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Easy Fall Hand Turkey Sugar Cookies for Kids

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These soft, buttery sugar cookies are shaped like little hands and decorated as turkeys, making them a fun and messy baking project for kids. Perfect for Thanksgiving or a cozy fall afternoon.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 3–4 tablespoons water
  • Gel food coloring (orange and brown)
  • 1 cup candy corn
  • 24–30 candy eyes
  • Orange sprinkles or jimmies
  • Red decorating gel

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy—about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the granulated sugar and beat for another 2 minutes until light and airy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract, then beat until fully incorporated.
  2. Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed. Stop as soon as the flour disappears. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
  3. Chill the dough: Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  4. Preheat and prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Take one disk of dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
  5. Roll the dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ¼-inch thickness.
  6. Trace the hands: Have your child place their hand flat on the rolled dough. Using a butter knife, gently trace around their hand, cutting through the dough. Lift the hand-shaped dough carefully with an offset spatula and place it on the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough, gathering scraps and re-rolling as needed.
  7. Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just barely golden. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through for even baking. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Make the royal icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until smooth. Divide into bowls and tint with gel food coloring.
  9. Decorate the turkeys: Once cookies are completely cool, pipe a thin outline of brown icing on the palm area—this is the turkey body. Fill it in with more brown icing using a toothpick to spread it evenly. Let the body set for 10 minutes. Then pipe orange feathers on each finger or place candy corn directly on the fingers. Add candy eyes, an orange sprinkle beak, and a tiny red gel snood. Let the icing set completely, about 1-2 hours.

Notes

Don’t skip chilling the dough—it makes tracing much easier. Flour the knife before each trace to prevent sticking. Let kids own the decorating; imperfections add charm. Cookies taste even better the next day.

Nutrition

Keywords: hand turkey cookies, sugar cookies, fall cookies, Thanksgiving cookies, kids baking, easy sugar cookies, cream cheese sugar cookies

Find it online: https://dinadishes.com/easy-fall-hand-turkey-sugar-cookies-for-kids/