These Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies are almost too cute to eat! With pretzel antlers, chocolate chip eyes, and bright red maraschino cherry noses, these soft peanut butter cookies look just like Rudolph and his friends.
Not only are these reindeer cookies adorable, they’re also incredibly delicious. The rich peanut butter cookie base pairs perfectly with the sweet cherries, crunchy pretzels, and chocolate chips.
These festive cookies are a wonderful treat for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, holiday dessert trays, or baking with kids.
A Fun Christmas Cookie to Bake with Kids
One of the best parts about making these Christmas reindeer cookies is decorating them. Once the cookie dough is mixed and portioned, you simply add the chocolate chip eyes and pretzel antlers before baking, then press a maraschino cherry on top after the cookies come out of the oven.
Kids love helping decorate these cookies, and each one turns out with its own personality. Some antlers may be a little crooked, and some eyes might sit differently, but that just makes the cookies even more charming.
The Trickiest Part: Making the Pretzel Antlers
The most challenging part of this recipe is breaking the mini pretzel twists into antler shapes. The easiest method is to cut the pretzels with a serrated knife rather than trying to snap them with your hands.
Typically, you’ll get one good antler per pretzel, although sometimes you might get two. Don’t worry about the broken pieces — they make a great snack while you bake!
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
Dry the cherries well.
Maraschino cherries contain a lot of syrup, which can make the cookies soggy if they’re too wet. Pat the cherry halves dry with paper towels and let them air dry while you prepare the dough.
Cut pretzel antlers with a serrated knife.
Mini pretzel twists can be tricky to break into antlers. A small serrated knife works best for cutting them cleanly. Many pretzels will break unevenly, so keep extra pretzels on hand.
Don’t worry about perfect antlers.
Each reindeer cookie will look slightly different, which adds to their charm. Even if some pretzel pieces break, the cookies will still look adorable.
Place the cherry noses while the cookies are hot.
Press the cherry halves onto the cookies immediately after baking. The melted chocolate chip underneath acts like glue and helps hold the cherry in place.
Leave space between cookies.
Peanut butter cookies spread slightly as they bake, so leave a few inches between each dough ball on the baking sheet.
Bake until just set.
The cookies should have set edges and a matte-looking top when done. This keeps them soft and chewy instead of dry.
Store properly.
Keep the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days, so they stay soft and fresh.
Make them a family activity.
These reindeer cookies are perfect for baking with kids. Let everyone decorate their own cookies with pretzel antlers, chocolate chip eyes, and bright cherry noses.
Related Recipes
If you enjoy making these Christmas cookies, you might also like to make these other cute reindeer recipes.
Recipe
- 48 maraschino cherry halves
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup Dixie Crystals light brown sugar
- ¼ cup Dixie Crystals extra fine granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 144 chocolate chips
- 96 pretzel antlers Cut mini pretzel twists using a serrated knife to create antlers for your reindeer. You’ll need a total of 96 pretzel antlers for your reindeer cookies but many pretzels will break while you are cutting them so be sure to have more pretzels on hand.
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Place a few layers of paper towels on your counter and arrange the maraschino cherry halves on the towels. Gently pat them dry with more paper towels. Then let them air dry until needed.
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Beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
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Then add the egg and beat until well combined.
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In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
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Scoop out forty-eight 1-tablespoon portions of the cookie dough and arrange them on parchment-paper-lined baking sheets with a few inches in between each cookie.
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Roll the cookie dough into smooth balls then use the palm of your hand to flatten the cookies into a 2-inch circle.
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Press two chocolate chips right next to each other in the center of each cookie dough circle to create the reindeer’s eyes. (They will separate when the cookies spread as they bake.)
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Press a single chocolate chip about ½ inch below the two chocolate chip eyes. This chocolate chip will be covered with a cherry nose after the cookies are baked. The melted chocolate will help to “glue” the cherry to the cookie.
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Insert a pretzel antler on either side of the top of the cookie.
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Bake the decorated cookies for 10 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set and the tops of the cookies no longer look wet.
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The cookies will spread slightly while baking and the chocolate chip eyes will spread apart slightly.
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Remove the pan and immediately press one maraschino cherry half over the single chocolate chip to create the reindeer’s nose.
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Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet then remove them and place them on a cooling rack until cooled completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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