Hungry Happenings

  • RECIPES
    • All Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Decorated Cookies
    • Decorated Cakes
    • Cheesecake Recipes
    • Everyday Desserts
    • Homemade Candy
    • Everyday Meals
    • Readers’ Gallery
  • HOW TO
    • Chocolate Making Tips
    • Chocolate Making Course (video lessons)
    • Make Modeling Chocolate
      • Modeling Chocolate Recipe and Tutorial
      • How to Color Modeling Chocolate
      • How to Store and Work with Modeling Chocolate
      • How to Fix Greasy Modeling Chocolate
      • How to Fix Dry Modeling Chocolate
      • Use Colored Candy Melts to Make Candy Clay
    • Candy Clay Creations
    • How To Color White Chocolate and Candy Melts and Paint Candy Molds
    • How to Use Food Coloring Markers
  • HOLIDAYS
    • ALL HOLIDAY RECIPES
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patrick's Day
    • Easter
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
      • Hungry Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • New Year's Eve
    • MORE HOLIDAYS
      • Mother's Day
      • Father's Day
      • April Fools
      • Chinese New Year
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Day of the Dead
      • Earth Day
      • Mardi Gras
  • PARTY FOOD
    • Super Bowl
    • Graduation
    • Birthday Party
    • March Madness
    • Summer Fun
    • Baby Shower
    • Wedding Shower
    • School/Teacher
    • Movie and T.V. Characters
    • Kid's Treats
    • Fun Party Recipes
  • MY COOKBOOKS
  • ABOUT
  • MY BLOGS
    • HowToMakeCerealTreats.com
    • HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    • HowToMakeEasyFudge.com
    • TheSugarAcademy.com
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • chocolate tips
  • about
  • cookbooks
  • subscribe
  • holiday recipes
  • Halloween recipes
  • party food
  • appetizers
  • decorated cheese balls
  • cute food for kids
  • dessert recipes
  • chocolate recipes
  • homemade candy
  • decorated cakes
  • cupcake recpes
  • cheesecake recipes
  • cookie recipes
  • rice krispie treats recipes
  • fudge recipes
  • modeling chocolate treats
  • ice cream recipes
  • popcorn recipes
  • everyday meals
  • recipe roundups
  • readers' gallery
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • recipes
    • chocolate tips
    • about
    • cookbooks
    • subscribe
    • holiday recipes
    • Halloween recipes
    • party food
    • appetizers
    • decorated cheese balls
    • cute food for kids
    • dessert recipes
    • chocolate recipes
    • homemade candy
    • decorated cakes
    • cupcake recpes
    • cheesecake recipes
    • cookie recipes
    • rice krispie treats recipes
    • fudge recipes
    • modeling chocolate treats
    • ice cream recipes
    • popcorn recipes
    • everyday meals
    • recipe roundups
    • readers' gallery
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Thanksgiving

    Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

    Modified: Nov 5, '23 · Published: Nov 21, '11 · By: Beth Klosterboer · Commission earned on paid or sponsored links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Add a little sparkle to your pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving and make this Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie! This beautiful dessert will be the center of attention at your family get-together, it's deliciously creamy and totally festive.

    Thanksgiving pie decorated with a pie crust turkey on top of a pumpkin pie.

    Store-bought baked goods rarely make it into my house, because I love to bake. I do sometimes take shortcuts and use store-bought mixes, but I just love having my house smell of fresh baked goods and would be happy experimenting with a new dessert recipe every day.

    When I was thinking about ideas for Thanksgiving recipes, I thought it would be fun to add a festive decoration to one of the store-bought pumpkin pies. 

    I decided I wanted to create a cute turkey to place on top of the pie, so I searched the Internet for the perfect turkey design.

    turkey paper craft

    I came across a turkey craft project created by Angie at Burton Avenue that I simply fell in love with. Angie made her turkey out of card stock and attached it to a small tin filled with candy. Although, technically, part of this craft is edible, I was inspired to transform the entire thing into edible art. 

    The moment I saw this adorable turkey, I immediately imagined this little guy made out of pie dough, covered in colorful sanding sugar, baked to a golden brown, and sitting on top of a pumpkin pie. It is just how my mind works:)

    pie crust turkey decoration on a pumpkin pie.

    I think it's such a fun way to make a decorated Thanksgiving pie. I hope you enjoy making this at home.

    Decorated Pumpkin Pie

    Ingredients

    8"-10" store bought or homemade pumpkin pie
    pie dough (store bought or homemade - you'll need enough to make an 8" crust)
    egg wash (one egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
    colored sanding sugars - orange, yellow, and red
    dark brown sugar or brown sanding sugar
    2 candy eyes (or use pie dough and a black food marker or mini chocolate chips)

    optional: whipped cream

    Supplies

    egg cookie cutter and/or a knife (I used a 2 ¾" tall egg cutter)*
    round cookie cutter (I used a 2 ½" round cutter)*
    pastry brush
    parchment paper (or Silpat) lined baking sheet

    *This will make a turkey that will fit an 8",  9" or 10" pie. I used a 10" pie, so I had room to add a whipped cream border. You can vary the size of your turkey to fit your needs.

    Instructions

    cutting turkey decorations out of pie dough.

    Roll out pie dough to 1/16" thick (or simply unroll ready-made dough.) Use the template from Burton Avenue as a guide to cutting out the pieces of your turkey.

    Use an egg-shaped cookie cutter or knife to cut 6 Turkey feathers. Use the knife to cut the turkey's body, feet, beak, and waddle.

    cutting out turkey tail feathers from the pie dough.

    Arrange pie dough feathers as pictured above.

    Use a round cookie cutter to cut a circle out of the center of the feathers.

    Use the round cookie cutter to cut a circle out of dough.

    brushing egg wash over the pie crust turkey body and adding brown sugar.

    Use a pastry brush to paint egg wash over each of the pie dough shapes and sprinkle on colored sanding sugar or brown sugar.

    I used brown sugar on the body pieces, orange for the feet and beak, and red for the waddle.

    orange sugar sprinkled over pie crust tail feathers.

    I sprinkled on a combination of yellow, red, and orange onto the feathers. Now that I look at the picture of the baked turkey, I think the three sugars blended together to make the feathers look orange.

    Up close, you can see the variation of color, but in the picture, the feathers look just like the feet and beak. If I make this again, I'll probably make each feather a different color like Angie did for her turkey tins.

    pie dough turkey decoration.

    Arrange the pieces on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Set the round in the center of the feathers. Brush a bit of egg wash on the backside of the turkey body and set it on the round. Add egg wash to the backside of the feat, beak, and waddle, and attach to the body.

    Press two candy eyes onto the turkey. If you don't have candy eyes, you can just make the eyes out of pie dough. Use black food coloring to make the pupil or use a mini chocolate chip.

    Refrigerate pie crust turkey for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

    Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. The turkey feathers will brown first, but make sure the turkey's body gets baked all the way through.

    pumpkin pie topped with a cute Thanksgiving decoration

    Allow the pie crust turkey to cool completely then add it to the center of your pumpkin pie. You can leave your pie like the one pictured above, or you can pipe on a border of whipped cream. Serve and enjoy.

    Storage

    Keep the pie crust turkey in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Set it on the pie the day you plan to serve your pie.

    Related Recipes

    If you enjoy making this decorated Thanksgiving pie, you might also like these other turkey-themed dessert ideas.

    chocolate turkey boxes filled with mini chocolate turkeys.

    Chocolate Turkey Box

    chocolate turkeys filled with pumpkin ganache and decorated with candy eyes and candy-coated sunflower seeds.

    Chocolate Turkey Truffles

    chocolate fudge turkeys.

    Fudge Turkeys

    Mini chocolate cheesecake turkeys.

    Cheesecake Turkeys

    Be sure to check out all of my amazing Thanksgiving Recipes.

    Recipe

    Thanksgiving pie decorated with a pie crust turkey on top of a pumpkin pie.
    Print
    Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie
    Prep Time
    30 mins
    Cook Time
    8 mins
    Chill Time
    30 mins
     

    Create a pie crust turkey to set on top of a homemade or store-bought pumpkin pie.

    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: pie, pie crust
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 110 kcal
    Author: Beth Klosterboer
    Ingredients
    • 1 10-inch round of pie dough store-bought or homemade
    • egg wash one egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water
    • 2 tablespoons orange, yellow, and red sanding sugar
    • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar or brown sanding sugar
    • 2 candy eyes, or use pie dough and a black food marker or mini chocolate chips
    • 1 homemade or store-bought pumpkin pie
    • optional: whipped cream
    Instructions
    1. Roll out pie dough to 1/16" thick (or simply unroll ready-made dough.) Use the template from Burton Avenue (https://burtonavenue.com/turkey-favor-tins-free-svg-cut-file/) as a guide to cutting out the pieces of your turkey.
    2. Cut out 6 turkey tail feathers using a knife or an egg-shaped cookie cutter.
    3. Use a round cookie cutter to cut a circle out of the center of the feathers.
    4. Use the same round cookie cutter to cut a circle out of the remaining dough.
    5. Cut the turkey's body, feet, beak, and waddle using a knife.
    6. Use a pastry brush to paint egg wash over each of the pie dough shapes.
    7. Sprinkle orange sanding sugar over the feathers or sprinkle two feathers with yellow, 2 orange, and 2 red.
    8. Sprinkle brown sugar over the turkey's body.
    9. Then sprinkle orange sugar over the feet and beak and red sugar over the wattle.
    10. Arrange the pieces on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
    11. Set the round in the center of the feathers.  Brush a bit of egg wash on the backside of the turkey body and set it on the round.
    12. Add egg wash to the backside of the feat, beak, and waddle, and attach to the body. If needed, you can brush off the sugar that will go under these pieces.
    13. Press two candy eyes onto the turkey. If you don't have candy eyes, you can just make the eyes out of pie dough. Use black food coloring to make the pupil or use a mini chocolate chip.
    14. Refrigerate the pie crust turkey for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
    15. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. The turkey feathers will brown first, but make sure the turkey's body gets baked all the way through.
    16. Allow the pie crust turkey to cool completely then add it to the center of your pumpkin pie.
    17. If desired, pie whipped cream around the edge of your pie.
    Recipe Notes

    Keep the pie crust turkey in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Set it on the pie the day you plan to serve your pie.

    This will make a turkey that will fit an 8",  9," or 10" pie. I used a 10" pie, so I had room to add a whipped cream border. You can vary the size of your turkey to fit your needs.

    SaveSave

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth Klosterboer
    Beth Klosterboer
    Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth Klosterboer
    Latest posts by Beth Klosterboer (see all)
    • Irresistible Sweets with Dixie Crystals® - July 13, 2024
    • How to make peanut butter? - February 15, 2024
    • OREO Penguins - December 20, 2023

    More Thanksgiving Recipes for Cute Desserts and Festive Appetizers

    • Giant Reese's Cup on a cake stand with a slice cut and served on a small dessert plate.
      Giant Peanut Butter Cup
    • Turkey hot chocolate bombs melting in a coffee mug.
      Thanksgiving Hot Chocolate Bomb Turkeys
    • Apple Mousse Recipe image
      Apple Mousse
    • Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Turkey Platter.
      Cheese Ball Turkey Platter

    About Beth Klosterboer

    Comments

      Please leave a comment. Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Beth Jackson Klosterboer says

      November 22, 2011 at 4:00 pm

      Sue, I actually did eat it all on it's own and it was really yummy. I left the pie (well, except for one small slice) for my husband, but I couldn't resist eating the turkey.

      Reply
    2. sue says

      November 22, 2011 at 3:11 pm

      That is super cute, and I bet it actually tasted really good all on its own.

      Reply
    3. Jesica @ Pencil Kitchen says

      November 22, 2011 at 3:12 am

      oh gosh! the kids would adore that!!!!

      Reply
    4. Beth Jackson Klosterboer says

      November 21, 2011 at 4:09 pm

      Mindy, you could make a savory version using food coloring or spices/herbs to color the pie crust. I was thinking chili powder for the turkey body, tumeric for the feet and beak, and paprika for the feathers. Could work! I'm sure there are many other spices that could be used.

      Julee, although I have made homemade pie dough, I do often grab a package of store bought dough, as I did here, to use for my edible crafts. It is a perfect project for a non-baker.

      Reply
    5. julee says

      November 21, 2011 at 3:43 pm

      As a non-pie baker, I love the idea of embellishing store bought goodies! So cute!

      Reply
    6. Mindy says

      November 21, 2011 at 3:32 pm

      Ahhhh, this is ADORABLE!!! Too bad I don't have pie duty. I may have to put him on my cauliflower gratin. :o)

      Reply
    7. Beth Jackson Klosterboer says

      November 21, 2011 at 2:21 pm

      Thanks Jo and Sue. I have to thank Angie for the most adorable turkey design I've ever seen. I just love it:)

      Reply
    8. Jo and Sue says

      November 21, 2011 at 2:10 pm

      Oh. My. Goodness.... I believe that is the cutest thing I have ever seen! You are amazingly creative 🙂 I want to make this right now even though we had our Thanksgiving last month! Bravo *clap clap*

      Reply
    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

    Read more about me →

    Popular

    • Mini cheesecakes collage of images with plain cheesecakes, cheesecake cups with toppings, and decorated edible flower cheesecakes.
      Mini Cheesecakes
    • homemade candy bars including dark chocolate bars, milk chocolate cashew bars, white chocolate cookies and cream candy bars, and more
      The Best Step-by-Step Chocolate Bar Recipes
    • Marry a chocolate cake ball with a chocolate dipped maraschino cherry to get these amazing Chocolate Cherry Bombs.
      Chocolate Cherry Bombs - Cherry Filled Cake Balls Dipped in Chocolate
    • Giant Reese's Cup on a cake stand with a slice cut and served on a small dessert plate.
      Giant Peanut Butter Cup
    • Cakesicles with red and green drizzle, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate drizzle
      How to make Cakesicles (cake pop popsicles)
    • Delicious chocolate truffles coated in chopped cashews, shaved dark chocolate, cocoa powder, cookie crumbs, and a blend of dark and white chocolate shavings.
      Chocolate Truffles Recipe

    Buy my cookbooks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    use policies

    • privacy policy
    • photo-use policy
    • terms of service

    join us

    • subscribe (newsletter)
    • our online courses
    • readers' gallery

    contact

    • contact
    • about Beth
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Hungry Happenings