14 Thanksgiving Cookies Everyone Will Gobble Up

From festive cutouts to drop cookies that feature your favorite fall flavors, these delicious treats deserve a spot at your Thanksgiving table.

October 05, 2022

By: Kristie Collado

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Photo By: Renee Comet

Photo By: Brent Harrewyn

Our Best Thanksgiving Cookie Ideas

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 spiced sugar cookies are one of our favorites. They’re easily made in the 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. Once the cookies cool, kids of all ages will have fun decorating them.

Get the Recipe: Spiced Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies

Thanksgiving Cornucopia Cookies

These festive sugar cookies decorated with mini cornucopia (AKA corn snacks) are 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.

Get the Recipe: Thanksgiving Cornucopia Cookies

Sweet Potato Pie Cookies

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.

Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie Cookies

Thanksgiving Turkeys

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!

Get the Recipe: Thanksgiving Turkeys

Oatmeal Cookies with Butterscotch and Cranberries

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.

Get the Recipe: Oatmeal Cookies with Butterscotch and Cranberries

Leaf Sugar Cookies

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.

Get the Recipe: Leaf Sugar Cookies

Elvis Cookies

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.

Get the Recipe: Elvis Cookies

Pumpkin Gingerbread Bar Cookies

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.

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Gingerbread Bar Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Slice-and-Bake Turkey Cookies

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).

Get the Recipe: Slice-and-Bake Turkey Cookies

Pecan Squares

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.

Get the Recipe: Pecan Squares

Maple Cookies

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.

Get the Recipe: Maple Cookies

Glazed Cider Cookies

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.

Get the Recipe: Glazed Cider Cookies

Sweet Potato-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

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!

Get the Recipe: Sweet Potato-Pecan Shortbread Cookies