Rudolph Reindeer Cookies: A Festive and Easy Christmas Treat
These delightful Rudolph Reindeer Cookies are a festive and easy Christmas treat perfect for holiday gatherings. Made with a peanut butter cookie base and decorated with pretzels, M&M's, and chocolate chips, they're sure to bring joy to everyone.
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Bowl
- fork
- Stand mixer or large mixing bowl
- Cookie scoop
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup shortening Crisco
- 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Decorations
- chocolate covered pretzel twists for the antlers
- M&M chocolate candy for the noses
- chocolate chips for the eyes
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees and spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a fork.
Mixing Dough
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, beat shortening, brown sugar, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla until smooth and well-blended.
- Add the egg to the mixture and mix well.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture, mixing until just combined without overmixing.
Forming & Baking
- Form dough into 1-inch balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet, using a cookie scoop if available.
- Pinch the bottom half of each cookie ball to create a reindeer face shape, then gently flatten it.
- Bake cookies one sheet at a time for approximately 8 minutes.
- While the cookies are baking, organize all your embellishments as you will need to work quickly once the cookies are out of the oven.
Decorating & Cooling
- Immediately after baking, while cookies are still warm, press red M&M's for noses and chocolate chips (pointy side up) for eyes fairly close to the nose.
- Carefully add chocolate covered pretzel twists for antlers, ensuring they are solidly on the cookie near the eyes and gently applying pressure to secure them.
- Allow the decorated cookies to finish cooling completely.
Notes
Ensure cookies are still warm when adding decorations for best adhesion. Be gentle when adding pretzel antlers and apply pressure to secure them.