Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
December 16, 2025
“A festive treat for your holiday table.”
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Food has a way of defining the holiday season in ways few other traditions can. Ask people to recall their favorite holiday memories and many will describe evenings gathered around a table with family and friends, sharing familiar dishes and a few laughs along the way. It’s a reminder that food isn’t just nourishment this time of year—it’s part of the atmosphere, the emotion, and the connection that make the holidays feel special.
For hosts looking to add a little whimsy to their holiday spread, presentation matters just as much as flavor. These Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies, originally from Lines+Angles, check both boxes. They’re simple, nostalgic peanut-butter cookies at heart, but the finished result is playful and festive—perfect for cookie exchanges, family gatherings, or a dessert tray that invites conversation before the first bite is taken.
Beyond their charm, these cookies are approachable to make and well suited for baking with kids or grandchildren. A basic peanut-butter dough comes together quickly, and the decorating step—adding the candy noses, chocolate-chip eyes, and pretzel antlers—turns the process into part of the fun. It’s the kind of recipe that creates memories as much as it creates dessert.
Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies (Makes 48)
Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup peanut butter
⅓ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
48 large red M&M candies
96 mini semisweet chocolate chips
Pretzels, broken into 96 one-inch pieces
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla. Whisk together the dry ingredients and stir into the wet mixture until just combined. Roll dough into one-inch balls and bake in small batches for 7–9 minutes, until just set. Immediately decorate each cookie with an M&M nose, chocolate-chip eyes, and pretzel antlers, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
