Whether you’re looking for the perfect Thanksgiving dessert or just need a project to keep the kids busy, there’s no better pursuit than a batch of homemade cookies. Just grab some ingredients from the pantry, follow a few simple steps and before you know it your kitchen will smell absolutely amazing. There are lots of fun, festive recipes in this roundup but these festive sugar cookies are one of our favorites. Decorated with 'mini cornucopia', they're the perfect addition to the Thanksgiving dessert table (and much easier than making a pie!). The dough requires no chilling or rolling out. Simply drop scoops onto the baking sheets for tender, not-too-sweet cookies that are fun for the whole family to decorate.

The dough for these spiced autumn cookies is easily made in a food processor, much like pie dough, but with softened butter. We pulse the sugar first to finely grind it, which gives the cookies their tender and crunchy texture. Have fun with decorating-make fall leaves or turkeys using halved candy corns or pecans for the tail feathers.

If sweet potato is your pie of choice then these cookies are for you: They channel all the flavor of that Southern favorite in a fun two-bite package. The crust comes together quickly and gets pressed into a mini-muffin tin, no rolling necessary. We bake the crumble topping separately to keep it crisp and easy to put on the cookies after they come out of the oven. Any extra would be great on ice cream, yogurt or fruit — or make a double batch and keep it on hand for a quick topping for a future baked dessert.

When you don’t have a lot of ingredients on hand but need a Thanksgiving dessert, reach for this cookie recipe. You can whip up the cookies with just a handful of pantry staples. We love creating a marbled effect on top of the finished cookies using a few different colors of royal icing but if you’re looking for something easier, simply frost the cookies and sprinkle with sanding sugar in an autumnal hue.

Giada's sweet mini turkeys are easy enough for kids to assemble and will make an adorable addition to any Thanksgiving dessert spread — no baking required!

Double the holiday fun with these spiced pumpkin gingerbread bars! Soft and cakey with a slight chew, these bars feature two distinct layers: pumpkin and gingerbread, which get drizzled with an irresistible cream cheese icing. While the bars look impressive, the recipe is very easy to put together with a minimal number of bowls and no electric mixer.

Cranberries aren’t just for the dinner table on Thanksgiving — they’re also the perfect way to dress up classic oatmeal cookies and turn them into a feast-worthy treat.

Giada's time-saving trick for these fun cookies? Use store-bought sugar cookie dough. That way you'll have plenty of time to decorate the rounds and turn them into cute turkeys (that are sure to get gobbled up).

Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies. Why not spice them up with all the flavors of a pumpkin pie, including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves?

No one will miss the apple pie when you set out a plate of these cider-glazed treats. They’re packed full of all the same flavors: apple, brown sugar, cinnamon and even some allspice.

Not only do these fall-themed treats look like maple leaves — but they’re packed with sweet maple flavor too. Make sure you use real maple syrup and if you can find Grade B maple syrup, use that. It has a more robust flavor than Grade A.

Ina's nutty bites travel well, so you can tote them to faraway Thanksgiving celebrations with ease. Dip half of each square in chocolate if you want to make them extra indulgent.

One of our favorite parts of Thanksgiving is having the perfect excuse to treat ourselves to all our favorite foods, all at once. Loaded with peanut butter, bananas, chocolate chip, pretzels and bacon, these cookies capture the spirit of indulgence that makes the holiday extra special.

These tender cookies combine two of our favorite Thanksgiving flavors: sweet potato and pecan. They're a sweet and delicate shortbread, so you'll be surprised to learn that they are actually dairy-free — there's no butter used at all!

These oh-so-buttery and sparkly pumpkin-shaped cookies are filled with a rich and creamy cinnamon-chocolate ganache. They are the perfect Thanksgiving favor or complement to your dessert spread.