Hello, hello and hope you are keeping well! I’ve been getting back into the swing of baking and decorating, starting with a new recipe I shared the other day (Pecan Pumpkin Spice Rollout Cookies), and another new recipe coming soon (Red Velvet Cookies), and have found decorating to be such a creatively satisfying thing, even more so than usual. Sticking with some tried and true fall designs, this turkey has been an autumn go-to for years, and I realized I’ve never shared a video of him, so… here it is!
He’s quite straight forward to make, likely simple for you if you have decorating experience, but if you’re new to decorating cookies with royal icing, I’m sharing all my recipes, tips and tricks below.
Video – How to Decorate Simple Turkey Cookies with Royal Icing
You can see the video in a larger format on Pinterest, here.
The Recipe – Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cut Out Cookies
Cut Out Cookies
I used this Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cut Out Cookies, but if you’d like to decorate a different cut out cookie recipe, like classic sugar cookies, you can find a selection of ideas here.
Cookie Cutters
For this fall set, find the cookie cutters by clicking on each individual cutter below (Any links to Amazon in this post are affiliate links. There is no extra cost to you):
Royal Icing
You can find my favorite royal icing recipe here. The consistency of icing is key for easy decorating. Click here to see a YouTube video on finding the right icing thickness.
Complete Guide to Royal Icing PDF
You can also find my Complete Guide to Royal Icing Consistency here.
Decorating Items
What you’ll need (These are affiliate links):
- Piping Tips – PME #1.5, PME tip 2.5
- Piping Bags
- Couplers
- Gel Colors; brown, red, orange, yellow, black
- Scribe Tool or Toothpicks
Cookie Decorating Basics
This video on outlining and flooding is a good place to start if you’re new to decorating cookies with royal icing. These cookie decorating basics YouTube videos may also be helpful to get you started.
Turkey Cookie Step-by-Step
- Outline the base of the turkey cookie with brown medium icing using tip #1.5.
- Fill in the base with brown medium icing using tip #2.5 and shake the cookie a bit to help the icing settle, or use a toothpick or scribe tool to smooth the icing out.
- Immediately pipe the red, orange and yellow lines on top of the tail of the wet brown icing, using tips #’s 2.5. Shake the cookie to help the icing settle.
- Drag a toothpick or scribe tool from the outside of the tail towards the inside of the turkey shape. Shake a little if you need to help the icing settle. Let the base set.
- Pipe the wing and repeat the process for adding the 3 colors and marbling the icing.
- Pipe the wattle (skin under neck), beak, eyes and feet using tips #1.5. Let dry and you’re done!
Click here to find a video on marbling icing if you’d like some further marbling examples. (Designs are Christmas ornaments).
A note about marbling the colors on the turkey. If you wipe the toothpick or scribe tool in between each “drag”, you’ll have a cleaner look and more color “feathering” if you don’t wipe the tool in between “drags”. You can see what I mean in the photo below:
The video included in this post is in fast forward for the sake of time, but if you have any questions about the decorating process, please feel free to reach out with questions or comments in the comment section below, or you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Twitter.
Happy decorating!
xo,
Marian
Maria Lennartz says
Hi Marian,
What a pretty turkey! Plus the whole collection you added! Everyone is unique! The coat is my favorite. Thank you for all the great ideas you share! Love your blog!
ML
marian says
Thank you so much Maria! xo
Cheryl says
I’ve been decorating sugar cookies since last Christmas and have become pretty good at it
My friends are asking me how much for a dozen decorated sugar cookies would be?
Can you give me an idea?
Marian says
Hi Cheryl,
It does depend on how many colors you use, how big the cookies are, how detailed they are (how much time each takes to decorate), and the area you live in. I would start by checking out your local competition and compare from there. Sorry I’m not more specific!
MH says
What brand of food coloring do you use for brown?
Sherry Gedman says
Can you freeze decorated cookies?
marian says
Hi Sherry, yes you can. Here is post on that; https://sweetopia.net/2011/03/freezing-decorated-cookies/