These Oreo turkeys are the most adorable Thanksgiving dessert recipe. They are silly, cute, festive, & yummy. I don't know about your family, but when we decorate cookies, cakes, or any dessert, everyone has their own fun design. So when making Oreo and candy corn turkeys, why make them all the same? Go for it and have a blast decorating and eating them.
For a fun edible craft perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday, decorate some Oreo cookies to look like turkeys in 3 different ways. So whenever you have a turkey-themed event or holiday, this easy dessert or snack recipe with Oreos, candies, and melting wafers is just the thing. So gather up your friends and family along with the ingredients and have a happy Thanksgiving.
This recipe was inspired by all the other silly candies, cookies, and treats I see on social media every year. I was making some treats for Christmas when a friend sent me a text about something similar her family did every Thanksgiving. When I saw the cute little turkeys, I knew I needed to make them. I made them that day since they have similar ingredients as the reindeer and snowman Oreo cookies I was making.
I played around with different designs. Now here we are with 3 different ways to make the best Oreo turkeys. You can make a turkey standing, laying down, or a turkey face. All are tasty & a great treat in November. Enjoy these cookies for Thanksgiving at school or church, at parties, or after the big holiday meal with a delicious Candy Corn Martini.
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Ingredients
This is an easy no-bake Oreo turkey cookie recipe. Therefore, the following store-bought ready-made ingredients are what you will need to transform Oreo cookies into darling Thanksgiving turkeys.
To decorate them, candy corn, chocolate-covered candies, and cinnamon candies will be needed. To hold everything together, the "glue" when assembling these turkeys will be some cookie icing and some cake frosting.
- Oreo Sandwich Cookies
- Chocolate Cake Frosting
- White Cookie Icing
- Candy Corn
- Cinnamon Imperials (Red Hot Candies)
- Malt Balls
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups
- Candy Eyes - optional
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Oreo Turkeys
As mentioned, there are 3 different designs for this recipe. So you can make one or all of them. I suggest putting all the ingredients out on a table and letting everyone get creative. There is no wrong way to make an Oreo cookie turkey - just like there is no wrong way to eat or dunk an Oreo!
The Oreo sandwich cookies will be pulled apart for each design They will act as the base for some turkeys and the stable back to place the candy feathers. Candy corn will represent the turkey feather and/or the beaks. For the wattle, the flap of skin under turkey beaks, and the cinnamon imperials will be used. The other candies will be the turkey body and/or heads.
Standing Turkeys
I wasn't exactly sure how to create the bodies when making the cookie turkeys. They seemed like they are laying down when the wattle is laying on the Oreo cookie base. But When it is near the middle it is as if the turkey is upright and the head is more centered.
So for these reasons, I will be referring to these two designs as the standing and laying down turkeys. They are made pretty similar so we can go through each step-by-step. Then the variation at the end will determine which you get to make and eat.
Standing Oreo Turkey
Here are the step-by-step instructions for using an Oreo cookie to make a standing Thanksgiving turkey treat. For this, you will need an Oreo, 5 candy corns, the cookie icing, chocolate frosting, a malt ball, and cinnamon candy.
Gather all your ingredients. Begin by twisting the Oreo cookie to open it up into two pieces as shown above.
Add a thin layer of chocolate frosting to the Oreo half without the stuffing. Fan out 5 candy corns along one-half of the frosting as seen above. Add a dollop of white cookie icing to the stuffing side and place the malt ball on top.
Add a dollop of the cookie icing to the cinnamon candy and place it on top of the malt ball. This will act as a head and wattle all in one for the turkey.
For the final step, assemble it all together. Press the candy corn decorated Oreo half onto the back of the malt ball. It should stick thanks to the layer of chocolate frosting. Gobble - gobble, your Oreo turkey is cute and ready to display or eat!
Oreo Turkeys with Reeses' Peanut Butter Cups
Funny thing...the last name of my friend that shared this recipe with me is Reese. So I was thinking, why wouldn't they use Reeses' peanut butter cups instead of malt balls? I don't know the answer but I tried it and I really think they should from now on!
Here is what I did to swap out the malt ball for a body using a mini peanut butter cup. Just store a few in your freeze or cupboard after Halloween and in a few weeks use them for this Thanksgiving treat. This is also a turkey in the standing position with a cute face looking out.
For the next step, affix the peanut butter cup to the oreo cookie with the frosting on it. Place it just under the fanned-out candy corn pieces.
Dollop some white cookie icing onto the red hot and place it in the middle of the peanut butter cup. This will be the wattle. Finally, using the cookie icing add two eyes above the wattle. It should now look similar to this turkey guy below.
Laying Down Oreo Turkey
For the version with the turkey laying down (let's be honest this is Thanksgiving and these little guys were probably not pardoned so they may be ready for us to gobble up)...they start off the same way as the standing version above.
So follow the steps above. However, in the end, use a bit of white cookie icing on the cinnamon red hot candy. Then affix it to the bottom right corner of the malt ball. It should stick to the bottom Oreo cookie and the Whopper all at once as seen below.
This version turns the malt ball into the body/head which is resting on the Oreo ground or base. The other half of the sandwich cookie still has the candy corn fanned out to look like the feathers. This is the original way my friend's turkeys looked when she shared her family pictures.
Turkey Faces
These Oreo turkeys turn the entire cookie into a close-up face. One may say the face and body are all in one. However we describe it, they are darling and delish.
For this version, you will need an Oreo, the icing, one cinnamon candy, and 5 candy corns for the feathers. The candy corn feathers are wedged between the sandwich cookie inside the stuffing. You may use the end of one of them broken off as a beak also.
Twist and pull the Oreo cookie apart. To the cookie half without the stuffing add a layer of cookie icing.
Fan out 5 candy corns along the middle and outside edge of the Oreo stuffing side. See above.
Now place the two halves of the sandwich cookie back together. Once the Oreo is back together you should see about half of the candy corn feathers sticking out.
Using the cookie icing make faces on the Oreo. I like to use googly silly candy eyes. For beaks, you can use part of broken candy corn. And finally, the red hot candy is attached to make the turkey wattle. Cute!
Hint: If you do not have any candy eyes, a dollop of white cookie frosting can be used instead. You can also use white chocolate or peanut butter chips.
Substitutions & Variations
This recipe already offers 3 different decorating ideas to make turkey cookies. This recipe could not be more crafty or fun. But here are a few last minutes substitutions you can make if you are missing an ingredient.
- Oreos - instead of the classic chocolate sandwich cookies, try the Golden Oreos
- Cookie Icing- mix up a batch of easy homemade royal icing
If you are on a gluten-free diet, Oreo now has gluten-free cookies. The rest of the ingredients are gluten-free. So enjoy this recipe even if you have celiac disease or are gluten-sensitive like me.
Equipment
No special equipment is needed. However, all these ingredients are what you will need to make Thanksgiving Oreo turkey cookies.
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Storing Oreos Decorated like Turkeys
Once the turkeys are assembled, they may be tall and hard to store. For those with standing or laying down designs, that back Oreo with candy corn feathers is tall and delicate. Carefully place them in a deep container with a tight-fitting lid.
They can be stored for up to 3 days. Place them in an air-tight container with a lid. They can be left in a cool dry place in the kitchen or cupboard.
These ingredients do not stand up well to refrigerating or freezing. I do not recommend making these cookies ahead of time for freezing.
Top tip
Make this part of your annual Thanksgiving tradition. Buy all the ingredients and put them out on a table. As guests arrive, they can make their own Oreo turkey. This way they can be set up and be cute decorations for the holiday. Then at the end of the meal, everyone has a personalized dessert (way better than pumpkin pie!)
FAQ
If you are on a gluten-free diet, this recipe is easily altered to meet your dietary needs. Oreo brand cookies now have a gluten-free option so use them as a substitute to make the turkeys.
Unfortunately, this recipe is not vegan-friendly. Oreos are vegan; however, candy corn is not due to the gelatin used to make them. Most of the other ingredients are not vegan. There is no easy way to alter this recipe to make vegan Oreo turkey cookies.
Oreo Turkeys (3 ways)
Ingredients
- 8 Oreo sandwich cookies
- Chocolate cake frosting
- White cookie icing
- 1 bag Candy corn
- 8 Cinnamon imperials candy
- Malt Ball & Reese's peanut butter cup candies
- candy eyes optional
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients needed.
- Decide which design you want to make - standing, laying down, or turkey faces.
- STANDING OREO TURKEYS - For this, you will need an Oreo, 5 candy corns, cookie icing, chocolate frosting, a malt ball, and cinnamon candy.Begin by twisting the Oreo cookie to open it up into two pieces as shown above.Add a thin layer of chocolate frosting to the Oreo half without the stuffing. Fan out 5 candy corns along one-half of the frosting as seen above. Add a dollop of white cookie icing to the stuffing side and place the malt ball on top.Add a dollop of the cookie icing to the cinnamon candy and place it on top of the malt ball. This will act as a head and wattle all in one for the turkey.For the final step, assemble it all together. Press the candy corn decorated Oreo half onto the back of the malt ball. It should stick thanks to the layer of chocolate frosting.
- Peanut Butter swap out - Instead of using a malt ball, here is the peanut butter version. Instead of affixing the Whopper candy for the next step, affix the peanut butter cup to the oreo cookie with the frosting on it. Place it just under the fanned-out candy corn pieces.Dollop some white cookie icing onto the red hot and place it in the middle of the peanut butter cup. This will be the wattle. Finally, using the cookie icing add two eyes above the wattle. It should now look similar to this turkey guy below.
- LAYING DOWN OREO TURKEYS - So follow the steps above. However, in the end, use a bit of white cookie icing on the cinnamon red hot candy. Then affix it to the bottom right corner of the malt ball. It should stick to the bottom Oreo cookie and the Whopper all at once as seen below.
- OREO TURKEY FACES - Gather an Oreo, the icing, one cinnamon candy, and 5 candy corns for the feathers. The candy corn feathers are wedged between the sandwich cookie inside the stuffing. You may use the end of one of them broken off as a beak also.Twist and pull the Oreo cookie apart. To the cookie half without the stuffing add a layer of cookie icing.Fan out 5 candy corns along the middle and outside edge of the Oreo stuffing side. See the images above for detail.Now place the two halves of the sandwich cookie back together. Once the Oreo is back together you should see about half of the candy corn feathers sticking out.Using the cookie icing make faces on the Oreo. I like to use googly silly candy eyes. For beaks, you can use part of broken candy corn. And finally, the red hot candy is attached to make the turkey wattle.
- Let each turkey set and dry. Place out as a Thanksgiving decorative display. Or Enjoy & Eat right away!
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