Turkey Lurkey

My youngest has half day kindergarten, so he was off of school today (half day for all the other grades). We dug out the hand shaped cookie cutter I had ordered a few months ago with this exact cookie project in mind, and set to work.

I used the cookie recipe found here.…and I have to agree that it is pretty perfect. It is a vegan recipe, but you could use eggs and regular cream cheese instead. I think the dough was so good though we only even chilled it for about 30 mins too. This was one of the best sugar cookies doughs I have ever worked with. It didn’t need much flour, it is not too sweet and did not stick to the cutters. The cookies baked up wonderfully did not puff up big or loose their shape.. and are just like they say slightly crunchy (and do not fall apart) but the middles are soft and good. So I highly recommend trying it. I was worried too with the little fingers on the cookies, but not one broke.

After the cookies were cooled we made up a chocolate glaze using chocolate chips, soy milk, and a little bit of earth balance. I added a little corn syrup to keep it softer longer but I am not sure if that is the best idea as the cookies are still slightly tacky even now. I carefully dipped each cookie into the glaze and then set onto parchment paper to firm. Keep a wet washcloth nearby so you can clean your fingers between dippings.

After I had all the cookies glazed Bean helped me push the eyes onto the “thumbs”. We have a big box of candy eyes from a couple years ago when I had a solo show in Philly and I bought them to decorate donuts. You could make your own ahead of time using white + black royal icing and just piping them in layers onto parchment paper and letting them dry.

After the glaze had firmed and wasn’t so tacky I piped orange frosting onto the fingers and a little blob for each beak. B then went behind me with sprinkles and added color to all the wings. Voila turkeys for Thanksgiving. I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day tomorrow filled with family, friends, and all the people you love!