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Easy Thanksgiving Cookies for Your Special Day

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One of the best things about Thanksgiving is all the fabulous food you can share with family and friends. And once you’ve finished with the turkey and yams, it’s time to enjoy some sweet treats in the form of Thanksgiving cookies.

There are lots of different thanksgiving cookie recipes you can try, from classic Thanksgiving sugar cookies to more elaborate options like Oreo-based Thanksgiving turkey cookies. Read on for five great examples of easy Thanksgiving cookies for your dessert table.

How to Make Thanksgiving Cookies at Home? 

Before we take a look at some of our favorite Thanksgiving cookie recipes, it’s important to cover the basics of how to make these cookies in your own home. Here are a few simple steps to follow, along with some tips and tricks to make the process more fun and enjoyable:

  • Prepare Your Equipment – Before you begin baking, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got all the necessary supplies. You might need some Thanksgiving cookie cutters or Thanksgiving stencils, for example, as well as parchment paper and more.
  • Choose a Recipe – When it comes to cookies for Thanksgiving, there are hundreds of possible recipes you can try. Take a look through our list below and some others online to find recipes that match your tastes and preferences.
  • Get All the Ingredients – Make sure you’ve got all of the ingredients from the Thanksgiving cookie recipes before you start baking. You don’t want to get started, only to find that you’re missing an important spice or baking essential.
  • Bake with the Kids – For a fun family experience, bring your kids into the kitchen to prepare cookies for Thanksgiving together. Kids can have a lot of fun making cookies and decorating them with fun elements like Thanksgiving cake toppers.
  • Decorate Well – When it comes to Thanksgiving cookies, decoration is key. If you really want to make these cookies feel special, it’s important to take the time to decorate them well with Thanksgiving-themed colors and toppings.

thanksgiving sugar cookies

Choose Easy & Themed Thanksgiving Cookie Recipes your Family Will Love 

Ready to get started with your own Thanksgiving cookies? Below, we’ll provide five examples of easy Thanksgiving cookies that your family will adore! They’re all simple to make, with only basic ingredients and simple cookie cutters needed.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies 

Pumpkin is one of those timeless Thanksgiving flavors, and this super recipe imbues all of that rich, fall flavor into each and every bite.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter 
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • An egg 
  • 1 cup of canned pumpkin 
  • 1 cup of all-purpose flour 
  • 1 cup of whole wheat flour 
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder 
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ginger 
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt 
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg 
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda 
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves 
  • 1 cup of granola 
  • 1 cup of chopped walnuts 
  • 1 cup of white baking chips 
  • 1 cup of dry cranberries 

For the icing: 

  • 1/4 cup of butter 
  • 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar 
  • Three tablespoons of milk

Instructions:

  1. Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl, then beat in the egg and canned pumpkin. 
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, spices, and baking soda. 
  3. Gradually add the powder mix to the butter-sugar and blend well before adding in the cranberries, granola, and nuts. 
  4. Drop the mixture in spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets or parchment paper. 
  5. Bake at 350F for around 15-20 minutes and then place cookies on racks to cool down. 
  6. Prepare the icing and spread it over the cookies, once they’ve cooled down.

Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies 

Sugar cookies are a classic treat at any time of year, and these specially spiced sugar cookies are ideal for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of sugar 
  • 2 cups of flour 
  • 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice 
  • 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder 
  • 12 tablespoons of butter 
  • An egg 
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

For the icing: 

  • 2 tablespoons of meringue powder 
  • 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar 
  • Food coloring

Instructions:

  1. Mix sugar, flour, spice, and baking powder in a food processor. 
  2. Add in the butter and pulse until the mixture becomes sandy. 
  3. Then add the egg and vanilla and keep pulsing. 
  4. Pour the dour out and knead it into a ball. 
  5. Split the dough in half, roll each half into a disc shape, and put the discs in the refrigerator to firm up for about an hour. 
  6. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes from your dough discs and arrange them on baking sheets. 
  7. Cook for 10 minutes at 350 F. 
  8. Mix meringue powder and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl and add small amounts of water to form the icing, as well as some coloring, if you like.

thanksgiving cookie recipes

Pumpkin Spice Cookies 

Pumpkin spice is a must-have flavor for Thanksgiving, and these cookies are so good, you’ll always want more!

Ingredients:

  • A pack of yellow cake mix 
  • 1/2 cup of oats 
  • 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice 
  • 1 can of pumpkin 
  • An egg 
  • 2 tablespoons of canola oil 

For the frosting: 

  • 3 cups of confectioners’ sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon of orange zest 
  • 4 tablespoons of orange juice

Instructions:

  1. Mix cake mix, oats, and spice in a bowl. 
  2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, oil, and pumpkin together. 
  3. Blend wet and dry ingredients gradually. 
  4. Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto baking sheets and flatten. 
  5. Bake at 350F for around 20 minutes. 
  6. Let the cookies cool. 
  7. Blend frosting ingredients to the desired consistency and spread over the top of cooled cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip

What’s better than pumpkin cookies? How about pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips thrown in?

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter 
  • 6 tablespoons pumpkin puree 
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 and 1/2 cups flour 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice 
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

Instructions:

  1. Whisk butter and sugar together. 
  2. Then add vanilla and pumpkin. 
  3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and spices. 
  4. Gradually combine wet and dry mixes together to make a soft dough. 
  5. Add the chips. 
  6. Let the dough chill for at least half an hour. 
  7. Use around 1.5 tablespoons of dough to make balls and place them on baking sheets. 
  8. Bake at 350F for around 10 minutes.

Oreo Turkey Cookies 

The turkey is the symbol of Thanksgiving, so why not honor that special symbol with these awesome Thanksgiving Turkey cookies?

Ingredients:

  • Some Double Stuf Oreos 
  • Candy corn 
  • Edible googly eyes 
  • Cookie icing 
  • Pumpkin spice morsels

Instructions:

  1. Push around 4/5 candy corn pieces into the icing in a cookie. 
  2. Use cookie icing to stick the eyes on. 
  3. Add a pumpkin spice morsel under the eyes to make a beak. 
  4. Wait a few minutes for the icing to set before enjoying it.

How to Decorate Thanksgiving Cookies?

We’ve seen some great Thanksgiving cookie ideas up above, but you might be wondering about how to start decorating cookies to make them more Thanksgiving-themed. Here are a few tips:

  • Use frosting – Frosting and icing are easy and delicious toppers for cookies, and you can add Thanksgiving or fall-themed colors to make your cookies stand out.
  • Candy corn – Sprinkle some candy corn on or around your cookies to give them a fun Halloween vibe. 
  • Patterns – Use small amounts of icing with care to form Thanksgiving shapes or patterns on top of your cookies.
Follow Jordan River:
Jordan River is an experienced baker with a background in event management. She went into marketing and customer care and started working with JB Cookie Cutters to educate and share her experiences. She’s had her fair share of kitchen and cooking tools and knows exactly what works best and why. Before she started writing, Jordan got a degree in marketing and communications. She is a mom of two, so when she is not writing, she loves cooking and testing new recipes, improvising in the kitchen, and creating unique things that turn into family events.
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