Easy Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies (Kid-Friendly!)

Step 1

Start by placing your softened butter in a large mixing bowl and cream together with the creamy peanut butter using an electric hand mixer.

Step 2

Add in brown sugar and sugar and mix together until creamy. Add room temperature eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined.

Step 3

Next, begin adding in your flour 1/2 cup at a time until fully incorporated and your cookie dough has formed.

Step 4

Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight to chill.

Step 5

Remove chilled cookie dough from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350.

Step 6

Using a small cookie scoop like this one form cookie dough balls. Next, roll each ball until smooth and pinch the sides to form an hourglass shape. Press down slightly on the top of each cookie with the palm of your hand and place evenly spaced apart on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step 7

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden brown. Times may vary and require less or more time depending on your oven.

Step 8

Once fully baked, remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Step 9

To decorate the cookies, melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave and gather 40 mini itty bitty pretzels. Dip the bottom back side of each pretzel and adhere two of them to the tops of each cookie.

Step 10

Next, place the remaining white chocolate chips in a small Ziploc bag, snip a small opening in the corner with a pair of scissors, and place three small dots of white chocolate on each cookie to adhere the eyes and nose.

Step 11

Gently place the candy eyes and brown or red M&Ms on each cookie and let the white chocolate firm up for 15 minutes before serving.