Rudolf Reindeer Cookies

Matthew Cohen

I don't usually write about food at Renov8or, but these reindeer cookies are seriously cute.  I've been a longtime fan of the Reindeer Cupcakes over at Your Cup of Cake. What makes them stand out from the handful of other reindeer food crafts in my opinion are the cartoonish eyeballs, made from white M&Ms, and the vanilla cookie snouts. So I thought about how to adapt this idea to make a cookie. 

 

This cupcake was my inspiration - via Your Cup of Cake

I chose to break up my pretzels, to create more rakish-looking antlers. And my cookies here are all "Rudolphs" with red noses in this batch of two dozen. But you could easily add some plain snouts using brown M&Ms, to represent Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and the gang. 

 

However you decorate yours, they're sure to be the star of the holiday dessert table.

Reindeer Cookie Shopping List

2 packs of Holiday Peppermint M&Ms (red & white)

Rold Gold Tiny Twists pretzels

Betty Crocker Black Decorating Icing (not gel)

Flour

Sugar

Brown sugar

Cocoa 

Espresso powder

Baking powder

Baking Soda

Salt

Eggs

Cream

Butter

Vanilla

Waxed paper

Parchment paper

Step 1: 

Place butter and eggs on the counter and allow them to come to room temperature.

Open both bags of M&Ms and separate out 48 white ones, logo-side down. Using the tube of decorating frosting, make 24 pairs of "eyeballs."

Step 2:

Prepare the vanilla cookie dough recipe below, spoon it out onto wax paper, and refrigerate one hour.

Step 3: 

Break pretzels into a shape that looks like antlers. Pair up 24 sets.

Step 4:

Prepare the chocolate cookie dough recipe below, spoon it out onto wax paper, and roll it up about the diameter of a store-bought frozen cookie dough. Flatten it slightly on one side (so that the reindeer shapes will have long faces). Freeze the dough one hour.

Step 5:

Take the vanilla cookie dough from the refrigerator, measure out 1 teaspoon into your palm, and roll it into a miniature ball about 1/2 inch in diameter. Make 24 of these and place them on a large cookie sheet in 6 rows of 4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 6-8 minutes until they've flattened but not turned brown. While they're baking, separate out 24 red M&Ms. Just as the cookies begin to flatten, remove the tray from the oven and press a red M&M slightly off-center into each cookie. Return the sheet to the oven and bake for about 3 more minutes, until the cookies just start to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool. These will become the reindeer "snouts."

Step 6: 

Remove chocolate cookie dough from freezer. Using a large chef's knife, slice into 24 slices, about 1/4-inch wide. Place 12 slices each on two cookie sheets, leaving room at the tops of the oblong cookies to place the "antlers." Bake 8 minutes. Remove tray from oven and press vanilla cookie snouts into the lower half of the chocolate cookies. Gently press eyeballs close together above snouts, being careful not to smear the black frosting. Press antlers into either the tops or sides, wherever they fit best. Bake 3-5 minutes longer.

Vanilla Cookie Dough Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl and set aside. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large bowl until creamy. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each. Gradually beat in the flour mixture from the small bowl.

This is the Toll House Cookie recipe without the chips or nuts.

Roll dough into balls, place on ungreased baking sheets and follow baking instructions in Step 5.

Chocolate Cookie Dough Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, light or dark, packed

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

2 tablespoons cream

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon espresso powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Beat together butter, sugars, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla until well mixed. Add egg, beating until smooth. Add cream and beat again, scraping sides of bowl, until smooth. Add flour and espresso powder and keep beating until well mixed.

This is the King Arthur Flour Chocolate Drop Cookie recipe, without the chips, fruit, and nuts.

Bake according to instructions in Step 6.