Description
Playful peanut butter reindeer cookies bring holiday cheer with their whimsical design and delightful flavor. Festive treats that spark joy and delight children and adults alike, these charming cookies promise sweet memories of seasonal celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Cookie Ingredients:
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (125 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorating Ingredients:
- Mini pretzels
- Candy eyes
- Red candy-coated chocolates
Instructions
- Cream together butter, peanut butter, and both sugars until light and fluffy, ensuring a smooth base for the cookie dough.
- Incorporate egg and vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly to create a uniform wet mixture.
- In a separate container, combine flour, baking soda, and salt, whisking to distribute leavening agents evenly.
- Gradually fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, gently mixing until a cohesive dough develops.
- Refrigerate dough for half an hour to enhance flavor and improve handling consistency.
- Heat oven to 350F and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper for optimal cookie release.
- Portion dough into uniform balls, spacing them across the lined baking sheet to allow proper spreading.
- Gently press each cookie ball to create a slightly flattened surface for even baking.
- Bake until edges turn golden and centers appear set, approximately 8-10 minutes.
- While cookies remain warm, carefully position pretzel pieces to resemble reindeer antlers.
- Delicately attach candy eyes and red candy nose to transform cookies into adorable reindeer characters.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for brief cooling, then transfer to wire rack for complete cooling.
- Display or package cookies for festive holiday sharing and gifting.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly to prevent spreading during baking and create a more compact cookie shape.
- Use room temperature ingredients for smoother mixing and better cookie texture.
- Replace traditional pretzels with gluten-free pretzels to make the recipe celiac-friendly.
- Swap regular peanut butter with almond or sunflower seed butter for nut-free alternatives that still deliver delicious results.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg