Cute Turkey Cookies for Thanksgiving: Fun & Easy Recipe

By Ashton · Updated October 31, 2026
4.01 reviewTotal 25 minServes 12
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Cute Turkey Cookies for Thanksgiving

These cute turkey cookies for Thanksgiving are a great dessert idea for the holiday season. They are really easy to make — simple enough for even young kids to help decorate! If you’re looking for an easy recipe that doubles as a fun activity for the whole family, this is it.

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Cute Turkey Cookies For Thanksgiving

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 — kind of like a cozier cousin of her Sugary Sam Sweet Potato Casserole. But I always try to bring something the kids will go nuts over too, and these little turkeys fit the bill perfectly. They’re some of the easiest turkey cookies you’ll ever bake, and they make such cute Thanksgiving desserts for the dessert table. They are ridiculously easy to throw together — in fact, your kiddos could probably decorate these all on their own, which makes them a great way to keep little hands busy while the real Thanksgiving feast is cooking.

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). Simple ingredients, simple turkey cookies, big payoff — that’s my kind of Thanksgiving table situation.

Why You’ll Love These Adorable Turkey Cookies

Okay, can we talk about how stinking adorable these cookies are? These adorable turkey cookies are basically a cute turkey craft you get to eat, and I am so here for it. Unlike a lot of cute thanksgiving desserts that require piping bags and royal icing finesse, this is genuinely an easy recipe — no fancy cookie decorating skills required. You don’t even need special cookie cutters since these are round sugar cookies at heart, just dressed up to look like little turkeys struttin’ around your thanksgiving table.

They’re also a fun treat for a school party, since they come together fast and travel well in a single layer in a storage container. Honestly, I think they might be the perfect way to get kids excited about the holiday season without handing them a stove.

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 as christmas lights on gingerbread houses.

Easy Turkey Cookies: Ingredient Swaps and Tips

One of my favorite things about these easy turkey cookies is how flexible the recipe is. Short on time? Grab store-bought cookie dough or even a premade sugar cookie dough from the grocery stores and skip straight to the fun part: decorating! You could also use a sugar cookie recipe you already love, cut cookies into rounds with a sharp knife or glass, and bake as directed. Milano cookies, nutter butter cookie bases, or even oreo cookie bottoms all work beautifully as a turkey’s body if you want to switch things up — hello, oreo turkeys!

For the chocolate on top, melted chocolate, a candy melt, or even chocolate frosting all work in place of a Hershey Kiss. And if peanut butter cups or a Reese’s cup are hiding in your pantry, chop one up and use it as the turkey beak for a salty-sweet twist. Fudge stripe cookie fans can use those as a base too — so many directions to take this one easy recipe!

Alternative Ideas for the Candy Beak

  • mini M&Ms or an orange m&m for a pop of color
  • the yellow tip of a candy corn (for the beak)
  • orange icing or red icing + piping tip
  • large sprinkles or mini candy eyes for extra personality

Cute Turkey Cookies For Thanksgiving

Directions

  1. Mix together the peanut butter, egg, and 1 cup of the sugar to form the cookie dough.
  2. Scoop the dough and roll each ball in the sugar.
  3. Place the sugar coated cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and gently press each ball of cookie dough flat with the bottom of a glass.
  4. Bake cookies at 350ºF for 10 minutes.
  5. After removing from the oven, immediately place a Hershey Kiss (tip downwards) into the top half of each cookie.
  6. 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 to form the tail feathers and turkey feathers (see video for demonstration). Once the cookies cool to room temperature, the candy corn candies will stick to the cookies and stay in place as the tail of the turkey.
  7. Once the chocolate has melted a bit, gently press two candy eyes and a candy beak onto the surface to make the turkey face. Add a small line of red candy underneath to make the wattle/snood — this is the last step before these turn into the most adorable cookie on your dessert table (see video for demonstration).
  8. Let cool completely before serving, then store in an airtight container until you’re ready to set them out for the thanksgiving celebration.

Pro tip: these fun turkey cookies also make an adorable addition right at the place settings for your thanksgiving feast — just pop one on each plate for a sweet treat that doubles as decor. Talk about double duty! And if you want a full dessert spread, pair them with Thanksgiving Oreo Cake or a classic pumpkin pie for the ultimate thanksgiving dinner lineup. Happy Thanksgiving, friends — I hope these little guys bring as much fun to your big day as they do to ours!

Note: as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases on linked products like candy eyes or food coloring. Nutritional information will vary depending on the exact brands of chocolate chips, candy corn pieces, and other store-bought ingredients you use, so keep that in mind if you’re tracking things closely this holiday season.

More Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love

Need even more holiday inspiration? Check out our full list of holiday cake recipes for even more sweet treats to round out your thanksgiving celebration.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Turkey Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pudding Cookies

3 Quick & Easy Reindeer Treats

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

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Cute Turkey Cookies For Thanksgiving

Cute Turkey Cookies for Thanksgiving

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Save this recipe for later: Pin Add to Google

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

  1. Mix together the peanut butter, egg, and 1 cup of the sugar to form the cookie dough.
  2. Scoop the dough and roll each ball in the sugar.
  3. 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.
  4. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes.
  5. After removing from the oven, immediately place a Hershey Kiss (tip downwards) into the top half of each cookie. 
  6. 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.
  7. 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).
  8. Let cool completely before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 321Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 120mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 1gSugar: 39gProtein: 6g
© Ashton
Category: Thanksgiving
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