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Easy Thanksgiving Hand Turkey Sugar Cookies for Kids

Thanksgiving Hand Turkey Sugar Cookies - featured image
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These kid-friendly hand turkey sugar cookies are a fun, forgiving Thanksgiving activity that ends with delicious, buttery cookies. Perfect for little hands, they require no piping skills and use simple pantry ingredients.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 3–4 tablespoons water
  • Food coloring gels (red, orange, yellow, green, brown)
  • Candy corn
  • Candy eyes
  • Orange sprinkles or small orange candies
  • Red sanding sugar or red sprinkles
  • Assorted sprinkles

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the sides halfway through.
  2. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed after each. Stop as soon as the flour disappears.
  5. Divide the dough into two disks, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is better).
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough to about ¼-inch thickness.
  8. Have each child place their hand flat on the dough, fingers spread slightly. Use a sharp knife to trace around their hand, cutting about ¼ inch away from their fingers.
  9. Carefully transfer the hand shapes to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
  10. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are just barely golden. Rotate pans halfway through. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add 3 tablespoons of water and beat on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat for 4-5 minutes until glossy and holds stiff peaks. Add more water if needed.
  12. Divide the icing into separate bowls and color each with gel food coloring (brown for body, orange and yellow for feathers, green for grass or feathers, red for wattle).
  13. Spread brown icing over the palm of each hand cookie for the turkey’s body. Spread different colors of icing on each finger for feathers.
  14. While icing is still wet, press candy corn onto the fingers for feathers. Add candy eyes to the brown body area, an orange sprinkle for the beak, and a red sprinkle for the wattle. Add extra sprinkles as desired.
  15. Let decorated cookies sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours until icing is completely set and hard.

Notes

Chill the dough thoroughly for at least 2 hours to prevent spreading. Don’t overbake; edges should be just barely golden. Royal icing can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Set up a decorating station with wax paper to contain mess. Double the recipe if needed—dough freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: Thanksgiving cookies, hand turkey cookies, sugar cookies, kid-friendly, easy Thanksgiving dessert, handprint cookies

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