Turkey Sugar cookies are the perfect sugar cookie to make for Thanksgiving. Using easy to make no spread sugar cookie dough and homemade royal icing, these Thanksgving sugar cookies not only taste delicious but are the perfect cookie center piece for the dessert table.
Turkey Sugar Cookies Recipe
Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and if you are looking for an amazing sugar cookie that will wow everyone who comes to dinner, these Turkey sugar cookies are the ones you want to make. These thanksgiving sugar cookies taste amazing and look like turkeys while being beautifully decorated.
Sugar cookies are one of my favorite cookies to make because I can decorate them to look amazing using royal icing and it is not really difficult to do. These beautiful Thanksgiving sugar cookies will look perfect on the dessert table, and they taste amazing so everyone will love eating them.
If you are looking for more Thanksgiving Sugar cookies recipes be sure to check out Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies (Shaped like pumpkins).
Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
- Turkey Marshmallow Pops
- Homemade apple pie
- Pumpkin Chocolatet Covered Oreo Cookies
- Best apple pie
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Puff Pastry Apple Pie
- Blueberry Pie
- Boston Cream Pie
- Sweet potato pie with marshmallow
- Crustless pumpkin Pie
Make The Holiday Easier!
Tips for Making Turkey Sugar Cookies
This pumpkin cookie recipe uses our no spread sugar cookie dough. It is the best sugar cookie dough that you are going to find I promise! They are easily and beautifully decorated with homemade Royal Icing to give the perfect dimensional look with ease!
If this is your first time making sugar cookies, check out everything you need to know about making sugar cookies for some awesome tips!
If you have never used Royal Icing before be sure to read up on how to use Royal Icing when decorating cookies and how to decorate with royal icing.
Use Gel Food coloring. It is best to use gel food coloring to make your royal icing.
Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting them.
What is the best way to decorate Turkey Sugar Cookies?
You can do the turkeys in 2 different ways, depending on your cookie decorating skills there are 2 different ways to decorate the cookies to look like turkeys.
1. For the tail flood the outside of the brown then a curvy row of red, then orange, then yellow. Once all filled in, drag a toothpick or your little icing tool through the colors from the outside in. Wipe toothpick/tool between each drag to avoid getting yellow in the brown. Let that all dry. Then add the wing and use the same technique to add the red, orange, yellow to the wing and drag from bottom to top. Let dry.
2. Fill in all the brown, then let dry. Add the tail and wings as a second layer using the same drag technique.
How long should sugar cookies cool before frosting them?
Sugar cookies need to be fully cooled before frosting them. You want them to be room temperature so the frosting does not melt off the cookie when you are decorating them.
How to Store Sugar Cookies
Store homemade sugar cookies in an air tight container, in a cool dry place out of sunlight for best results. If they have frosting on them, allow the frosting to fully harden before storing the cookies in a container. If they are frosted it is best to store frosted sugar cookies with wax paper between each layer.
How long do Sugar Cookies last?
Pumpkin sugar cookies will keep for up to 2 weeks after being baked in an airtight container.
Why do sugar cookies get hard?
Sugar cookies get hard because they are hit by air, if you keep them in an airtight container they will stay soft.
Do I need to store cookies with royal icing in the fridge?
No, do not store sugar cookies decorated with royal icing in the fridge.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
You can make sugar cookie dough ahead of time and store it in an air tight container for 3-5 days in the fridge. When you want to make the cookies, remove the dough from the fridge and roll out and shape as desired, and then bake according to the recipe directions below.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Yes. If you are wanting to make the cookie dough ahead of time to use later, make the pumpkin sugar cookie dough and then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for 3-6 months. When you are ready to make the cookies, remove the dough from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge. Roll out and shape as desired and then bake according to the recipe directions below.
Can I freeze the cookies after they are made?
Yes. After baking the cookies and allowing them to cool completely you can freeze them. Then when it is time to decorate them just remove them from the freezer and bring to room temperature before decorating with royal icing. I find it best to place them in a single layer on a wax paper lined baking sheet and then put them in the freezer. Once frozen I remove them from the baking sheet and put them in a zip close freezer bag.
Turkey Sugar Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Royal Icing Ingredients
- 2 pound confectioners sugar sifted
- 10 tablespoons meringue powder
- 3/4 cup water and more if needed
How to Make Turkey Sugar Cookies
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it is fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes. You can do this in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer. I personally prefer to use the stand mixer.
Once the butter and powdered sugar are creamed together add the eggs and vanilla extract.
Mix all of the dry cookie ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to mix everything together.
Then add the flour and other dry ingredients mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well.
Put half of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to 1/4 inch thick.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Put the rolled dough including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer. You want the dough to be cold.
Once the sugar cookie dough is chilled it is ready to cut using your pumpkin cookie cutter. After cutting all the cookies out, reroll the dough scraps and use the rest of it to cut out more cookies until you have no dough left.
Place cookies on a single layer with a little bit of space between them on a baking sheet and bake at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool them on a cookie rack. Be sure the cookies are completely cooled before moving on to decorating them.
While the cookies are cooling make the royal icing.
How to Make Royal Icing
Combine the sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until well combined.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of the water.
Next, add a clear extract to make your frosting take on different flavors if you want to.
If the mixture is still crumbly add the rest of the water.
Mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes.
Split the frosting into smaller bowls, you will need one bowl for each color you are going to make. For the turkey cookies you will need brown royal icing, red royal icing, orange royal icing, black royal icing and yellow royal icing. You will need 2 cups of brown royal icing, then make 1/8 cup of black icing. Divide the last of the icing into 3 equal parts of red, yellow, and orange.
Color icing with desired food colors by blending a drop of coloring into the icing. Gradually blend additional drops until you achieve the desired color.
Put the royal icing into a piping bag and do the outlines for all of your cookies.
Pipe an outline in brown around the turkey cookie edge and allow it to harden. Put the brown icing back into a bowl and add a small amount of water to make it 20 second icing and put it back in the piping bag and flood the outline of the cookie.
While the brown frosting is still wet use the red, yellow, and orange icing to add feathers on the left handside. You can use a frosting pick tool to spread the frosting out into the brown to give it more feather like look. The best way to do this is to make a straight line with the icing and then use the pic to spread it into the brown icing.
Use the red icing and make the gobbler on the right handside and the orange icinig to add the nose above the gobbler.
Use the black icing to add one eye.
Allow the icing to harden for about 30 minutes and then add the wing with the brown icing. Use the red, orange and yellow icing to add feathers to the wing. The best way to do this is to make a straight line with the icing and then use the pic to spread it into the brown icing.
Use the orange icing to add feet at the bottom of the cookie.
Allow the icing to harden completely before serving or storing.
Thanksgiving Recipes
- Pearl Onions in Cream Sauce
- Parmesan Asparagus
- Homemade mashed potatoes
- Cheesy brussel sprouts
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Oven baked sweet potatoes
Want delicious cookies that come out perfect every time? Check out some of our favorite tools to make super easy cookies with fun decorations!
Turkey Sugar cookies
Ingredients
Turkey Sugar Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Royal Icing Ingredients
- 2 pound confectioners sugar sifted
- 10 tablespoons meringue powder
- 3/4 cup water and more if needed
Instructions
How to Make Turkey Sugar Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it is fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes. You can do this in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer. I personally prefer to use the stand mixer.
- Once the butter and powdered sugar are creamed together add the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Mix all of the dry cookie ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to mix everything together.
- Then add the flour and other dry ingredients mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well.
- Put half of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to 1/4 inch thick.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Put the rolled dough including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer. You want the dough to be cold.
- Once the sugar cookie dough is chilled it is ready to cut using your pumpkin cookie cutter. After cutting all the cookies out, reroll the dough scraps and use the rest of it to cut out more cookies until you have no dough left.
- Place cookies on a single layer with a little bit of space between them on a baking sheet and bake at 325° F for 10 -15 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool them on a cookie rack. Be sure the cookies are completely cooled before moving on to decorating them.
- While the cookies are cooling make the royal icing.
How to Make Royal Icing
- Combine the sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until well combined.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of the water.
- Next, add a clear extract to make your frosting take on different flavors if you want to.
- If the mixture is still crumbly add the rest of the water.
- Mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes.
- Split the frosting into smaller bowls, you will need one bowl for each color you are going to make. For the turkey cookies you will need brown royal icing, red royal icing, orange royal icing, black royal icing and yellow royal icing. You will need 2 cups of brown royal icing, then make 1/8 cup of black icing. Divide the last of the icing into 3 equal parts of red, yellow, and orange.
- Color icing with desired food colors by blending a drop of coloring into the icing. Gradually blend additional drops until you achieve the desired color.
How to Decorate Turkey Sugar Cookies
- Put the royal icing into a piping bag and do the outlines for all of your cookies.
- Pipe an outline in brown around the turkey cookie edge and allow it to harden. Put the brown icing back into a bowl and add a small amount of water to make it 20 second icing and put it back in the piping bag and flood the outline of the cookie.
- While the brown frosting is still wet use the red, yellow, and orange icing to add feathers on the left handside. You can use a frosting pick tool to spread the frosting out into the brown to give it more feather like look. The best way to do this is to make a straight line with the icing and then use the pic to spread it into the brown icing.
- Use the red icing and make the gobbler on the right handside and the orange icinig to add the nose above the gobbler.
- Use the black icing to add one eye.
- Allow the icing to harden for about 30 minutes and then add the wing with the brown icing. Use the red, orange and yellow icing to add feathers to the wing. The best way to do this is to make a straight line with the icing and then use the pic to spread it into the brown icing.
- Use the orange icing to add feet at the bottom of the cookie.
- Allow the icing to harden completely before serving or storing.
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