Description
These Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies are festive, fun, and perfect for the holiday season. Made with simple ingredients, these soft peanut butter cookies are creatively decorated with pretzels for antlers, mini peanut butter cups for heads, M&M’s for noses, and candy eyes, making them a delightful treat for both kids and adults.
Ingredients
Scale
Peanut Butter Cookies
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter (not all natural)
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
Decorations
- 1 cup pretzels (broken in half for antlers)
- 24 mini peanut butter cups
- 24 M&M’s or other round colored candies (for noses)
- 48 candy eyes or 48 mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare muffin tin: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin or a 12-cup regular muffin tin. Using a mini muffin tin is recommended for best results.
- Mix cookie dough: In a bowl, combine the peanut butter, sugar, and egg. Stir until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined to form your cookie dough.
- Scoop dough into tin: Using a small cookie scooper or spoon, portion the dough into each muffin cup. Gently press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of each muffin cup with the back of your scooper, spoon, or fingers.
- Bake cookies: Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges.
- Add peanut butter cups: Remove the tin from the oven. While the cookies are still warm, press one mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie so it slightly melts and adheres to the base.
- Decorate reindeer features: Break pretzels in half to create antlers. Place two pretzel halves on each peanut butter cup head. Then add one M&M as the nose and two candy eyes or mini chocolate chips for eyes on each cookie.
- Cool and serve: Allow the cookies to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes. Carefully remove each cookie and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before enjoying.
Notes
- Mini muffin tins create smaller, bite-sized cookies ideal for parties and treats.
- If using a regular muffin tin, halve the quantity of decorations accordingly: 12 peanut butter cups, 12 M&M’s, and 24 candy eyes or mini chocolate chips.
- Use smooth peanut butter for best texture; natural peanut butter’s oiliness may alter dough consistency.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute pretzels with gluten-free pretzels and ensure all candies are gluten-free.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
