These easy Reindeer Cookies with pretzel antlers are fun, festive, and delicious, made with a homemade peanut butter cookie. You can make them ahead of time and they’re freezer friendly.

Looking for more Christmas cookie recipes? Try my Ginger Molasses Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, or Soft Sugar Cookies!

A peanut butter cookie with pretzels, candy eyes, a rolo, and a red m&m to make it look like a reindeer face.

Why I love these cookies:

  • Festive – These peanut butter cookies for Christmas are fun to eat and are so fun for the kids to help with too.
  • Make Ahead – The cookie dough can be made ahead up to 3 days in advance. The cookies also freeze great, ready to place on Santa’s plate on Christmas Eve!
  • Crowd Favorite – These reindeer pretzel cookies taste delicious and are great to take to a cookie exchange, holiday party, or on plates to friends.

How to make Reindeer Cookies:

Make Cookie Dough: Cream together butter, shortening, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix gently to combine. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

A mixing bowl with peanut butter cookie dough.

Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough into large balls and roll them into an oval shape. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes until set and no longer glossy looking. Remove from oven.

Two images showing peanut butter cookie balls before and after they are baked.

Add Reindeer Face: Press pretzels into the top of the cookie, for the ears. Press a rolo candy into the center, for the nose. Add two candy eyes, or chocolate chips for the eyes.

Two images to show how to make a reindeer face with pretzels, rolo, and candy eyes.

Enjoy: Place a dot of frosting in the center of the rolo to secure an m&m candy on top, for the nose. Allow to cool on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack.

A bunch of easy Reindeer Cookies, made with pretzels, candy eyes, rolos, and m&m's on a homemade peanut butter cookie.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: The cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in advance. Store baked cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

To Freeze: Baked and cooled cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Popular Christmas Cookies and Treats:

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Recipe

A peanut butter cookie with pretzels, candy eyes, a rolo, and a red m&m to make it look like a reindeer face.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Refrigerate 30 minutes
Total 50 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening*
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs , large
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 36 mini pretzel twists
  • 18 rolo candies
  • 18 red m&m candies
  • 36 candy eyes , or mini chocolate chips
  • 1 small tube decorating frosting

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, peanut butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Add eggs, mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
  • Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix gently to combine. Don’t over-mix. The dough will be very soft. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • Scoop dough into large balls and roll them into an oval shape. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until set and no longer glossy looking.
  • Remove from oven. Press pretzels into the top of the cookie, for the ears. Press a rolo into the center, for the nose. Add two candy eyes, or chocolate chips for the eyes. Place a dot of frosting in the center of the rolo to secure a red m&m candy on top, for the nose. Allow to cool on baking sheet. then transfer to cooling rack.

Notes

Shortening: I like the way the shortening helps these cookies bake taller, and adds softness to the texture, but you can substitute butter if you want.
Make Ahead Instructions: The cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in advance. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled cookies can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 248kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 284mgPotassium: 96mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 112IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg

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I originally shared this recipe December 2021. Updated November 2023.

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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4.88 from 25 votes (12 ratings without comment)
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Canthea Dinkler
11 months ago

4 stars
This is a perfect peanut butter cookie recipe! They are really cute and my 5 year old loved making them!! I had some trouble getting the pretzels to stay on though. End up adding some frosting as glue which helped. Also, the pretzels went stale pretty quickly in the tin I had them in so I think I’ll try something a little more air tight next time.

Claire
11 months ago

5 stars
So, so cute!! Love the pretzels!!!

family@hicksquiver.com
11 months ago

5 stars
mmm, so cute!

Kristina Jager
11 months ago

5 stars
We made a quadruple batch of these for our annual treat giveaway to our neighbors. They turned out super cute! The kids were involved helping out together the reindeer faces and we had a lot of in :-). One note is that we learned we needed to really press in the pretzels right after the cookies came out of the oven, so that the pretzels would stay. But these were easy to make, yummy, and cute!

Adrienne
11 months ago

5 stars
Not only are these cookies adorable, but they are so tasty! They made a delicious and whimsical addition to my cookie tray this year and I know they will make everyone smile!