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Chocolate Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
These reindeer cookies are a rif on classic Peanut Butter Blossoms! It's a chocolate peanut butter cookie dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and all dressed up to look like a reindeer for the perfect adorable Christmas cookie!
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup 113g unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup 110g packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup 50g granulated sugar
- ½ cup 120ml smooth peanut butter
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon 7ml pure vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups 190g all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup 21g cocoa powder (I prefer this one)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon 15ml milk
Cinnamon sugar:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookies
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For decorating:
- 20 mini Reese’s cups
- 20 red or brown chocolate coated candies (such as mini M&Ms)
- 40 white chocolate chips
- 40 mini dark chocolate chips
- 20 mini pretzels twists, plus a few extra in case some break
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine butter with both sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for just 1-2 minutes or "cream" by hand with a wide spatula until smooth and slightly fluffy. It doesn't need to be pale and fluffy because that will make these cookies too crumbly. Add egg and vanilla and mix until well combined. Mix in peanut butter.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly, then add this flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix gently until evenly combined.
- Scoop up heaped tablespoons of dough and roll the dough balls in sugar to coat evenly. Place them onto prepared baking sheets spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes until puffed and the tops are cracked and lightly golden.
- Remove cookies from the oven and push a mini peanut butter cup into the top of each cookie (they will crack more). Allow the chocolate cup to sit for a few minutes to melt a bit and then press a red or brown candy-coated chocolate or mini M&M onto the middle of the peanut butter cup and press it down a bit for the nose.
- To form the eyes, put a dot of melted chocolate onto the underside of two white chocolate chips and "glue" them onto the cookie just above the peanut butter cup. Then, use more melted chocolate to "glue" mini dark chocolate chips onto the white chocolate chips to form the pupils.
- To form the antlers, break pretzels in half. Then dip the ends of the pretzel halves into melted chocolate and press them into the top right and left sides of the cookie.
- Allow the cookies to sit on a cooling rack to cool completely and enjoy.
