So cute and festive, making these Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies is almost as fun as eating them! Get the kids involved, and make these cookies an afternoon baking project the whole family can get in on!
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Light and crispy peanut butter cookies get a holiday-themed makeover with these fun and festive Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies. They’re a quick and easy cookie to make, and you can get creative with the decorations – I’ve got lots of ideas listed out down below!
Grab your mixing bowls and your pretzels, and get ready to make the cutest holiday cookies around!
What You Need To Make Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheet or sheet pans
- Store-bought vanilla icing
- Decorations – pretzel twists, chocolate chips, white icing, dried cranberries
- Butter – salted is fine
- Smooth peanut butter
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
How To Make Rudolph Cookies
For a full list of ingredients and instructions to make these easy holiday cookies, please scroll down to the recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix the softened butter with the peanut butter until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the sugars and continue mixing until it’s all combined.
- Add the egg, and mix until combined. Don’t worry if your batter is lumpy – it won’t be for long.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
- If you’re using a hand mixer, swap it for a good wooden spoon. Or, continue with the stand mixer and mix in half the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Add the remaining flour and mix but don’t over-mix.
- Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough and put them about 2-inches apart on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand or the back of a large spoon.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the pretzel twists in half and press the halves into the top of the cookie to form the antlers.
- Bake at 350-F for about 10 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden brown. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies Decoration Ideas
Use your imagination to come up with some cute decorating ideas to make these adorable Christmas cookies, or use some of the ideas below:
- Pretzel twists for the antlers
- Edible google eyes, brown or black M&M’s, chocolate chips
- For the nose: red M&M’s, maraschino cherries, chocolate chips, dried cranberries
How To Decorate Peanut Butter Rudolph Cookies
- The pretzel antlers will bake into the cookies so you don’t need to do anything with the antlers.
- To make the mouth, cut dried cranberries in half or use half a maraschino cherry. You can also pipe on a mouth with store-bought icing.
- Affix the mouth with a small bit of vanilla icing to act as glue.
- To make the eyes, cut the round bottom off of chocolate chips and using the vanilla icing, glue them onto the cookie. A tiny drop of white icing can make the pupil on the chocolate eye.
- Alternatively, you can use vanilla icing to pipe the eyes and mouth onto the cookies.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- You can make the batter for these Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies ahead of time and pop it into the fridge. Let the cookie dough come to room temperature before forming into balls and baking.
- Parchment paper is a cook’s best friend! Invest in a big ol roll and make clean up so much easier!
- Use a tiny bit of icing to glue on the eyes and nose. You can put a few spoonfuls into a zipper-top bag and press the air out before closing. Then, cut a very tiny bit off one of the bottom corners, and squeeze out the icing you need.
- If you forget to press the pretzels into the cookies before baking, use a bit of icing to glue them on.
- Don’t want to make cookies for the holidays? Here’s all sorts of info on how to Order cookies online!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of peanut butter do I need for Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies?
Smooth peanut butter works best, and I like baking with as natural a peanut butter as I can find. Check the ingredient label – if there are more than peanuts, and maybe salt, then it’s not all-nautral!
Are Reindeer Cookies easy to make?
Yes! The cookie recipe itself is simple and delicious, and you can have fun with the decorations.
Can I make reindeer cookies without peanut butter?
Yes, you can. You can use a basic sugar cookie recipe to make these cute holiday cookies.
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Step By Step Process
Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies are just about the cutest holiday cookies ever! Delicious and fun to make, get the kids involved and make making these cookies a yearly tradition!
Servings 48 cookies
Calories 107kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the decorations:
- 1/4 cup vanilla icing
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 48 pretzel twists
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix the softened butter with the peanut butter on medium-high until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the sugars and continue mixing on medium high until it's all combined.
- Add the egg, and mix until combined. Don't worry if your batter is lumpy – it won't be for long.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
- If you're using a hand mixer, swap it for a good wooden spoon. Or, continue with the stand mixer and mix in half the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Add the remaining flour and mix but don't over-mix.
- Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough and put them about 2-inches apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand or the back of a large spoon.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the pretzel twists in half and press the halves into the top of the cookie to form the antlers.
- Bake at 350-F for about 10 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden brown. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
How to decorate the cookies:
- The pretzel antlers will bake into the cookies so you don't need to do anything with the antlers.
- To make the mouth, cut dried cranberries in half or use half a maraschino cherry. You can also pipe on a mouth with store-bought icing.
- Affix the mouth with a small bit of vanilla icing to act as glue.
- To make the eyes, cut the round bottom off of chocolate chips and using the vanilla icing, glue them onto the cookie. A tiny drop of white icing can make the pupil on the chocolate eye.
- Alternatively, you can use vanilla icing to pipe the eyes and mouth onto the cookies.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- You can make the batter for these Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies ahead of time and pop it into the fridge. Let the cookie dough come to room temperature before forming into balls and baking.
- Parchment paper is a cook’s best friend! Invest in a big ol roll and make clean up so much easier!
- Use a tiny bit of icing to glue on the eyes and nose. You can put a few spoonfuls into a zipper-top bag and press the air out before closing. Then, cut a very tiny bit off one of the bottom corners, and squeeze out the icing you need.
- If you forget to press the pretzels into the cookies before baking, use a bit of icing to glue them on.
Decoration Ideas
Use your imagination to come up with some cute decorating ideas to make these adorable Christmas cookies, or use some of the ideas below:- Pretzel twists for the antlers
- Edible google eyes, brown or black M&M’s, chocolate chips
- For the nose: red M&M’s, maraschino cherries, chocolate chips, dried cranberries
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 130mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
