Looking for a super easy Thanksgiving treat that'll make everyone smile? These Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies are honestly one of my favorite things to make with Emily during the holiday season.
I still remember last November when Emily was in charge of bringing treats to her class party. We spent maybe 15 minutes total making these little turkey guys, and her teacher actually asked for the "recipe" (I put that in quotes because calling this a recipe feels generous). The best part? Emily did about 90% of the work herself, which meant I could actually sit down with my coffee while she decorated. That never happens!
What I really love about these cookies is that they look way more impressive than the effort required. Like, people think you spent hours on them when really you just stuck some candy corn in frosting. It's basically edible crafting, which is totally my style these days.
If you're looking for more fun Thanksgiving treats, check out my Pumpkin Scones with Maple Cinnamon Glaze - they're another crowd-pleaser that's perfect for the holiday season!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Nutter Butter Turkey Recipe
- What You'll Need For Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
- How To Make Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
- Storage Tips For Your Turkey Cookies
- Tips For Making The Best Nutter Butter Turkeys
- Fun Variations To Try
- Frequently Asked Questions About Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
- Recipes You May Like
- Let's Make Some Turkey Cookies!
- Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
Why You'll Love This Nutter Butter Turkey Recipe
- Takes 5 minutes per cookie - seriously, that's it! Perfect for when you realize at 9 PM that you need treats for tomorrow
- Kids can actually make these - no hot oven, no sharp knives, just candy and frosting
- Uses ingredients from any grocery store - nothing fancy or hard to find here
- Great for classroom parties - teachers love these because they're nut-based (check school policies first though!)
- Way cheaper than store-bought decorated cookies - we're talking maybe 50 cents per cookie
- Doubles as a fun activity - keeps kids busy AND results in treats
What You'll Need For Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
For Each Cookie:
- 1 Nutter Butter cookie
- 5-7 pieces candy corn (for the turkey's feathers)
- 2 tablespoons chocolate or vanilla frosting (your choice - I usually go chocolate)
- 2 candy eyes (the wiggly kind make them extra cute)
- 1 orange Starburst candy (for the beak)
- Red frosting (just a tiny bit for the waddle)
- 1 orange flower or leaf sprinkle (for the feet)
A Few Notes: The Starburst works best at room temperature because it's easier to cut. I learned this the hard way when I tried using one straight from the fridge and basically destroyed it. Also, any brand of peanut butter sandwich cookies works if you can't find Nutter Butters specifically.
How To Make Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
Here's the fun part. Honestly, these are so easy that Emily (who's not exactly patient with detailed instructions) can make them without getting frustrated.
- Carefully twist and separate your Nutter Butter cookie. Try to keep all that peanut butter filling on the bottom half. It won't be perfect - mine never are - but do your best. If some sticks to the top cookie, just scrape it back down.
- Spread your frosting over the peanut butter filling. Don't be shy with it! You need enough to hold those candy corn pieces in place. I use about a tablespoon, maybe slightly more.
- Press candy corn pieces into the frosting around the top half of the cookie. This creates the turkey's tail feathers. Space them out evenly (or don't - imperfect turkeys have character!). I usually use 5-7 pieces depending on how full I want the tail to look.
- Gently place the top cookie back on. Press down just enough so it sticks but not so hard that you crack the cookie or send candy corn flying across your kitchen. (Yes, that's happened to me.)
- Cut a small triangle from your Starburst candy for the beak. I just use regular kitchen scissors. The triangle should be tiny - like maybe half the size of your pinky fingernail.
- Use a tiny dab of frosting to attach the candy eyes. Place them in the center of the top cookie, leaving room for the beak between them.
- Stick the Starburst beak between the eyes. Again, just a small dot of frosting works as glue.
- Add the orange leaf sprinkle at the bottom for feet. This step is optional, but it makes them look more complete.
- Pipe a small amount of red frosting under the beak for the waddle. You can use a toothpick if you don't have a piping bag. I usually just do a small dot or line.
There you go! Your little turkey is ready to be admired (and then eaten, obviously).
Storage Tips For Your Turkey Cookies
These Thanksgiving turkey cookies actually keep pretty well, which is great if you're making them ahead for a party.
Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They're honestly best within the first two days because the candy corn starts to get a bit harder after that.
Don't Refrigerate: The cookies get soggy in the fridge, and the candy eyes sometimes start to "sweat" (weird, I know). Room temperature is your friend here.
Making Ahead: I'd recommend making these no more than 1-2 days before you need them. The frosting stays fresh, but waiting any longer and things start looking less cute.
Transporting Them: If you're taking these somewhere, place them in a single layer in a container. Stack them and you'll end up with turkey carnage. Trust me on this.
Tips For Making The Best Nutter Butter Turkeys
After making approximately a million of these with Emily over the years, here's what I've learned:
Work on a flat surface. Sounds obvious, but these tip over easily while you're decorating if your surface isn't level.
Use room temperature Starbursts. I mentioned this earlier, but it's worth repeating. Cold candy is impossible to cut cleanly.
Don't stress about perfection. Honestly, the wonky turkeys are the cutest ones. Emily's "special" turkey with one eye higher than the other was everyone's favorite last year.
Set up an assembly line if making multiple cookies. Do all the cookie separating first, then all the frosting, then all the candy corn, etc. It's way faster than completing one cookie at a time.
Let kids pick their own candy colors. Want purple candy corn? Go for it! Rainbow turkeys are totally valid.
Have extra supplies. Candy corn will break, candy eyes will roll away, and someone (usually me) will eat a Starburst or two.
Fun Variations To Try
Chocolate Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies: Use the chocolate-covered Nutter Butters for a richer treat. They're a bit more expensive but really good.
Oreo Turkeys: Can't do peanut butter? Regular Oreos work too! Just use more frosting as "glue" since there's no peanut butter filling.
Allergy-Friendly Version: Swap Nutter Butters for SunButter sandwich cookies (made with sunflower seed butter). They look almost identical!
Fancy Feet: Instead of leaf sprinkles, use orange M&Ms cut in half or small pieces of dried mango.
Different Feather Candy: Try using small Skittles, Reese's Pieces, or even mini chocolate chips arranged in a fan pattern.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
Yes, these cookies can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
You can use any colorful candy like M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, or cut fruit-flavored gummies into feather shapes.
Absolutely! This is a perfect no-bake activity for kids with simple assembly and no sharp tools required.
They'll stay fresh for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container, though they're best enjoyed within the first 2 days.
Recipes You May Like
If you're into easy Thanksgiving treats like these, you'll definitely want to check out:
- Pumpkin Custard Pie - a classic Thanksgiving dessert that's surprisingly simple
- Mini Blueberry Muffins - perfect for Thanksgiving morning breakfast
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies - because sometimes you need regular cookies too
Let's Make Some Turkey Cookies!
Look, I'll be completely honest with you. These Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies aren't going to win any culinary awards. They're not going to impress your foodie friends who make everything from scratch.
But you know what they will do? They'll make kids smile. They'll give you a fun activity to do together on a random November afternoon. And they'll create memories of decorating cookies together while probably eating more candy than you use.
Plus, they taste pretty good! There's something about that combination of peanut butter cookie, chocolate frosting, and candy corn that just works.
So grab your supplies, gather your kids (or your inner child), and make some adorable little turkeys. Take photos before everyone devours them because they won't last long!
Don't forget to save this to Pinterest so you can find it again next November when you're scrambling for easy Thanksgiving ideas!
Nutter Butter Turkey Cookies
Ingredients
- Nutter Butter Cookies
- candy corn
- chocolate or vanilla frosting
- candy eyes
- orange Starburst candies
- red frosting
- orange flower or leaf sprinkles
Instructions
- Begin by carefully peeling the top part of the cookie away from the bottom, trying to keep peanut butter filling on bottom cookie.
- Spread chocolate or vanilla frosting over the peanut butter filling and carefully place candy corn into frosting around the top half of the cookie.
- Gently press the top cookie back on, over the candy corn.
- Cut a beak shape from the Starburst candies and secure to cookie using a dab of frosting.
- Secure candy eyes and leaf sprinkle feet in the same manner.
- Press heart sprinkle onto Starburst candy beak to create the turkey's waddle.
- Admire your cute turkey, and then devour him!
