Easy Reindeer Cookies make an adorable addition to the holiday dessert table or Santa’s cookie plate! Make these super simple with pre-made cookie dough or bake sugar cookies from scratch.
Reindeer Cookies
These Reindeer Sugar Cookies are so simple to decorate, they’re perfect for the kids to help with. Santa will love these on his plate or, because they’re so easy, they’d be great to include for a cookie swap.
You can make these reindeer cookies from scratch using your favorite roll-out sugar cookie recipe or take a shortcut and use break & bakes or a roll of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough.
Have the adults enjoy them with a Drunken Rudolph Milkshake!
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Butter
- Sugar
- Egg
- Orange Juice
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Chocolate Chips
- Coconut Oil
- Mini Red M&Ms
How to make Reindeer Sugar Cookies
If you’re using pre-made dough, slice the dough into approximately 1/4″ slices, roll into a ball, then press down onto a baking sheet (I used a floured glass) to flatten. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
If you want to make sugar cookies from scratch, either use the recipe below that rolls out really nicely, or use your favorite recipe.
Either way, once you have baked cookies, let them cool then start decorating…
How to decorate them
Add 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (I like to use Ghirardelli Baking Chips) and a teaspoon of coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue heating in 10 second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth.
Transfer the melted chocolate to a plastic baggie. Snip just the tip so you can draw the antlers and eyes onto the reindeer cookies. You’ll also use a dot of the chocolate to “glue” the mini M&M nose to the cookie.
That’s it! Reindeer cookies complete.
If you want another reindeer treat, try my super easy reindeer bark or no bake reindeer poop cookies!
Supplies you’ll need
- Mini M&Ms – for the reindeer nose.
- Ghirardelli Baking Chips – I like the quality of the Ghirardelli chips.
- Baking Sheets – Use a baking sheet with a lip so your reindeer don’t slide off.
Need more Christmas cookies? Try these:
- Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Stars
- Oatmeal Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Christmasdoodles
Reindeer Cookies
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookies
For Decorating
- ¼ cup Ghirardelli baking chips melted
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 30 mini red M&M’s for the noses
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup softened butter, sugar and egg in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.
- Add orange juice and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
- Add flour and baking powder; beat at low speed until well mixed.
- Divide dough into thirds. Shape each third into a ball; flatten slightly. Wrap each in plastic food wrap; refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or until firm. (I prepped mine the night before)
- When ready to bake, heat oven to 400°F.
- Roll out dough, one-third at a time, on lightly floured surface (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Bake 6-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
- Let stand 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.
To Decorate
- Melt the baking chips in a microwave safe bowl with the coconut oil – 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir, until smooth.
- Put the melted chocolate into a plastic baggie. Snip the tip (very tip – small cut) to pipe the antlers and noses on.
- Attach the mini M&M noses to the chocolate "glue".
- Let set then enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Originally published December 11, 2012
These are so cute!!!!
These cookies are very cute! I would love if you would share these at my blog party, Celebrate It! it is all about celebrating our wonderful everyday life!
http://thefreshmancook.blogspot.com/2014/11/celebrate-it-blog-party-19.html
Those are so cute! My girls would love to make them. I’m featuring your cute cookies tomorrow in my Friday Features… thanks for linking up to Inspire Me Monday.