Reindeer Cookies

Everyone will love these adorable chocolate Reindeer Cookies at Christmas.

reindeer cookies on wire rack

Christmas Baking

As someone who painfully lacks culinary artistic skills, I have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen lately making novelty cookies, like the Peanut Butter Spider Cookies which were a big hit at Halloween.

It is worlds away from making something spectacular like a pristine-looking fondant covered cake with beautifully piped buttercream roses, but I have accepted long ago my limitations in the kitchen.

So we now enter the world of kitsch and I am not too sure who is having more fun making and eating these fun cookies – me or the kids!

reindeer cookies with chocolate coated peanuts

Reindeer Cookies

My latest attempt at amusing my children are these adorable and delicious Reindeer Cookies.

The inspiration comes from Hannah Miles, a finalist in one of the series of MasterChef UK, and someone who I admire for leaving for her high-flying legal career to pursue her love of food and cookbook writing.

In recent years, I have been undecided as to whether I have departed ways from my former life as a corporate lawyer, or if I am merely taking (a very long) career break.

Whichever it is, I am always inspired by other lawyers who have opted for a career change down a more creative path. Maybe I will be one of them, but a part of me really misses the intellectual challenges of my former legal career. We will see!

reindeer cookies with candy eyes

Christmas Reindeer Cookies

These Reindeer Cookies combine everything that my son loves to eat as junk food (which he is not allowed to have, of course) – a chocolate cookie with salted pretzels and peanuts. Here, the peanuts are even chocolate coated, which my son did not know existed and they are now his idea of heaven!

My children gave these Reindeer Cookies a big thumbs-up, and I have to say that they are very delicious indeed.

The chocolate cookie is crunchy and sweet, and they are just so cute to look at. Although, I do think some of them look a bit cross-eyed or grumpy, and I blame that on the candy eyes that I have used; unfortunately, I can only find these oval candy eyes where I live and they seem to add more expression than plain round eyes!

reindeer cookies on wire rack

I think these Reindeer Cookies will provide a nice alternative to the usual gingerbread cookies at Christmas, although I know I will be baking many batches of the latter too.

reindeer cookies with pretzels

More Christmas Cookies

If you are looking for Christmas cookie recipes, you might also enjoy:

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Gingerbread Sablé

Petit Beurre Biscuits with Chocolate

Swiss Walnut Christmas Cookies

Print

Reindeer Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 12 reviews

  • Author: Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: Makes about 30 cookies
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: International

Everyone will love these adorable chocolate Reindeer Cookies at Christmas.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  2. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  3. Place the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, baking soda and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.
  4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and golden syrup (or light corn syrup) together.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until everything is well incorporated. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you could simply do this with a large mixing bowl and wooden spoon.
  6. If the mixture looks too dry, add a dash of milk or water until everything comes together into a ball of dough. As there is no egg in this recipe, the dough will be a bit crumbly anyway.
  7. Roll small pieces of dough into a ball, a bit smaller than a golf ball, or make them as large or as small as you like. I prefer to make them small as they will spread a bit upon baking.
  8. Place the balls of dough on the baking tray, but space them apart as they will spread as they bake.
  9. Flatten the balls of dough and gently form oval shapes. Don’t worry if they look cracked because they will become crackly upon baking.
  10. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes and then remove them from the oven.
  11. Immediately press two pretzels into each cookie to form the antlers. Use a clean tea towel to gently flatten each cookie.
  12. Return the cookies to the oven to bake for a further 5-7 minutes, or until the edges look firm.
  13. Immediately press one sugar-coated chocolate peanut into each cookie to form the nose. The heat from the cookies will melt the sugar-coated chocolate peanuts and make them stick together.
  14. Leave the cookies to rest on the hot baking tray for about 5 minutes to firm up before removing them carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.
  15. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Place the melted chocolate into a heat-proof piping bag or a silicone decorating pen.
  16. Dot a very tiny amount of melted chocolate onto each cookie to use as the glue for each candy eye.
  17. If any pretzel has become dislodged, simply “glue” it back with some melted chocolate.

Kitchen Notes

If you can’t find candy eyes, you can still create eyes on the cookies by piping melted white chocolate to form the whites of the eyes, and dotting them with melted dark chocolate to form the pupils.

OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: Nutritional info per cookie
  • Calories: 142
  • Sugar: 10.1g
  • Sodium: 46.6mg
  • Fat: 6.3g
  • Carbohydrates: 21.3g
  • Fiber: 1.5g
  • Protein: 2.1g
  • Cholesterol: 12.4mg

Did you make this recipe?

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Update

This recipe was first published on 8 November 2017. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.

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24 comments

  1. Monica | Nourish & Fete 8 November 2017

    These are just too adorable – definitely pinning to try for the holidays! I, too, admire others who have left successful careers to pursue this type of work as a passion, and dream of following suit one day. 🙂






    Reply
  2. Meliann 8 November 2017

    Awww! I so much enjoyed looking at the pictures of these adorable reindeer cookies. My son’s school will be having a bake sale at the end of the month and I’m thinking of making your great reindeer cookies! I bet the kids will love them! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 13 November 2017

      I bet these will totally be a hit with the childen 🙂 I hope you will enjoy the recipe!

      Reply
  3. Hannah Healy 9 November 2017

    Oh my gosh! These are adorable!






    Reply
  4. Amy 9 November 2017

    These reindeer cookies are just too hilarious and cute! I’m dying! And they sound so yummy too!






    Reply
  5. Patty @ Spoonabilities 9 November 2017

    How adorable are these!? And such an easy decorating idea for kids. They would love this!






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 13 November 2017

      Although the children loved these cookies, I think I would only attempt making them with older children, especially as you have to be quick to decorate the cookies before they cool. But definitely doable!

      Reply
  6. cakespy 9 November 2017

    These are just ridiculous…ly adorable!! I can’t even stand their happy little faces. Still, I’d eat them. 😉

    Reply
  7. Ilka 2 December 2017

    So cute!

    Reply
  8. Margaret White 21 December 2017

    Just made these cookies but they sugar is not mentioned in the instructions! I assume it goes in with the dry ingredients, is this correct?

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 21 December 2017

      Hi Margaret,
      So sorry! I’ve just updated the recipe to include the sugar in the instructions. You are correct – the sugar is added together with the dry ingredients. I hope you will enjoy these cookies!

      Reply
  9. Julia 16 April 2018

    So cute!! Beautiful presentation. I would love to try this!






    Reply
  10. Danielle Wolter 27 November 2018

    These are just so cute! What a great way to make xmas baking fun 🙂 These would be perfect for gifts and parties!






    Reply
  11. Sharon 20 December 2021

    Fun to make with the kids! The cookies were crunchy and delicious. Will make more to give as gifts next time!






    Reply
  12. Lucy Hamilton 28 September 2023

    These Reindeer Cookies are just too adorable! I tried making them with my kids last weekend and they were a hit. Not only are they super cute, but they’re also delicious. The chocolate and pretzel combination is just perfect. Thanks for sharing this delightful recipe!






    Reply
  13. Morgan Fisher 28 September 2023

    I made these for a Christmas party at work, and they were the star of the show! Everyone kept asking me for the recipe. The candy eyes I found were round, and they looked just as cute. Will definitely be making these every year. Thanks for the detailed instructions.






    Reply
  14. Claire Thompson 28 September 2023

    I’ve always been a fan of themed cookies, especially during the holidays. These Reindeer Cookies are a perfect addition to my Christmas cookie collection. Love the idea of using sugar-coated chocolate peanuts for the nose – genius! Can’t wait to bake these with my nieces.






    Reply
  15. Jake Anderson 28 September 2023

    My wife and I had a blast making these! We’re always looking for fun and festive recipes for the holidays, and this one is a keeper. The cookies were crunchy and chocolatey, and those pretzel antlers are just the right touch of saltiness. Kudos for such a creative and tasty recipe!






    Reply
  16. Taylor Greene 29 September 2023

    These reindeer cookies are absolutely adorable! The step-by-step instructions make it seem so doable, even for a baking newbie like myself. This recipe not only promises a tasty treat but also a fun and festive baking experience. Can’t wait to add this to my holiday baking tradition!






    Reply