Description
These festive Rudolph Peanut Butter Cookies are a delightful holiday treat featuring classic peanut butter cookie dough decorated with pretzel antlers, red M&M noses, and mini chocolate chip eyes to resemble Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Perfect for Christmas parties or seasonal gift-giving, they combine rich peanut butter flavor with a fun and charming design.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Decorations
- 24 mini pretzels (for antlers)
- 24 red M&Ms (for Rudolph’s nose)
- 48 mini chocolate chips (for eyes)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prepare for baking.
- Make Wet Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the peanut butter, softened butter, and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and seasoning.
- Mix Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until combined into a consistent dough.
- Shape Cookies: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Press each ball down slightly with a fork to flatten the cookies.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until the edges just begin to turn a light golden color. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Cool and Decorate: Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, decorate each cookie by gently pressing two mini chocolate chips for eyes, a red M&M for the nose, and mini pretzels to resemble antlers.
- Set and Store: Let the decorations set for a few minutes before serving. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain freshness.
Notes
- For best results, use room temperature butter to ensure smooth mixing.
- You can use either creamy or chunky peanut butter, depending on your texture preference.
- If you don’t have mini pretzels, small pretzel sticks can be broken to size for antlers.
- Ensure cookies are fully cooled before decorating to prevent melting the chocolate chips and M&Ms.
- These cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
