These cookies are so cute! They’re fun and easy to make. (Kids LOVE them!) And the sweet and salty flavor combination of the cookies and pretzels makes them one of my favorites. They’re also cute, did I mention that? I love cute cookies.
I made them with a chocolate cookie dough, but you could use gingerbread or sugar cookie dough, too. (Or any dough you like!) For the eyes, if you use a lighter-colored dough, you might want to use chocolate chips instead of butterscotch chips for more contrast. You could also use mini M&Ms. The nose can be anything–candied cherries, gum drops, or any other suitably sized candy. I used large peanut butter M&Ms.
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How to make Reindeer Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
mini pretzel twists
butterscotch chips
large red M&Ms
Preheat your oven to 350-degrees. In a medium-size bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer. Add sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Beat again. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour with a spoon. Divide the dough into two pieces. Wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
Roll out one piece of the cookie dough into an 8-inch square (approximately, don’t get hung up on that). Trim sides to make them even. (Save the dough scraps to roll out again with the second piece of dough.) Cut into approximately 2- to 3-inch squares.
Cut across the squares to make triangles. It doesn’t really matter what size the cookies are, by the way. Make them whatever size you want! Place two pretzels at the top on each side. Just slide them under the edge of the cookie and press down on the dough very lightly to make sure they stick. Place two butterscotch chips for the eyes.
Press a large red M&M onto each cookie for the nose.
Bake at 350-degrees for about 8 minutes. How adorable are these?
If you realize after baking that you accidentally forgot to completely decorate a few of them….
….you should eat them immediately. And not tell anyone. It’s the right thing to do. You only want your family to have the good ones.
P.S. You’d better have some of the good ones, too. You have to test them!
*This makes about 5-6 dozen cookies, though the number of cookies you’ll end up with depends on the size of the triangles you cut out.
See this recipe at Farm Bell Recipes and save it to your recipe box.
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Darlene in North Georgia says:
OF course you owe it to your family! We even out the edges to keep them from having to deal with the lack of evenness. That’s true love!
On December 18, 2009 at 2:15 am
SkippyMom says:
um…your cookies scare me, a bit. I bet they taste good tho’.
On December 18, 2009 at 2:49 am
Rituparna says:
These are very very cute ,,,,
And they do look mouth watering yummy as well.
Just have to make them ..
On December 18, 2009 at 4:04 am
JOJO says:
:woof:
:snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman:
These are adorable! I have never seen any like them.
JO
:snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman:
On December 18, 2009 at 4:45 am
JOJO says:
:woof: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman:
These are adoroable! I have not seen them before.
JO :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman:
On December 18, 2009 at 4:48 am
Patricia Herman says:
How cute are those…adorable.
On December 18, 2009 at 6:07 am
CindyP says:
Again you take something so cute and hard looking and give us the easy version! :reindeer: Very, very cute!!!!
On December 18, 2009 at 6:40 am
Laura says:
Cute. I make a similar one out of peanutbutter cookies dough. I do cheat and buy the rolls of it in the grocer’s freezer section. Slice them into circles and slightly squeeze them in the middle so they are shaped a bit like a peanut or a figure 8. Do the super cute pretzel antlers, the chocolate chip eyes, and on the bottom a cinnamon imperial candy. They are yummy, and now I will have to add the chocolate cookies on here to the list. Kids really do love em’, grown up too.
On December 18, 2009 at 6:48 am
NorthCountryGirl says:
So cute! You are so creative!!!
On December 18, 2009 at 7:21 am
Susan says:
Suzanne, these cookies are adorable! I can’t wait to try them. Hope to do some baking this weekend. Where do you come up with these ideas? Keep ’em coming.
Oh yes, and I hear snow is headed your way. I’m envious. Thought I saw a flurry the other day, but it must have been a bug. We never get any good snow in middle Tennessee. Wish I was there!
Susan at Charm of the Carolines
On December 18, 2009 at 7:32 am
christina hochschild says:
adorable! :snoopy:
On December 18, 2009 at 7:44 am
Debnfla3 says:
Can’t wait to make these!
We are driving to Niceville today to pick up our daughter from the airport and this will be a fun thing to do! Doesn’t matter that she is 23 years young….still a “young’un” at heart! And still my baby.
Jessica loves making cookies…oh the fun we are going to have making cookies and baking bread!
Deb :snoopy:
On December 18, 2009 at 8:00 am
Mimi says:
Those are the cutest reindeer cookies, ever! Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
On December 18, 2009 at 9:02 am
Remudamom (Lee) says:
Suzanne, have you ever made reindeer kisses? They’re are the big favorite around here, I’ve got to make some today.
Get some mini pretzels, put a chocolate kiss on each one. I use my dehydrator trays to lay them all out. Then I pop the tray in the dehydrator until the chocolate kisses get soft and glossy. Take them out and push an M&M into each kiss. Put the tray in the freezer so they’ll set quickly……….Reindeer kisses!!
On December 18, 2009 at 9:24 am
Barbee' says:
Your projects just keep getting cuter! Seeing the cookies reminded me that Kristin mentioned Surprise Cookies making me want to check them out, too, then, of course, I had to read about the Grandmother Bread with Fresh Blue Berries. I MUST get away from this computer, or I will get absolutely nothing done. Carry on, everyone, :wave: I will be back tonight to check in before I go to bed :happyfeet:
On December 18, 2009 at 10:09 am
Emily says:
I’m with skippymom….they freak me out a little…but so do clowns……and penguins.
On December 18, 2009 at 10:13 am
brenda harmon says:
Those are sooo cute! I wish I would have seen these sooner I am going to a cookie exchange tommorrow, these would have been perfect. We could make cookies or candy. I made crushed peppermint creams (fast, easy & no baking). I love that those cookies make 6 dozen, I like to get it all done in one baking session versus multiple batches.
On December 18, 2009 at 10:27 am
Jodie says:
These cookies look so good, I want to like my monitor!!! Must be lunch time… Here’s another easy treat with pretzels: take a mini-pretzel like then, add a rollo caramel in the middle, melt it slightly then press a half of a pecan on it. Yummy!
On December 18, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Julie says:
What CUTE cookies. Thanks so much for sharing them!!!!
LOVE to visit here. 🙂
On December 18, 2009 at 2:02 pm
5kathleen2 says:
I have to make these, probably with gingerbread dough. So cute. I have all my Christmas shopping done!!! Wahoo for me. Now i have to grocery shop for last minute things and start baking. We are having my parents over for a week starting Monday. Taffy pulling, jigsaw puzzles, and old movie watching. Yippee. Let the fun begin! :reindeer:
:snoopy: :snoopy: :snoopy: :snoopy: :snoopy: :snoopy: :snoopy: :snoopy: :snoopy: :snoopy:
On December 18, 2009 at 2:57 pm
nikki says:
Similiar to Reindeer kisses you take mini pretzels put a ROLO candy on each one and throw in the oven for 4 minutes at like 350 until the ROLO is glossy and melty then you smash a pecan half on top of the melt and press down. YUMMY. Love the reindeer cookies though i might make some this weekend!.
On December 18, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Jo says:
Suzanne…. :snuggle: (((((hug))))) 😥
On December 18, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Samantha Strickland says:
Suzanne, you make me want to stay home and bake ALL day! What cute cookies. :woof:
On December 18, 2009 at 5:55 pm
mirela says:
They look so funny, Suzanne 🙂 Cute, too!
On December 18, 2009 at 6:30 pm
stefinity says:
ahhhh bummer … Suzannnnnnne YOU are a winner… too bad everyone doesn’t see it that way 🙁 (((hugs))) <3
On December 18, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Angela says:
Hey Suzanne!
Are you ready for the “Big Snow” :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: :snowman: we are going to get tonight and tomorrow? Hope you have your fire burning and your generator ready just in case it gets bad. I made my mad dash to the store today while I was out. lol :happyfeet:
How much snow do you think we will get? :snowman:
Merry Christmas!
Angela :wave:
On December 18, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Valerie says:
Geez Suzanne, I feel you were gypped in that contest. You have to know you are a winner in our eyes and hearts. You’ve had a couple not-so-great days, what with the hacking and unkind comments left by a couple posters. Just close your eyes and feel the hugs me and my dh are sending you. :heart:
On December 18, 2009 at 8:01 pm
JOJO says:
:woof:
Did I miss something–are the results of the Good mood blog in?
JO
On December 18, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
JO, yes, I’ll have a post tomorrow. The SAM-e contest is finalized. Brigitte Dale won the job.
On December 18, 2009 at 8:35 pm
JOJO says:
:woof:
well!!
I am not going to be reading their blog–they didnt pick the right person–in my opinion.
We all know you are the best person for the job, and the extra income would have been good for you as well.
Time will tell————
JO
On December 18, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Dawn says:
The number you end up with probably also has something to do with how many you mess up and how much testing you do!
On December 19, 2009 at 1:00 am
Farmer Shae says:
The cookies are so adorable I could poke them with a stick!! My own xmas treats have gone awry, as I am making candy during 4 days of rain…sugar is just not setting up the way it should, darnit all! Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, lol.
Clearly the Sam-e gig just wasn’t meant to be. That means you will be available when something bigger and better comes along.
You’re the best in my book!!!!! :hug:
On December 19, 2009 at 1:43 am
Angelina in Kansas says:
Soooo, cute, I had to make these over Christmas to take to our family get together. :hissyfit: These were so fun to make, I had my son help decorate :french: , although when we traveled, some reindeer were unfortunate, :reindeer: but many survived the trip. Everyone luv, luv, loved ’em! Especially the kiddos. Thank you so much for all of your great ideas :heart:
On May 22, 2010 at 10:46 am
Run DMT says:
I searched high and low for that reindeer cookie recipe from Publix. I don’t know where I hid mine. So glad I found it here! Thank you!
On December 6, 2010 at 12:47 pm