Fun Thanksgiving desserts do two jobs: they give the kids something to make while the adults cook, and they give the kids something they will actually eat on a table full of pie. The trick is to have the baking done ahead so the fun part — the decorating, is the whole activity, and it does not matter if it gets messy.

[Photo: a tray of turkey-decorated cupcakes with candy-corn feathers, made by kids, slightly wonky]

Cupcakes decorated as turkeys

Bake plain spiced or chocolate cupcakes ahead (the batter from our pumpkin cupcakes works, or a box mix). On the day, set out:

• Frosting in a bowl and a butter knife
• Candy corn, for tail feathers
• A malted milk ball or a mini cookie, for the head
• Candy eyes and a piece of candy corn or orange sprinkle for the beak
• Chocolate chips or a red gummy for the wattle

Frost, press a fan of candy corn into the back edge, add the head. Every one looks different and that is the point.

Pilgrim hat cookies

A fudge-striped shortbread cookie (the ring kind), flipped chocolate-side up, with a marshmallow or a chocolate-covered marshmallow stuck on with frosting to make the crown of the hat, and a thin band of yellow frosting for the buckle. Three ingredients, no baking, done in minutes.

Cornucopia treats

• Sugar cone cornucopias, a waffle or sugar ice cream cone laid on its side, filled with fruit, small candies, or a scoop of pudding spilling out.
• Crescent-roll cornucopias, wrap crescent dough around a foil cone, bake, remove the foil, and fill with fruit or whipped cream for a real-food version.

Pie pops and hand pies

Small rounds of pie dough with a spoon of filling (apple, pumpkin, or jam), sealed around a lollipop stick or folded into a hand pie, and baked. Kids can cut the dough with cookie cutters, leaves, turkeys, and crimp the edges. They bake in 15 minutes and serve without plates.

Edible turkeys, no baking

• Fruit turkey: a pear or half an apple as the body, toothpicks holding grapes, cheese cubes and dried fruit as feathers, a strawberry head. Doubles as the fruit platter.
• Oreo turkeys: a sandwich cookie standing up, candy corn feathers pushed into the filling, a chocolate-covered cherry or a malted ball as the body, candy eyes.
• Rice cereal treat turkeys: a ball of cereal treat, pretzel or candy-corn feathers, frosting to glue.

Keeping it manageable

Pick one decorating project, not three. Bake or buy the bases the day before. Set up a single tray with all the decorations in small bowls, put down a wipeable cloth, and let the kids go while the adults finish dinner. The results will be lopsided and that is exactly right. For the grown-up dessert table, keep the real bakes separate, see our Thanksgiving desserts guide.

Frequently asked questions

What Thanksgiving dessert can kids help make?

Turkey cupcakes, pilgrim hat cookies, no-bake Oreo turkeys, and pie pops, all have a decorating step that is the activity, with the baking done ahead by an adult.

What is the easiest fun Thanksgiving dessert?

Pilgrim hat cookies: a fudge-striped cookie, a marshmallow stuck on with frosting, and a band of yellow frosting for the buckle. No baking, done in minutes.

How do I make turkey cupcakes?

Frost a plain cupcake, press a fan of candy corn into the back edge for feathers, add a malted milk ball or cookie for the head with candy eyes and a candy-corn beak.

Can these be made ahead?

Bake the cupcake or cookie bases the day before. Do the decorating on the day, that is the part the kids are there for.

The bottom line

Pick one project, do the baking ahead, and turn the decorating into the kids’ job while the adults cook. Wonky turkeys made by children beat a perfect dessert nobody helped with.

Pin it for the decorating setups, that is the part you plan.