Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
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These peanut butter reindeer cookies are the cutest Christmas cookies to bring holiday cheer to your celebrations!
This easy recipe turns a classic peanut butter cookie into adorable reindeer faces with pretzel antlers, red M&M noses, and candy eyes.
Perfect for Christmas Eve, holiday cookie swaps, or a Christmas party, these reindeer peanut butter cookies are a fun way to get kids involved in holiday baking.
Plus, they’re soft, chewy, and full of festive charm! Like our other Christmas recipes, they are super easy to make.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super fun and festive: With mini pretzel antlers and candy faces, these adorable reindeer cookies bring instant holiday cheer.
- Perfect for little hands: Kids will love helping to assemble the cute reindeer faces.
- Soft and chewy: These cute reindeer cookies use a peanut butter base, making them perfectly soft and full of creamy peanut butter flavor.
- Ideal for gifting or cookie swaps: Make a big batch and share the holiday spirit with friends and family.
- Simple ingredients: You only need pantry staples and a few holiday treats to bring these reindeer to life.
Ingredients for reindeer face cookies
- All purpose flour
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Peanut butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Baking powder
- Mini pretzels for reindeer antlers
- Red M&M candies
- Eyeball candies
Equipment and kitchen tools
- Electric hand mixer
- Cookie sheet
How to make easy reindeer cookies
Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder, and set aside.
Step 2 – To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
Use a hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar for 1—2 minutes.
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Step 3 – Add the peanut butter, vanilla, and egg, and mix until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, slowly folding the dough together until just combined.
Step 4 – Use a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop to scoop out the dough, and place on the baking sheet 2—3 inches apart.
Use a fork to add the crisscross pattern to the cookies.
Step 5 – Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and break off pretzel pieces to make the reindeer antlers, add red m&m noses, and candy eyes.
Tips for the Best Results
- Use softened butter at room temperature to help the cookie dough blend smoothly.
- Scoop uniform dough balls. Use a medium cookie scoop to form 1-inch balls for even baking and a consistent size.
- Chill the dough slightly if it’s too sticky to handle. A few minutes in the fridge can help with forming perfect dough balls.
- Don’t overbake. These cookies should come out of the oven soft. They’ll firm up as they cool on the baking sheet or a wire rack.
- Assemble quickly after baking. Once the cookies are out of the oven, press the pretzel antlers, red M&M noses, and candy eyes into the tops of the cookies while they’re still warm.
Substitutions and Variations
- Change up the candy decorations: Try using chocolate chips or mini chocolate chip eyes or swap red hots for the noses.
- Add a chocolate dip: Dip the bottom of each cookie in melted chocolate for a fun and tasty touch.
FAQs
Place them in an airtight container in single layers, with a piece of parchment paper between layers to avoid smudging the candy eyes or M&M noses. These cookies will keep well at room temperature for up to a week.
Yes! Freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature on a cookie tray, then add any decorations that may have fallen off.
Absolutely. Prepare the dough and refrigerate it for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Let it soften slightly before scooping and baking.
For best results, use creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter can be too oily and might not hold the cookie shape as well.
Be sure to measure flour correctly by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off. If you’re still having trouble, a kitchen scale can help achieve a more precise measurement.
More fun cookie recipes
Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 48 Pretzels for reindeer antlers
- 24 red M&M candies
- 48 eyeball candies
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder, and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
- Use a hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the peanut butter, vanilla, and egg, and mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredient to the wet, slowly, folding the dough together until just combined.
- Use a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop to scoop out the dough, and place on the baking sheet 2-3 inches apart.
- Use a fork to add the criss cross pattern to the cookies.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and break off pretzel pieces to make the reindeer antlers, add M&M noses, and candy eyes.
Nutrition
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