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Spiced thanksgiving cookies on baking sheet.
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Spiced Thanksgiving Cookies

With a super simple, lightly sweetened dough, these Thanksgiving Cookies are such a fun dessert to make and share with the kids. You can do any shape you prefer, though we're partial to tiny turkeys!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 39 minutes
Servings 8 (Makes about 2 dozen small cookies)
Calories 132kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • Icing, sprinkles, raisins, chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a bowl and use your hand to mix together to form a dough. You'll want to be gentle but thorough to incorporate the butter into the dough.
  • Pop the dough into the fridge while you preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and place it between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper. Roll the dough ¼ inch thick using a rolling pin. (The flour and the parchment paper helps it be easy to cut out the cookies. If the dough sticks at all, pop it back into the fridge for a few minutes to firm up.)
  • Cut out the dough with a cookie cutter and transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
  • Optional: Brush with milk to give them a slight sheen and top with coarse decorating sugar.
  • Bake for 7-9 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. (Smaller cut-outs will cook faster than larger ones.)
  • Remove from the oven, let cool on the baking sheet for a minute, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Store baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
  • Make ahead: You can make the dough the night before or a few hours in advance and store it in the fridge in plastic wrap. It will need to sit at room temperature for about an hour to soften up, or you can remove it from the plastic, put it onto a plate, and microwave for 5-10 seconds. 
  • Royal icing: You can top cooled cookies with icing if you'd like. Stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a few drops of milk, adding more of either as needed to make a thick icing. Spread on cookies or put into a zip-top bag, seal, and snip one edge off to make a little piping bag for the kids.
  • Roll out the dough between two lightly floured pieces of parchment paper to prevent sticking. 
  • Gluten-free: Use this gluten-free flour from King Arthur.
  • Dairy-free: Use melted and slightly cooled coconut oil instead of butter and plain, unsweetened nondairy milk.

Nutrition

Serving: 3cookies | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 184IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg