Print

Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Sugar Cookies – Best Homemade

Thanksgiving turkey sugar cookies - featured image
Print Recipe

These adorable Thanksgiving sugar cookies with turkey royal icing are forgiving, straightforward, and the payoff is genuinely ridiculous. You get little works of art that taste like butter and vanilla and a bit of powdered sugar magic.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 6–7 tablespoons warm water
  • Gel food coloring (brown, red, orange, golden yellow, burnt orange, deep red)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy—about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using). Beat on low until combined.
  4. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing on low just until the dough comes together. It will be soft but not sticky.
  5. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flat disc, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
  6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Remove one disc of dough from the fridge. Roll it out to ¼-inch thickness.
  8. Use your turkey cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Re-roll the scraps once.
  9. Place the cut cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
  10. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The cookies are done when the edges are just barely golden.
  11. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  12. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), combine the sifted powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add 6 tablespoons of warm water. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes. The icing should be thick, glossy, and form stiff peaks.
  13. Divide the icing into separate bowls—one for each color. For the feather colors, thin the icing to a ‘flood’ consistency by adding water a few drops at a time until it flows like warm honey.
  14. Fill piping bags with the different colored icings. Start with the outline: using brown icing, pipe a border around the entire turkey body. Then, use the flood consistency brown icing to fill in the body. Use a toothpick to spread it into the corners and pop any air bubbles. Let the body dry for about 30 minutes.
  15. Pipe the feathers: outline each feather section with the appropriate color, then flood it. Let the feathers dry for another 30 minutes.
  16. Finally, pipe the beak (orange) and wattle (red). For the eye, use a tiny dot of black icing or a purchased edible marker.

Notes

Chilling the dough is not optional—it prevents spreading. For icing consistency, use the ’10-second rule’: drag a knife through the icing; if the line disappears in 10 seconds, it’s perfect for flooding. Let each color section dry for at least 30 minutes before adding an adjacent color to prevent bleeding. Practice on parchment before piping on cookies.

Nutrition

Keywords: Thanksgiving cookies, turkey cookies, sugar cookies, royal icing, fall baking, holiday cookies, easy cookie recipe

Find it online: https://forkifyfun.com/easy-thanksgiving-turkey-sugar-cookies-best-homemade/