No-bake Pilgrim Hat Cookies are a simple, yet cute activity for kids and a wonderful decoration for a dessert tray on Thanksgiving. They require no baking and only 4 ingredients.
Why You’ll Love These Pilgrim Hat Cookies
Super easy no bake cookies that are perfect for any fall celebration- what’s not to love!
- Fun for the kids – Not only are these cookies delicious to eat, but they’re also fun to make and get the kids involved in the kitchen.
- Perfect addition to the holidays – Whether for classroom parties at school or a Thanksgiving party at home, these cookies add so much fun to a celebration.
- No bake – No need to waste oven space making these cookies. A no bake dessert is always a win in my book.
Ingredients
You can easily find all of these pilgrim hat cookie ingredients at your local grocery store.
- Fudge stripe cookies – These cookies are generally large with a flat bottom, allowing for a big enough brim and better hat shape.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – A reese’s cup upside down on top of the base of the hat will act as the top of our hats.
- Vanilla frosting – You can use food coloring to color this, or keep it white. You can also find already colored icing,
- Festive sprinkles or sparkling sugar – We just use this to decorate the icing and add some flair to these cute pilgrim hat cookies.
- Reese’s Pieces – The peanut butter flavor pairs nicely with the peanut butter cups. These will act as the buckle for the hats.
Variations
There are plenty of ways to make these Pilgrim Hat Cookies your own. Here are a few suggestions.
- Cookies – Instead of fudge stripe cookies, you could use vanilla wafers, oreos, chocolate wafer cookies or Nabisco famous chocolate wafers. Just keep in mind your brim might not be as wide.
- Peanut butter cups – Instead of using Reese’s, you could use rolo candy, a marshmallow or a tootsie roll cut in half to put in the center of a cookie instead.
- Icing – I used black icing, but you can decorate your hats with yellow frosting, orange frosting or even orange or yellow candy melts instead.
- Decorations – You can decorate these darling pilgrim hats with frosting leaves, pumpkin candies or anything your heart desires.
How to Make Easy Pilgrim Hat Cookies
Follow these easy steps to make this neat addition to any classroom Thanksgiving feast or holiday table.
- Prepare peanut butter cups and cookies. Unwrap all of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and count out your cookies. Place cookies chocolate-side down. Freezing the Reese’s Peanut Butter cups for 15 minutes before handling helps the wrapping come off easier.
- Pipe icing around peanut butter cup. Using a fine writing tip on your tube of frosting or piping bag, pipe out a generous amount of icing in three circles around the rim of the Reese’s Peanut Butter cup. The goal is for excess to squeeze out slightly to resemble the hatband around the hat. Don’t put any in the middle because it will drip out through the hole of the cookie.
- Place cup in center of the cookie. Press Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup down on the bottom (chocolate covered side) of the fudge stripe cookie. Allow frosting to seep out slightly.
- Coat decorative icing in sprinkles. Shake sprinkles or sparkling sugar on wet frosting, tapping off excess.
- Attach reese’s pieces. Dab a bit of frosting on one side of a Reese’s Pieces and attach to the brim to make a buckle.
Storage and Freezing
How to Store Pilgrim Hat Cookies
You can keep these cookies either at room temperature in an airtight container, or in the fridge. I like to remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before enjoying.
Can I Freeze Pilgrim Hat Cookies?
Sure! The frosting might thaw a little differently, but make sure to freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag.
More Thanksgiving Desserts
Thanksgiving is all about the FOOD! And not just the savory stuff; here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving desserts.
No-Bake Pilgrim Hat Cookies
No-bake Pilgrim Hat Cookies a simple, yet cute activity for kids and a wonderful decoration for a dessert tray on Thanksgiving. They require no baking and only 4 ingredients.
Servings:
Ingredients
Instructions
- Unwrap all of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and count out your cookies.
- Using a fine writing tip on a tube of frosting, pipe out a circle around the edge of the Reese's Peanut Butter cup. The goal is for excess to squeeze out slightly to resemble a ribbon around the hat. Don't put any in the middle because it will drip out through the hole of the cookie.
- Press the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup down on the bottom (chocolate covered side) of the fudge stripe cookie. Allow the frosting to seep out slightly.
- Shake the sprinkles or sparkling sugar on tacky frosting, tapping off the excess.
- Dab a bit of frosting on one side of a Reese's Pieces or licorice bit and attach to the brim to make a buckle.
- If you've tried this recipe, please come back and let us know in the comments or star ratings!
Notes
*Freezing the Reese’s Peanut Butter cups for 15 minutes before handling helps the wrapping come off easier.
Nutrition
Calories: 176 kcal, Carbohydrates: 18 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 1 mg, Sodium: 145 mg, Potassium: 83 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 12 g, Vitamin A: 10 IU, Calcium: 17 mg, Iron: 0.7 mg
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Hey Girlie, I made the Pilgrim Hat Cookies….Huge Hit..can’t bake to save my life.