Don't let the turkeys get you down...

I took a stroll down (turkey) memory lane this week. I'd actually forgotten all of the renditions of turkey cookies I've made over the years.

There were the basic turkeys from my first year of blogging, and the turkey cookies made from a few shapes put together. Then, there were the peanut butter cup turkeys. And last year, I made two turkey cookies: a girly polka dot flower turkey cookie, and an Angry Bird Turkey. (I think I ran out of time to blog them I lost the pictures! Waaaa! Do you know how much it hurts my blogger heart to have cookies undocumented?!?)


Mr. E had a Thanksgiving luncheon at work this week and, of course, I told him to sign up to bring cookies. Now that I think about it, I should have had him help me decorate!


These cookies are made using the most basic turkey cookie cutter that you can pick up most anywhere. This year, I added a wing and some sanding sugar...and used SemiSweet Mike's famous "autumn blue" in the feather. (His cookies = jaw dropping!)


I love how these turned out. You can absolutely leave the wing off. It will save you some time and they'll still be cute...as cute as turkeys can be, I guess.

Here's what you'll need:

• cut-out turkey cookies
• royal icing, divided and tinted brown (Americolor Chocolate Brown + a bit of Super Black), Ivory, orange (Americolor Electric Orange + Super Red), Mike's Blue, Egg Yellow, Super Red, Super Black
• disposable icing bags
• couplers and tips (#2, #1)
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks
• small paintbrush
• meringue powder
• sanding sugar

Use a #2 tip to outline the turkey body and head. Divide the tail and body sections. 

Thin the brown and ivory icings with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into squeeze bottles. Fill in the outlines with the thinned icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.


If you'd ever wondered what it's like to decorate cookies round here, this sums it up. Hi, Spike! (Cookies on chair by the window just for the picture.)


Thin the blue and orange icings (reserving some piping consistency ornate icing for later) in the same manner. Working 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in the tail section with brown icing. Going back to the first cookie filled, add stripes of the ivory, blue, and orange icings.


Use a toothpick to pull the icing from the top of the tail toward the body to make feathers. So cool, right?

Let the icing dry for about an hour.


Use a #2 tip to outline the wing in ivory. Fill in with the thinned ivory icing.

Add the beak, legs, (#1 tips) and snood (#2 tip).

Let the cookies dry, uncovered 6-8 hours, or overnight.

The next day, mix 1/2 teaspoon meringue powder with 1/2 teaspoon water. Use a clean food-only paintbrush to paint on the wing and head. Sprinkle on the sanding sugar and shake off excess.


Use a #1 tip to add the eye.

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Gobble, gobble! I'll take one cookie and one slice of sweet potato pie, please!