Cute Turkey Cookies for Thanksgiving Recipe (2024)

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Cute Turkey Cookies for Thanksgiving

These Cute Turkey Cookies are a great dessert idea for Thanksgiving. They are really easy to make– simple enough for even young kids to help decorate!

Related Recipes:

Thanksgiving Oreo Cake
Turkey Thanksgiving Cupcakes
4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms (GF)

Cute Turkey Cookies for Thanksgiving Recipe (1)

I love busting out amazing Thanksgiving sides and desserts like Pecan Pie Cake (it’s to die for) or my Grandma’s famous Sweet Potato Casserole. But I always try to bring something that the kids will go nuts over too. These cute Thanksgiving Turkeys fit the bill. And they are ridiculously easy to throw together– in fact, your kiddos could probably decorate these all on their own!

As an added bonus: they are naturally gluten and dairy free (but you will need to sub something like Dove Dark Chocolate Promises candies for the Milk Chocolate Hershey Kisses I used).

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup sugar + 1/4 cup for rolling
12 Hershey Kisses
24 candy eyes
12 candies for the beaks and wattles*
candy corn (5-6 pieces per cookie)

*I used candy coated sunflower kernels. I snatch them up at TJ Maxx whenever I see them in stock, because they are PERFECT for decorating edible turkeys, snowmen, and holly wreaths! I also love using them a christmas lights on gingerbread houses.

You can find candy coated sunflower seeds on Amazon by clicking here.

Alternative ideas for the candy beak:

mini M&Ms
the yellow tip of a candy corn (for the beak)
colored frosting + piping tip
large sprinkles

Directions

Mix together the peanut butter, egg, and 1 cup of the sugar to form the cookie dough.
Scoop the dough and roll each ball in the sugar.
Place the sugar coated cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet and gently press each ball of cookie dough flat with the bottom of a glass.
Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes.
After removing from the oven, immediately place a Hershey Kiss (tip downwards) into the top half of each cookie.
While waiting for the Hershey Kisses to get melty, gently press the candy corn pieces into the tops of the cookies in a fan-like shape (see video for demonstration). Once the cookies cool, the candy corn will stick to the cookies and stay in place.
Once the chocolate has melted a bit, gently press two candy eyes and a candy beak onto the surface to make the face. Add red candy underneath to make the wattle/snood (see video for demonstration).
Let cool completely before serving.

More Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love

Classic 2-Pie Crust Recipe – Broken down step-by-step for beginners!
Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies – For when you don’t have time for 100% from scratch.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – For when you do!
Pecan Pie Bread Pudding – Reader Favorite for 8+ years.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake – It’s seriously amazing.
Grandma’s Chocolate Trifle – I look forward to this every year.

Cute Turkey Cookies for Thanksgiving

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

These Cute Turkey Cookies are a great dessert idea for Thanksgiving. They are really easy to make-- simple enough for even young kids to help decorate!

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup sugar + 1/4 cup for rolling
12 Hershey Kisses
24 candy eyes
12 candies for the beaks and wattles*
candy corn (5-6 pieces per cookie)

Instructions

Mix together the peanut butter, egg, and 1 cup of the sugar to form the cookie dough.
Scoop the dough and roll each ball in the sugar.
Place the sugar coated cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet and gently press each ball of cookie dough flat with the bottom of a glass.
Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes.
After removing from the oven, immediately place a Hershey Kiss (tip downwards) into the top half of each cookie.
While waiting for the Hershey Kisses to get melty, gently press the candy corn pieces into the tops of the cookies in a fan-like shape (see video for demonstration). Once the cookies cool, the candy corn will stick to the cookies and stay in place.
Once the chocolate has melted a bit, gently press two candy eyes and a candy beak onto the surface to make the face. Add red candy underneath to make the wattle/snood (see video for demonstration).
Let cool completely before serving.