Reindeer cookies are soft chocolate cookies with candy faces and pretzel antlers. This is the easiest Christmas cookie recipe – no mixer, no chilling necessary!
I love to make Christmas cookies, but it seems like time is especially short this time of year. And, as much as I love to make cute cookies, I’ve never been a huge decorator.
That’s where easy but cute cookies like these Reindeer Cookies come in. The cookies take less than 30 minutes to make, and they are incredibly simple to decorate.
So, this is a great recipe to make when you’re short on time, with the kids, or any other time that you want to make fun Christmas cookies but don’t want to spend all day making them.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Butter: This recipe uses melted butter. I prefer to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer. If using unsalted butter, increase the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Sugars: This recipe uses both brown sugar and granulated (white sugar). You can use either dark or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will give you a slightly richer flavor.
- Measuring Flour: If you aren’t weighing your ingredients, I can’t recommend that enough. If you are using measuring cups, be sure to sift or stir the flour before measuring. Flour packs easily and using too much flour in cookies will give you dry, crumbly dough and cookies that don’t spread.
- Candies: I use M&Ms mini baking bits for both the eyes and the nose. I’ve also used regular M&Ms in this recipe.
How to make reindeer cookies
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Microwave the butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl for about 40 seconds. Butter should mostly melted.
Step 2: Whisk the butter until it is completely melted.
Step 3: Add the sugars; mix until well-combined.
Step 4: Stir in vanilla and egg until incorporated.
Step 5: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Please read the recipe note about properly measuring flour.
Step 6: Mix dough until just combined. Dough should be soft and a little sticky but not overly sticky.
Step 7: Stir in mini chocolate chips.
Step 8: Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough (medium cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
Step 9: Add two mini pretzel twists to the top of each cookie.
Step 10: Place two brown M&Ms and one red M&M on each cookie to make the face.
Step 11: Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies are set. They will be puffy and still look a little underbaked in the middle.
Recipe Tips!
- Mixing the dough: I recommend mixing the cookies by hand. This helps to avoid overmixing the dough.
- Making the faces: I try to place the candies as close together as possible because they will spread out with the cookies as the cookies bake. You can see a picture of this in the “how to make” section above.
- Baking: One of the keys to make soft cookies is slightly underbaking the cookies. This means that the edges should look set but the middles should still look puffy and soft.
Recipe FAQs
You can! Just make the recipe through step 9, and freeze the scoops of cookie dough.
Yes, you can regular M&Ms in this recipe. You can also use different flavors of M&Ms. I don’t recommend using filled or M&Ms with nuts in this recipe.
Storage
I store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
More Christmas cookie recipes!
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Reindeer Cookies
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 40 mini pretzel twists
- 60 mini M&M baking bits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Microwave the butter in a large, microwave-safe bowl for about 40 seconds. Butter should mostly melted.
- Whisk the butter until it is completely melted.
- Add the sugars; mix until well-combined.
- Stir in vanilla and egg until incorporated.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Please read the recipe note about properly measuring flour.
- Mix dough until just combined. Dough should be soft and a little sticky but not overly sticky.
- Stir in mini chocolate chips.
- Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough (medium cookie scoop) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
- Add two mini pretzel twists to the top of each cookie.
- Place two brown M&Ms and one red M&M on each cookie to make the face.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies are set. They will be puffy and still look a little underbaked in the middle.
Notes
- Butter: This recipe uses melted butter. I prefer to use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter + an additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt if you prefer.
- Sugars: This recipe uses both brown sugar and granulated (white sugar). You can use either dark or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will give you a slightly richer flavor.
- Measuring Flour: If you aren’t weighing your ingredients, I can’t recommend that enough. If you are using measuring cups, be sure to sift or stir the flour before measuring. Flour packs easily and using too much flour in cookies will give you dry, crumbly dough and cookies that don’t spread.
- Candies: I use M&Ms mini baking bits for both the eyes and the nose. I’ve also used regular chocolate M&Ms to make these cookies.
- Baking: One of the keys to make soft cookies is slightly underbaking the cookies. This means that the edges should look set but the middles should still look puffy and soft.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Recipe originally published on 11/25/2020.
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Comments & Reviews
Phyllis says
My grandkids loved making these cookies. They were easy enough for the four year old to do. They loved eating them also.
Kate says
Yay!! That’s so great to hear! Thank you for commenting!
Sarah says
So, so easy! They taste as good as they look! Definitely keeping this recipe. It’s a new tradition at our house.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that!