Mom's peanut butter cookie recipe molds easily to create these adorable festive delicious cookies.
Christmas time makes the best memories that last a lifetime and the kids just love them.
The best part is eating them of course, the cookie is crunchy on the outside soft on the inside!
This dough smells wonderful and simple to just by rolling it into balls and pinching the bottoms for the chin of the reindeer.
We also use this same dough to make thumbprints filling the middle with jam or Hershey's kisses, you will find also in the recipe card.
The recipe was mom's go-to recipe and is more than 50 years old and I still have this one written on an index card in her handwriting.
As the years pass this is the cookie my grandson still enjoys making every year with me and he looks forward to making these with me.
The best traditions are born in the kitchen, aren't they?
The recipe card below is printable with mom's recipe for peanut butter cookies and the instructions just scroll to the bottom.
Simply Fun and Festive Cookies
Honestly, there is nothing to making these delicious peanut butter cookies into cute little reindeers.
Antonio was so articulate on adding the mini chocolate chips for eyes, the cinnamon hots for the nose and then we found that there are mini pretzels out there to do the ears!
He kept getting so excited as he saw his creation come to life in the form of a reindeer and of course he snuck a few pieces of candy in the process.
I loved watching his excitement as they transformed into such a fun holiday cookie!
Tools Needed
- bowl
- spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- plastic knife
Easy To Decorate
The dough molds perfectly and you can use your imagination to decorate however you like.
We bought the candies, pretzels, and mini chocolate chips all at the grocery store.
He really did a fantastic first-time job and only 4 years old!
Every year they come out a little different!
All Shapes May Be Different
It's ok if all the reindeer aren't the same, they may all look just a little different.
Pretzels can be broken into any shapes so if you have squares, sticks or oval shapes, make it fun and creative.
Change the nose using a different red candy you prefer or you can even decorate with tinted frosting.
Tips
- Always preheat the oven
- keep the dough covered so it doesn't dry out while shaping
- this dough works with cookie cutters
- thicker cookies stay softer
- don't overcook these bake until just set
Ingredients Used to Make Reindeer Peanut Butter Cookies
- shortening ( I like the butter flavored)
- peanut butter
- brown sugar
- milk
- vanilla
- egg
- flour
- baking soda
- salt
- Decorations:
- mini chocolate chips
- red hots, red m&m's or chopped cherries
- pretzel sticks or mini pretzels work best
Other Cookie Dough Idea(for peanut butter allergies)
- store-bought cookie dough mix works great
- sugar cookie dough works however you have to add 1/4 cup of flour to the mix to make them sturdy
- same with chocolate cookie dough add flour so they do not spread
- my Buttermilk Cookie Dough also molds easily
Suggestions
- Chopped Maraschino Cherries
- Colored piped frosting for eyes and nose
- pretzel sticks instead of mini pretzels or you can break mini pretzels to look like antlers
- M & M's red
- Any small red candies for the nose
- Make these into thumbprint cookies and filled the middles with jam or Hershey kisses instead of reindeer
Try Some of My Other Favorite Cookies Recipes
24 Kinds of cookies
Jam Bow Ties
Cowboy Cookies
Pistachio Ricotta Cookies
Almond Paste Cookies
Reindeer Peanut Butter Cookies Pin for later
Reindeer Cookies
If you want the perfect cookie to make memories with your children or grandchildren these Reindeer Cookies will do just that!
Again, you can substitute another kind of cookie dough if there is a concern for peanut butter allergies try one of my suggestions above.
We have so much fun making these together and I hope it bring your family fond memories also.
Reindeer Peanut Butter Cookies
Yield: 27
prep time: 35 Mcook time: 12 Mtotal time: 47 M
These are an adorable hand-molded Reindeer cookie made with peanut butter cookie dough that is perfect to make beautiful memories with your children, grandchildren or young at heart!
ingredients:
- 1/2 cup shortening ( I like the butter flavored)
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- Decorations:
- Note: You can add the pretzels before or after cooking, I have done this both ways and find the pretzels stay better cooked and the eyes and nose better to add after cooking.
- mini chocolate chips for the eyes
- mini pretzels ears use two for boy reindeers 1 set for girl reindeer's
- red hot cinnamon candies for the nose
- optional a mixture of powdered sugar and water to make a thick paste to glue on the nose, ears, and eyes. This will keep the pretzels that are doubled from falling off also.
instructions:
How to cook Reindeer Peanut Butter Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375-degree hot oven
- Cream the shortening, sugar and peanut butter together. Add the milk, egg, vanilla.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt until evenly combined.
- Roll into balls.
- Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand, then pitch the nose to shape and keep the head rounded in a teardrop-shaped dough.
- Note: For the Reindeer nose, roll into balls then pinch the bottom to a point, it takes a few tries to get the shape right.
- Add the antler pretzels stick or mini pretzels, mini chips, and red nose candy.
- Again you can place the candy on cookies while still hot but just bake the ears.
- Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for around 8 minutes.
- Note: for Thumbprints cookies, roll the dough into a ball, press you finger in the center to make a well. Fill with jam of choice or a Hershey kiss.
Calories
79
79
Fat (grams)
11
11
Sat. Fat (grams)
5
5
Carbs (grams)
21
21
Net carbs
15
15
Sugar (grams)
22
22
Reindeer Peanut Butter Cookies Pin for later
Try Some Christmas Candy We Love
Peanut Brittle
Baked Caramel Corn
Irish Potato Candy
No-Bake Rum Balls
Easy Fudge Recipe
Salted Caramel Bites
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2013. It was edited and re-published in 2020.