Cinnamon-Sugar Puff Pastry Turkeys

A sweet ending for your Thanksgiving feast, these gobblers can be made ahead and are as fun to make as they are to eat!

Celebrate Thanksgiving with Cinnamon-Sugar Puff Pastry Turkeys! These classic palmier cookies are easy to gobble, with light, flaky layers of pastry that have an irresistibly sweet cinnamon-sugar crunch!

If you’re a regular visitor here, you know I love playing with my food, so I couldn’t wait to make these adorable gobblers! I adapted this recipe from one I found in this month’s Martha Stewart Living Magazine. There’s a bit of a learning curve stacking the layers of puff pastry so the ‘tail feathers’ come together, so you may want an extra sheet or two of puff pastry on hand to play with. No matter how these gobblers look, the results are delicious! You can make them ahead 3 – 4 days in advance before serving, storing them in an airtight container.

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Cinnamon-Sugar Puff Pastry Turkeys

adapted Martha Stewart Living

Makes About 12

Ingredients

1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed (I used Pepperidge Farm)

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half of mixture on work surface. Unfold 1 sheet pastry over sugar mixture; sprinkle with 2 more tablespoons of sugar mixture. Roll pastry out to approximately 10 x 12-inch rectangle. Cut a 3-inch strip from short end.

Fold long ends of larger rectangle in to meet in center. Then fold in half so short ends meet.

Fold reserved strip of dough in half so short ends meet; place on bottom half of larger piece, with folds facing same direction. Fold top half over smaller piece of dough to cover. Gently roll over dough to seal. Freeze until firm but still pliable, about 30 minutes.

Repeat steps with second sheet of puff pastry.

Slice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Dip cut sides in remaining sugar mixture. Transfer to parchment or silicone baking mat with cut side up, about 3 inches apart to allow for spreading.

Bake 10 minutes. Turn slices over and bake another 8 – 10 minutes or until golden.

Let cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula. Let cool completely before decorating.

Note: If the turkey feathers separate too much during first half of baking time, press on sides to close with spatula or fingers to help reshape them, then continue to bake.

Now comes the fun part! I used the same method to decorate the turkeys as with my Nutter Butter Turkey Cupcakes.

To assemble the turkey faces you’ll need:

Strawberry Twizzlers, or red licorice

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Wilton edible candy eyes (Target)

Orange candy-coated sunflower seeds (left from Halloween, found at HomeGoods)

Wilton Food Safe Brushes, available where cake decorating supplies are sold

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 – 3 teaspoons of water, until you have the right consistency to make a “glue” to apply the candy features to turkeys. Use kitchen shears to cut licorice into small wattle-shaped pieces. Position features of turkey, then using a food safe brush, apply sugar mixture to back of the candy to “glue” to turkey.

Update: If you can’t find any orange candy coated sunflowers, substitute candy corn for the beak instead.

Allow about 30 minutes for candy to set. Store turkeys in airtight container until ready to serve.

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