Description

Reindeer Cookies are a delightful and festive treat perfect for holiday celebrations. These soft and chewy peanut butter cookies are decorated with mini pretzels, chocolate chips, and red candies to resemble cute reindeer faces, making them fun for bakers and eaters of all ages. Easy to make and irresistibly charming, these cookies add a playful touch to any holiday cookie platter.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Decorations

48 mini pretzels (2 per cookie for antlers)
24 red chocolate candies or red M&M’s (for noses)
48 mini chocolate chips (for eyes)

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Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
Cream Ingredients: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, which helps create a light texture for the cookies.
Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next, then stir in the vanilla extract for flavor.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined to avoid overworking the dough.
Form Dough Balls: Scoop the dough into 1½-inch balls. Slightly flatten each ball and arrange them spaced apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow spreading while baking.
Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn lightly golden, indicating they are cooked through but still soft.
Decorate Warm Cookies: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven and are still warm, gently press two mini pretzels at the top of each cookie to create antlers, place two mini chocolate chips beneath them for eyes, and add one red candy in the center as a festive nose.
Cool Completely: Transfer the decorated cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely before serving or storing to allow the decorations to set firmly.

Notes

For best results, use softened butter to ensure a creamy texture in the dough.
If you have peanut allergies, substitute peanut butter with sunflower seed butter for a similar taste.
Mini pretzels should be broken if they’re too large to fit nicely as antlers.
Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent cookies from sticking to baking sheets.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.