mention super fun to decorate. Using an easy sugar cookie as the base, top it off with mini Nutter Butter cookies, edible eyeballs, candy corn, and frosting to make it look like a turkey! It’s perfect as a thanksgiving dessert or a baking activity for the kids while dinner is in the oven!
Need another dessert recipe to add to your Thanksgiving dinner table? You should try this No-Bake Thanksgiving Peanut Butter Pie!
Why this Thanksgiving turkey cookie recipe is the best
November has arrived, which means that Thanksgiving is right around the corner!
At my house, that means turkey with ALL of the fixings, which also includes dessert! Pumpkin pie is always on the menu, but I like to keep things fun with various desserts, especially cookies.
A few years ago, I made these super fun peanut butter cup turkeys that everyone loved and had fun making, but it was time to try something new.
This year, I put together these festive turkey cookies! These sweet little babies are my newest Thanksgiving obsession, and I plan to make them over and over again. Not only do they taste amazing, but they are beyond simple to make. In fact, they would make a totally fun project to make with your kids while Thanksgiving dinner is cooking in the oven.
Keep scrolling to see how you can gather the supplies and make them yourself.
Ingredients needed
- Sugar cookie mix: This is the quickest way to make some delicious sugar cookies.
- Butter: This recipe calls for 1/2 a cup of butter, softened. This helps give the cookies a nice flavor and texture.
- Eggs: You’ll need one egg for the cookie dough. Eggs help combine everything!
- Mini Nutter Butter cookies: With 24 mini cookies, you’ll have enough to top all of your turkey cookies!
- Candy-coated sunflower seeds: You will use these to create the turkey’s nose. You could also use yellow M&Ms or any other type of candy you have on hand.
- Edible eyeballs: What’s a turkey cookie without eyeballs?!?
- Red sprinkles: These will be used for the turkey’s wattle.
- Candy corn: You’ll need to use the candy corn to decorate the sugar cookie. This candy works perfectly as the turkey’s feathers!
- White frosting: I used my go-to store-bought white frosting but feel free to make your own.
How to make sugar cookies
- Start by making the sugar cookies. Follow the instructions labeled on the baking mix. Mine says to add in the butter and egg.
- Using a hand-held electric mixer, combine the ingredients until you have a super smooth sugar cookie dough.
- With a medium cookie scoop, scoop mounds of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat.
- Bake in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes (or as long as the recipe on the bag says).
- Remove from the baking sheet and let them cool on a wire rack.
How to assemble turkey cookies with candy corn
Once the cookies have completely cooled, now the real fun can begin! The best tip I can give you to assemble these turkey cookies is to get everything you need laid out in front of you so you can create an assembly line.
- Gather all of the ingredients you will need to make the cookie.
- Using the sugar cookie as the base, place a dollop of white frosting onto the back of a mini Nutter Butter cookie.
- Place the Nutter Butter (frosting side down) close to the bottom of the sugar cookie. Leave room for the feathers. Next, add two little dollops of frosting to the top of the head.
- Press on the two edible eyeballs. Then, add a bit of frosting below and between both eyes.
- Add the yellow sunflower seed (or mini yellow M&M) to make the beak. To add the turkey wattle, use a single red sprinkle, add a small amount of frosting and then carefully add it to the turkey next to the beak.
- Using a fan shape, add five candy corn feathers around the top edge of the Nutter Butter cookie and use the frosting to attach to the sugar cookie. Eat and enjoy!
Tips for making Easy Turkey Cookies
Before you make these yummy thanksgiving cookies, take a look at these baking tips to make sure your cookies come out perfect every time!
- Don’t want to use a cookie mix? That’s okay – you could use my cream cheese sugar cookie dough to make them, but I wanted these guys to be simple and stress-free. So, I went SUPER simple.
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before you start baking. Room-temperature ingredients mix together much easier and produce a more consistent cookie.
- When scooping the cookie dough, use a level scoop, so all of your cookies are the same size. This will help them bake evenly.
- Parchment paper will work just fine if you don’t have a silicone mat.
- To get the perfect cookie, make sure not to over-bake them! Every oven is different, so keep a close eye on them. The cookies should be set around the edges but soft in the center.
- Use tweezers to add the candy to the sugar cookie since they can be fragile while working with them.
- When adding the candy corn, make sure that the pointy end points downwards so they look like real feathers! If you want to get creative, you could use different colored candy corn to make a rainbow of turkey feathers.
Frequently asked questions:
Can I use a different type of cookie as the base?
Yes, you can use any cookie as the base. However, I think sugar cookies are the best because they are versatile and easy to make.
You can also use:
Can I use a different type of frosting?
Yes, you can use any frosting! I like the classic white canned frosting, but you can also use cream cheese frosting or white buttercream.
How do I store these turkey cookies to enjoy later?
To store these turkey cookies, place them in an airtight container and keep them in a cool, dry place. They will stay fresh for up to a week.
I can’t wait to add these turkey cookies to my Festive Thanksgiving Dessert Table! I hope you’ll try them too. Let me know how they turn out in the comments below. And, as always, if you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram so that I can see your beautiful creation! Happy baking!
Do you want other Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas? Try these recipes…
- Peanut Butter Cup Turkey
- Easy Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Pecan Upside Down Bundt Cake
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Pumpkin Roll Cookies
Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies
Simple sugar cookies and other easy to find ingredients are combined to create the cutest little Turkey Cookies ever. Add them to your Thanksgiving menu today.
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1-17.5 oz. pkg sugar cookie mix
- 1/2 cup butter {softened}
- 1 egg
Toppings
- 24 mini Nutter Butter Cookies
- 48 edible eyeballs
- 24 yellow candy coated sunflower seeds
- 24 red long sprinkles
- 120 candy corn candies
- 1 can white frosting {I used vanilla}
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cookies
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Combine the sugar cookie mix, butter and egg in a medium bowl until you have a soft dough. Use a medium cookie scoop and scoop 12 mounds of dough onto a silicone mat {or parchment} lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are cooked through. Remove from oven and cool completely on cookie sheet.
Assembly
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Apply frosting to the back of a mini Nutter Butter Cookie and place frosting side down on top of sugar cookie on the bottom half. We want to be sure and leave enough room for the candy corn feathers.
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Add to small spots of frosting on the top of the Nutter Butter for the eyes. Place two edible eyeballs on the frosting and press down slightly.
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Add another spot of frosting in the middle and below the eyeballs for the beak. Add the candy coated sunflower seed on the frosting.
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For the wattle, take a longer red sprinkle. Add a little frosting to the top/side of the sprinkle and attach it to the side of the beak.
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Finally, add five candy corn to each cookie. Make a fan shape above the Nutter Butter head being sure to add enough frosting that they will stay in place.
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Allow the frosting to set up before stacking the cookies.
Recipe Notes
- If you don't want to use a sugar cookie mix try my cream cheese sugar cookie recipe.
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