Lightly flour your surface and roll the sugar cookie dough into a layer about ⅓–¼ inch thick. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and from the leftover dough, form small scallops to press onto the top of each heart (this will create the turkey’s feathered look).

Refrigerate the shaped cookies for 1–2 hours to help them hold their shape. Bake at 392°F for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.

Melt about ¼ of the white chocolate chips/wafers in the microwave using short bursts.

Place them in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 15–20 second bursts on medium power. Stir well after each burst (even if it looks like nothing has melted yet).

Fill a piping bag and pipe small diamond shapes for the beaks, then fill them in. Let set, then add two tiny yellow dots on each cookie to finish the beak details.

Pipe circles of melted white chocolate to form the eyes, filling them in completely. Place the cookies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes so the eyes firm up.

After chilling, add a small dot of dark chocolate (or place candy eyes) for the pupils.

Tint more chocolate with red and brick tones. Use the red for the turkey’s comb and the brick red for feather accents. Add a tiny red piece for the wattle.

Refrigerate again until all the decorations are fully set before serving. Enjoy!