These simple Pilgrim Hats take just a few easy steps to make, so it’s a great way to get the kids involved during your Thanksgiving celebration. You can even make these pilgrim hats with extra candies or different colors of frosting! It’s great for classroom parties, an afternoon treat, or any other day in November just to make the holiday a little more special. For more fun and easy Thanksgiving snacks and desserts, try my Twix Caramel Popcorn, Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, Puff Pastry Apple Roses, Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse, and this Thanksgiving Punch!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Use your favorite cookies for the base of the hat, any color of frosting, and even different candies for decoration! These no-bake cookies are made with just 4 ingredients that you can get from your local grocery store. They’re SO EASY to make: frost a cookie, put a peanut butter cup on top, and add candy!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cookies – I’ve used fudge stripe cookies for the base of the pilgrim hats as they have a great crunchy texture, as well as some chocolate! You can use another kind of cookie like Oreos, iced oatmeal cookies, or any other round cookie that you prefer. Frosting – Use a yellow frosting for a great color contrast to the chocolate cookie and peanut butter cup on top. A dollop of frosting becomes the hatband, helps in attaching Reese’s cup to the cookie, and also adds another sweet layer to these cookies. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are for the top of the pilgrim hat, adding a delicious peanut butter chocolate flavor. M&M’s – Mini M&Ms are the best size for these cookies to get the proportions right. Use any kind of M&Ms (crispy, peanut, chocolate), or even Mini Reese’s Pieces if you prefer.
How to Make This Recipe
Tips for Success
I tested these cookies using the fudge-coated peanut butter cookies but felt that the cookie-to-Reese’s cup ratio was off and didn’t create a big enough brim. I recommend using the fudge-striped cookies, as mentioned in the recipe, as they are larger and create a better hat shape. You can use a tube of store-bought yellow decorator’s icing or color some Vanilla Buttercream Frosting with gold or yellow food coloring (affiliate link) to adhere the Reese’s cups to the cookies. I opted for the second method as I prefer the taste of vanilla frosting over decorator’s icing. Apply a generous amount of frosting to secure Reese’s cup to the cookie, as this creates a distinct band around the hat. However, be careful not to overdo it, as excess frosting might make the cookies too sweet.
Substitutions and Variations
Use other cookies for the base. Any kind of chocolate wafer cookies or even sandwich cookies like Oreos can be a great alternative to fudge-stripe cookies for those who prefer a different texture or want to try something new. You could even make your own cookies, just make sure they are sturdy enough to support the toppings! Try my Toffee Pecan Shortbread Cookies, or these Cut Out Sugar Cookies. Try other colors of frosting. Try other colors of frosting to make a personalized cute pilgrim hat cookie. Orange frosting or a blend of orange and yellow frosting will work for the fall color palette too. Use melted chocolate instead of frosting if you like! Add more decorations. Incorporating more decorations like candy corn or Reese’s Pieces can add more festive flair to these cookies.
More Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
Baked Pumpkin Donuts Fresh Cranberry Shortbread Bars Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting Pumpkin Cheesecake Sour Cream Apple Pie Pumpkin Roll Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies German Apple Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse
Caramel Apple Pie
Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
