Turkey Cookies

When the freshman parents at my daughter's school were asked to bring a dessert to the girls' field hockey banquet, I immediately thought I wanted to make a cookie with a Thanksgiving theme since it is just around the corner.  A cookie with a turkey on it came to mind right away.  Strange how my mind works sometimes, I know.  Then I became obsessed with turkey cookies.  I googled to get some ideas.  What did we ever do without Google?   There were some really cute turkey cookies there but just not what I was thinking of.   Since I took some cake decorating classes over the past few months, I have been wanting to make things with butter cream.  Using some of the things that I learned, I came up with these cute turkey cookies.  They were really fun to make and the result was just what I had envisioned.  

To make these cookies, I used this cookie recipe.  This cookie is a perfect cookie for this type of decorating because not only is it a delicious cookie , it is also a smooth, flat, and sturdy cookie that is easy to work with.  You can also use this cookie which is also a great cookie for decorating.   Making the cookies the day before will make it easier for you.  That way they will be all ready to decorate the next day.

To decorate the cookies, I made two batches of butter cream, one regular butter cream and one chocolate butter cream; see recipes below.  

After you make the chocolate butter cream, take about 1/2 cup of the chocolate butter cream and tint it black.   After you make the regular butter cream, remove about 3/4 cup to keep white.  Split the remainder into three almost equal parts.  Tint one orange, one yellow, and one red, making the orange and the yellow ones a little bigger because you need more of these two colors than the red.  

To pipe the  butter cream turkey onto the cookies, you will need a #104 or 101 tip for the feathers.  You use the same tip to pipe three different colors for the feathers.  So it will make your life a lot easier if you buy three of the same tips.  The tips are fairly inexpensive, and this way you will not have to keep changing the tips each time you use a different color.  You will also need a #5 tip for the white part of the eyes, a #1 or 2 tip for the black part of the eyes, a #5 tip for the orange for the beak, and a #5 tip for the feet.  For the body, you will need a #12 tip. 

If you want to save yourself some time, you could also use candy corn for the feathers which will look very cute.  Just pipe some frosting above the body and stick the candy corn on and continue with the rest of the decorating.

Buying disposable piping bags will also make your life a lot easier.  They make clean up a breeze and the box contains tons of them so you have plenty for every color.  If you buy them at Michael's or A.C. Moore, don't forget to go on the website or look in your Sunday paper for coupons to save money on these.

Using the chocolate butter cream and the #12 tip, pipe a circle on the lower half of the cookie with the  tip, starting on the outside of the circle and ending in the center.

Again, for the feathers, you will need a #104 tip.  This tip is usually used to make flower petals.  This is a flat tip that has an opening that is slightly larger on one end.  Hold the tip straight up and down with the larger end facing the turkey body.  Pipe away from the body and then curve back down towards the body ending up right next to where you started.  Pipe yellow, red, and orange feathers this way.  If you have three of the #104 tip, it will be much easier because you can have your three colors in bags with tips and just keep piping on the different colors, rather than having to stop and change the tip. 

Next, using the #12 tip and the chocolate butter cream, make the head by squeezing a small circle on top of  the feathers above the body. 

Using the #5 tip and the white butter cream, pipe little dots for the eyes.  Using the #1 or 2 tip and the black butter cream, pipe smaller dots onto the white dots for the eyes.  Using the #5 tip with the orange butter cream, pipe on a little beak.

Using the #5 tip and the yellow butter cream, pipe on some feet. 

Turkey Cookies The Garden of Yum

You can use either my Nutty Nutella Cookies or Italian Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies.  These recipes make a nice, flat cookie that is easy to decorate.  If you make the Nutty Nutella Cookies, you will have to make them bigger than the recipe calls for, about one tablespoonfuls, and omit the nuts and the Nutella.

Butter Cream Frosting
Printable recipe
1/2 cup of butter (one stick), softened
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening (Crisco)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 pound of confectioners sugar (about 3 3/4 cups)
1 tablespoon of milk or water

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the shortening.  Add the vanilla.  Mix well.  Add the confectioners sugar slowly on low.  As it begins to come together, add milk or water.  Mix on medium for one to two minutes until creamy.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting
Printable recipe
1/2 cup of butter (one stick), softened
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of chocolate chips, melted
1 pound of confectioners sugar (about 3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons of milk or water

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and shortening.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Add melted chocolate chips.  Mix well.  Slowly add the confectioners sugar on low.  Add the cocoa.  Add the milk or water.  Mix on medium for one to two minutes until creamy.

I am linking these up to Craftastic Monday, Tasty Tuesdays, These Chicks Cooked, A Little Birdie Told Me, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets For a Saturday, and A Themed Baker's Sunday! Click on the links to see some delicious recipes and crafts:)