These adorable turkey-shaped gluten-free Thanksgiving sugar cookies are a delightful addition to any Thanksgiving celebration. Whether as a holiday activity or a sweet ending to your meal, these cookies are bound to bring smiles all around.
The gluten-free flour ensures they're perfect for those with dietary restrictions, and the soft, buttery texture makes them an instant favorite. Be sure to also try our vegan Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies and Paleo Sugar Cookies, too!
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes to chill the dough
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F
- ⏳ Total Time: about 1 hour, plus decorating
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 to 30 small cookies, or 10 to 12 large turkeys
- ⚡ Calories: 118kcal per small cookie, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted or vegan butter, sugar (or monk fruit or xylitol), egg, vanilla and almond extract, with a powdered sugar, milk and vanilla icing
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft, buttery vanilla sugar cookies with sweet icing
- ✋ Difficulty: Mix, chill, cut, bake, decorate
Quick Answer
Whisk 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Beat ¾ cup butter with ¾ cup sugar until fluffy, then mix in 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon almond extract. Add the dry ingredients until a dough forms, cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Roll it ¼ inch thick, cut with a turkey-shaped cookie cutter and bake on a parchment lined sheet at 350 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Cool, then decorate with icing made from 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. It makes 24 to 30 cookies.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why These Cut Out Cookies Hold Their Shape
- Why You'll Love These Thanksgiving Cookies
- Key Ingredients
- Tools You Need for This Recipe
- How to Make Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies
- Chef's Tips
- More Thanksgiving Desserts You May Enjoy
- Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies FAQs
- More Thanksgiving Treats
- Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies Turkey Shaped
Customize them with icing and colorful sprinkles to bring these turkeys to life! My kids were so excited when I was making these, drooling to eat them right away. These Thanksgiving cookies are a holiday favorite dessert that creates fun memories for the family!
Why These Cut Out Cookies Hold Their Shape
Click to see why it works
- Chill the dough. At least 30 minutes in the refrigerator firms the butter so the turkeys keep their feathers in the oven.
- A 1-to-1 gluten-free flour. The recipe was tested with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 and Cup-4-Cup. Other flours may give different results.
- Roll to ¼ inch. An even thickness bakes evenly in 8 to 10 minutes.
- Pull them when the edges are lightly golden so the centers stay soft.
- Cool completely before icing so the icing sets instead of melting.
Why You'll Love These Thanksgiving Cookies
- Gluten-free and perfect for those with dietary restrictions.
- Soft and buttery, an instant favorite.
- A holiday activity. Decorating turkeys keeps kids busy while dinner cooks.
- Easy to lighten up. I use monk fruit or xylitol for a healthier version, and vegan butter works too.
- Make them for Christmas next with a different cookie cutter, like my gluten-free gingerbread.
Key Ingredients
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour - tested with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 and Cup-4-Cup.
- Baking powder and salt.
- Unsalted butter - or vegan butter, at room temperature.
- Sugar - I use monk fruit or Xylitol for a healthier version.
- Egg, vanilla extract and almond extract - the almond extract is optional.
- Icing - powdered sugar, milk (or a dairy-free alternative), vanilla and optional food coloring.
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools You Need for This Recipe
Here's the equipment you need that you can easily get from Amazon.
- Cookie Baking Sheet
- Turkey Cookie Cutter or these Fun Fall Cookie Cutters
- Rolling Pin
- Mixing Bowls
Stocking up for holiday baking? See my list of baking supplies.
How to Make Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies
1Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt.
2Cream the butter and sugar. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using), and mix well.
3Make and chill the dough. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
4Roll and cut. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. Use a turkey-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, then transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
5Bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
6Ice and decorate. Whisk the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth, then add the vanilla. Keep it thick for outlining and thin it with a little more milk for flooding. Divide and tint it with food coloring, pipe or spoon it on, and let the icing set before stacking.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Chef's Tips
- Add fall spice. For extra flavor, add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the dough for a fall-inspired touch.
- No turkey cutter? Draw a template on parchment paper and cut out the shapes by hand. It is more tedious than a Gluten-Free Gingerbread House, but it works!
- Two icing thicknesses. Thick icing holds its shape for outlines. Thin it with a bit more milk for flooding.
- Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time if the icing is too thick.
- Let the icing harden before stacking or storing the cookies.
More Thanksgiving Desserts You May Enjoy
More Thanksgiving desserts: Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie, No-Bake Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Cookies.
For Christmas, try my gluten-free red velvet cupcakes, Christmas Crinkle Cookies and Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies.
Planning the whole table? See my healthy Thanksgiving side dishes.
Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies FAQs
The recipe was tested with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour and Cup-4-Cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour. Other flours may give different results.
Yes. Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling so the cookies hold their turkey shape.
Draw a turkey template on parchment paper and cut out the shapes by hand.
It makes 24 to 30 smaller cookies, depending on the size of your cutter, or 10 to 12 large turkey cookies.
Yes. Use vegan butter in the dough and a dairy-free milk in the icing.
Whisk 1 ½ cups powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons milk and the vanilla. For outlining keep it thick, and for flooding thin it with a little more milk until it flows smoothly.
More Thanksgiving Treats
Bake more for the holiday table with Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie and No-Bake Pumpkin Pie. Tried this recipe? I'd love to see your creations! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies Turkey Shaped
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Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour see notes for suggested brands
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter or vegan butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar I use monk fruit or Xylitol for a healthier version
- 1 egg large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or dairy-free alternative
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- food coloring optional
Instructions
Cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract (if using), and mix well.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. Use a turkey-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, then transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, decorate the cookies with icing and sprinkles to create fun, colorful turkeys!
Icing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and continue to mix. If the icing is too thick, add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- For outlining or detailed work, the icing should be thick enough to hold its shape. For flooding or filling in areas of the cookie, thin the icing with a bit more milk until it flows smoothly. If you want colorful icing like shown, divide the icing into separate bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Mix until the color is evenly distributed. Use piping bags or a spoon to apply the icing to your cookies. Allow the icing to set and harden before stacking or storing the cookies.
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