Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies (Easy No-Roll Turkey Cookies)

These Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies cost about $0.62 per serving and turn soft homemade sugar cookies into adorable turkeys with chocolate frosting, mini Reese’s cups, and candy corn tail feathers. They’re a fun way to use up leftover Halloween candy for class parties, Friendsgiving, or the kids’ table.

Thanksgiving sugar cookie decorated as a turkey.

They’re one of our favorite Thanksgiving projects to do with the kids. Everyone gets to decorate their own turkey, and it’s always fun to see how different each one looks when we’re finished.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Carrie, the owner, with long dark hair, wearing earrings and a purple top, smiles at the camera in front of a textured, beige background.

Kid-Friendly: Simple enough for kids to decorate their own turkeys.
No Rolling or Cutters: Scoop the dough, flatten each ball with a glass, and bake. You get a flat top for decorating without rolling out dough.
Budget-Friendly: The full batch costs about $14.95, or roughly $0.62 per cookie.
Uses Up Halloween Candy: Swap in whatever is left in the trick-or-treat bag for feathers, beaks, and bodies.

I’ve spent plenty of time making decorated cookies and holiday treats, and I like recipes that give you a homemade dessert without making the process complicated. These cookies use a simple sugar cookie base and familiar candies, which makes them easy to turn into a festive Thanksgiving treat.

Our family also makes Chocolate Acorns and Turkey Cake.

Ingredients

Cookies

Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness to the cookies and helps create a soft, tender texture. It also helps the butter and sugar mixture become light and fluffy when creamed together.
Baking Powder: Gives the cookies a little lift as they bake, helping them stay soft and slightly thick without becoming cakey.
Salt: Enhances the flavor of the cookie dough and keeps the sweetness from becoming overpowering when paired with the chocolate frosting and candy decorations.
All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the cookies. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag to avoid adding too much flour.
Butter: Use softened butter so it blends smoothly with the sugar. The butter adds richness and helps give these cookies their tender, soft texture.
Egg: A large egg adds moisture and helps bind the ingredients together while giving the cookies enough structure to hold their shape.
Egg Yolk: The extra yolk adds richness and helps keep the cookies soft and tender without adding the additional white from another egg.
Vanilla Extract: Adds a warm, sweet flavor that brings out the buttery taste of the cookies and complements the chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

Brown Food Coloring: A small amount of brown gel food coloring deepens the chocolate frosting and gives the turkey cookies a richer brown color. Start with ½ teaspoon and add a little more if you want a darker shade.
Powdered Sugar: Provides the sweetness for the frosting and creates a smooth, creamy texture. Sift it first if it has any lumps so it blends easily with the butter.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Gives the frosting its rich chocolate flavor without adding extra sugar. Use regular unsweetened cocoa powder for the best balance with the sweet cookie and candy decorations.
Milk: Helps loosen the frosting and creates a smooth, spreadable consistency. Start with the recommended amount and add a small splash more if the frosting feels too thick.
Unsalted Butter: Softened butter blends easily with the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to create a rich, creamy frosting. Let it soften at room temperature rather than melting it, since melted butter can make the frosting too thin.

Decorations

Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: These create the turkey’s body and add a delicious peanut butter and chocolate flavor to each cookie. Keep them in their miniature size so they fit nicely on top of the cookies.
Candy Eyes: Give each turkey a cute, playful face. Two small candy eyes are enough to bring the decorations together.
Candy Corn: Arrange the candy corn around the top of the cookie to create colorful turkey feathers. The yellow, orange, and white colors add a classic fall look.
Gummy Worms: Cut each gummy worm in half and use one piece to create the turkey’s red snood beside the beak. Choose a red gummy worm if available for the most traditional look.
Orange Mini M&Ms: Use one orange Mini M&M for each turkey’s beak. The small size fits nicely between the candy eyes and gummy worm.

Find the complete ingredients for this recipe at the bottom of the page.

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1. Preheat the oven. Set it to 350 degrees F.

Step 2. Combine the flour and baking powder. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set this aside for later.

Mixing bowl with butter, sugar and eggs.

Step 3. Get out a separate large bowl. Beat together the butter and the sugar. Use an electric mixer to combine until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Flour mixture combined into wet ingredients.

Step 4. Reduce the speed and slowly add in the flour mixture. Be careful not to over mix the ingredients.

Cookie dough balls placed on baking sheets.

Step 5. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place them 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Gently press each ball down with the bottom of a glass so the baked cookies have a flat top for decorating.

Step 6. Bake for 9–11 minutes, just until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look set. They’ll still be soft and that’s what you want. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack. Frosting a warm cookie will melt the frosting and slide the candy off.

Dry ingredients combined in a bowl to make chocolate frosting.

Step 7. Cream together the butter, powdered sugar and cocoa powder until combined and smooth.

Milk and vanilla extract mixed into frosting ingredients.

Step 8. Add the milk and vanilla extract and beat for 1–2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add brown gel food coloring and mix until evenly combined. Add a little more if needed to reach your desired brown color.

Step 9. Spread the chocolate frosting on each cookie.

Cookies decorated with candy to make turkey faces.

Step 10. Press 5–7 candy corns into the top edge of the frosting to make the tail feathers. Place a mini Reese’s cup in the lower center for the body. Use a dab of leftover frosting to attach 2 candy eyes, an orange mini M&M beak, and half a gummy worm snood to each Reese’s cup. Let the frosting set before stacking or packing.

Use Your Leftover Halloween Candy

These turkeys are the perfect way to use up the trick-or-treat bag:

Body: mini Reese’s cups, Rolos, or a chocolate kiss
Tail feathers: candy corn, Reese’s Pieces, M&Ms, or Skittles
Beak: an orange M&M or a candy corn tip
Snood: a piece of red gummy candy or a red M&M

Mix and match! Every turkey will look a little different, and that’s half the fun.

Storage

Room Temperature: Store the decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to preserve the frosting and candy decorations. Store in a single layer, or separate layers with parchment, so the candy decorations don’t get crushed.

Refrigeration: If your kitchen is warm, you can refrigerate the cookies in an airtight container. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.

Freezing: To freeze, place the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Turkey cookie with candy corn feathers on a plate.

Pro Tips

Decorating station for kids: Frost the cookies ahead, then set out bowls of candy corn, Reese’s cups, eyes, and M&Ms so each kid can build their own turkey.
Make Your Own Eyes: If you don’t have candy eyes, use a piping bag or a small zip-top bag with a tiny cut corner to pipe icing for the eyes.
Use Store-Bought Cookies: This recipe works perfectly with pre-made sugar cookie dough, saving time without sacrificing flavor.
Use Pre-Made Frosting: Store-bought chocolate frosting is a convenient alternative to homemade frosting, making the decorating process quicker and easier.

FAQ

Can I use store-bought sugar cookie dough?

Yes. Refrigerated sugar cookie dough works well. Flatten the dough balls slightly before baking so you have room to decorate.

How far ahead can I make these?

Bake and decorate them the day before. You can also bake the cookies up to 2 days ahead, store them airtight, and decorate the day of.

What if I don’t have candy corn?

Reese’s Pieces, candy-coated chocolates, or a fan of pretzel sticks all work as tail feathers.

Can I make these nut-free for school?

Yes. Skip the Reese’s cups and use a nut-free candy for the body, such as a chocolate-covered candy that’s labeled nut-free. Check every candy label, including the candy eyes and candy corn, because “made in a facility with peanuts” warnings vary by brand and package size. Always follow your school’s food policy.

Why did my candy fall off?

Usually the frosting dried before the candy went on. Press the candy into soft frosting right after you frost each cookie. To reattach a piece, add a small dab of fresh frosting as glue.