Reindeer cookies

I love to pretend that I’m a Southern belle; that all I do is lunch with ladies, be glamorous and bake adorable little treats for my neighbors and handsome beau. Well, I do bake for my handsome beau most of the time, but I made these reindeer cookies for a cookie swap I organized at work with about half a dozen co-workers. They were adorable and time consuming, but not really complicated. I would recommend freezing the cookie dough for an hour to make it more manageable, but the cookies’ taste is always more important than the shape of the reindeers’ noses, right? At least that’s what I tell myself.

Merry Christmas from Sprinkles & Sugar! I hope these adorable little cookies help make your season and cookie swap merry and bright.

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

3/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Chocolate-colored mini pretzels
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
40 regular-sized M&Ms

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Form dough into 1-inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a point, then gently flatten with your hand. Space cookies about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until set or just beginning to brown.

Remove from oven and immediately and delicately press two mini pretzels into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer’s antlers. Press two mini chocolate chips in for the eyes and one red or brown M&M for the nose. Allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool completely. Yields about three dozen reindeer cookies.