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Celebrate thanksgiving with these cute turkey-themed Peanut Butter Turkey Cookies. Simple to make with ready-to-use peanut butter cookie dough and some candy decorations to create a ‘turkey’.

A cookie with candy that looks like a turkey head.

Table of Contents

Turkey Cookies With Peanut Butter Cookies

The kids will love making these adorable turkey peanut butter cookies. Perfect fall activity or make them for place cards at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

An easy recipe thanks to the store-bought peanut butter cookie dough and some candy decorations to make a turkey face on top of the peanut butter cookie.

Overhead pic of the cookies on brown paper.

Ingredients Needed

Refrigerated Peanut Butter Cookie Dough : You want to use the tray of peanut butter cookie dough that comes with the dough balls attached on a white tray. Do not use the log of peanut butter cookie dough.
Milk Chocolate or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups : Use the ones that come individually wrapped in the gold Reese’s foil. Do not use the smaller unwrapped mini Reese’s cups.
Small Candy Eyeballs
Yellow or Orange Reese’s Pieces
Red Mini M&M’s
Candy Corn

How To Make Turkey Thanksgiving Cookies

Preheat the oven based on the peanut butter cookie dough directions. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and place 12 cookies per cookie sheet, making sure to leave about 2-inches of space between each one.

Use the palm of your hand, or a flat bottomed glass, to flatten each dough ball. The directions on the package will probably say to use a fork to do the classic criss cross pattern, don’t do that! We just want to flatten each cookie so there is a flat surface for the turkey.

Bake the cookies according to the package directions. Once done, let them cool completely before decorating.

When ready to decorate, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring well after each one, until the chocolate is smooth and melted.

Dip the bottom of a miniature Reese’s peanut butter cup into the melted chocolate and place it in the center of the cookie, in the lower third of the cookie, to create the turkey head.

Create the turkey feathers by dipping one side of five pieces of candy corn into the chocolate. Then place them in a fan shape above the Reese’s.

Dip a Reese’s Pieces into the chocolate (just the bottom side) and then press it into the Reese’s cup to form the beak. Gently press a mini M&M next to the beak to form the wattle of the turkey. You may need to dip the mini M&M in the melted chocolate or it might just stay by itself.

Dip the bottom side of two candy eyeballs into the melted chocolate and add them to the top of the Reese’s cup for the eyes, above the beak.

Allow the cookies to set for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Can I Use Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies?

Yes, you can use your favorite homemade peanut butter cookie in place of the store-bought peanut butter cookie dough. This turkey cookie recipe makes about 24 cookies so make sure you have 24 baked and cooled peanut butter cookies before beginning the decorating.

Recipe Tips

Reese’s : There are lots of Reese’s options at the store so make sure you are using the correct one. The recipe calls for Reese’s miniature cups that come individually wrapped – don’t confuse these with the unwrapped mini Reese’s. Those ones are too small.
Leftovers : Keep leftovers stored at room temperature, in an airtight container or covered on a plate, for up to 3 days.
Tip : When placing the Reese’s onto the cookie make sure you have the larger side face up on the cookie. It’s bigger which makes it easier to put all the turkey features onto it. The larger side is the top of the Reese’s; the part with the ridges and where the wrapper if folded onto.
Use Pre-Made Frosting : Instead of melting chocolate chips you can also use chocolate almond bark or chocolate melting wafers, or candy melts. I recommend using melted chocolate (of any kind) as it will harden once set. Frosting tubes or cookie icing won’t harden as easily.