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Perfect Decorated Turkey Sugar Cookies: Easy Royal Icing Recipe

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These decorated turkey sugar cookies are soft in the middle, crisp at the edges, and absolutely drowning in royal icing. They look ridiculously impressive on a dessert table, but the process is actually pretty forgiving.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups (312g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 5–6 tablespoons warm water
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (clear for bright white icing)
  • Gel food coloring (orange, red, brown, yellow, green)
  • Piping bags (disposable or reusable)
  • Piping tips (round tips #2 and #3, small leaf tip #352)
  • Couplers (2-3)
  • Turkey cookie cutter (about 4 inches tall)
  • Toothpicks
  • Edible glitter or sanding sugar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the sugar cookie dough: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Don’t overmix—stop as soon as it comes together. The dough should feel smooth and not sticky. If it’s to…
  2. Chill the dough: Divide the dough into two discs, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. Roll and cut: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use your turkey cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Re-roll the scraps once; after that, the dough gets tough. Place the cut cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Pop the sheets in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking.
  4. Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just barely golden. The centers should look set but not brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. Make the royal icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add 5 tablespoons of warm water and the vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 4-5 minutes. The icing should be thick, glossy, and hold a stiff peak when you lift the beater. If it’s too thick, add water one teaspoon at a time. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time. For flooding, thin a p…
  6. Color and bag the icing: Divide the stiff icing into small bowls for each color you need: brown for the body, orange for the beak and feet, red for the gobbler, yellow for the beak highlight, and green for the feathers. Use gel food coloring sparingly. For each color, transfer about 2 tablespoons to a separate bowl and thin it with a few drops of water for flooding. Spoon the stiff icing into piping bags fitted with #2 tips, and the flood icing into bags fitted with #3 tips.
  7. Outline and flood: Start with the turkey body. Use the brown stiff icing to outline the entire cookie. Then, fill in the outline with the brown flood icing. Use a toothpick to guide the icing into corners and pop any air bubbles. Let this dry for at least 30 minutes before adding details. For the feathers, outline and flood each feather section with green or yellow flood icing. Let everything dry completely—about 2 hours.
  8. Add details: Once the base colors are dry, use the stiff orange icing to pipe a small triangle beak. Add a tiny yellow dot on top for a highlight. Use the red stiff icing to pipe a gobbler. Pipe small brown dots for eyes. For the feathers, use the green stiff icing and a leaf tip #352 to pipe small feather textures. You can also pipe little dots or lines in contrasting colors. Let the cookies dry uncovered for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before stacking or serving.

Notes

Consistency is everything for royal icing. When piping details, the icing should hold a stiff peak. When flooding, it should be thin enough to spread but thick enough to stay within the lines. Keep piping bags covered with a damp paper towel when not in use to prevent clogging. Do not skip chilling the dough—it helps maintain sharp edges. For best results, bake cookies up to a week in advance and decorate the day before serving.

Nutrition

Keywords: turkey cookies, sugar cookies, royal icing, Thanksgiving cookies, decorated cookies, turkey sugar cookies, easy royal icing

Find it online: https://lolaspoon.com/perfect-decorated-turkey-sugar-cookies-easy-royal-icing-recipe/