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Adorable Turkey Cookies Perfect for Thanksgiving Treats

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These adorable turkey cookies are a fun and easy Thanksgiving treat made with sugar cookies, frosting, and candy corn. Perfect for holiday parties, they come together in under 45 minutes and are sure to impress both kids and adults.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 package (16 oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough (or 1 batch homemade sugar cookie dough, about 2 dozen cookies)
  • All-purpose flour (for dusting, if making from scratch)
  • 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
  • 2–3 tablespoons milk
  • Brown food coloring
  • Orange food coloring (optional)
  • 1 bag (about 1 cup) candy corn
  • 1 bag (about 1 cup) candy eyes (or mini chocolate chips)
  • 1/4 cup melted chocolate chips or melting wafers
  • Red candy melts or red frosting (for wattle)
  • Orange candy melts or orange frosting (for beak)
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional, for speckled texture)
  • 1/4 cup sprinkles (fall colors, optional)
  • Pretzel sticks (broken in half, optional, for turkey legs)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  2. Roll out sugar cookie dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out circles using a 2.5 to 3-inch round cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
  3. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are just barely golden. Cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  4. Mix vanilla frosting with 2 tablespoons milk until smooth. Add brown food coloring drop by drop until desired turkey-brown color is achieved.
  5. Once cookies are completely cool, spread a thin layer of brown frosting on each, leaving a small space at the bottom for the face.
  6. Melt chocolate chips in a small bowl (microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each). Dip the tip of each candy corn piece into melted chocolate and press onto frosted cookie in a fan pattern, starting from the back and working forward. Use 5-7 pieces per cookie.
  7. Use melted chocolate as glue to attach candy eyes. Pipe or place a small orange triangle for the beak and a red teardrop shape for the wattle below the beak.
  8. Place decorated cookies in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to set the chocolate.
  9. Optional: Add pretzel stick legs or other decorations. Let cookies come to room temperature before serving.

Notes

Use melted chocolate as ‘glue’ for candy corn to prevent sliding. Work with completely cooled cookies. For best results, bake cookies up to 2 days ahead and decorate the day before serving. Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Keywords: turkey cookies, Thanksgiving cookies, candy corn cookies, sugar cookie turkey, holiday cookies, easy Thanksgiving dessert

Find it online: https://lenatable.com/adorable-turkey-cookies-perfect-for-thanksgiving-treats/