Reindeer drop cookies are soft chocolate Christmas cookies topped with chocolate frosting, candy eyes, a red sprinkle nose, and chocolate-covered pretzel antlers.
To be clear, these are actually Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer cookies, complete with a red pearl sprinkle for the nose to guide Santa’s sleigh. They are an easy and festive holiday cookie recipe that's perfect for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, and baking with kids.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Brown Sugar
- White Granulated Sugar
- Large Egg
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Cornstarch
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Powdered Sugar
- Chocolate Almond Bark or Brown Candy Melts
- Mini Pretzels
- Red Pearl Sprinkles
- Edible Googly Eyes
How to Make Reindeer Drop Cookies
Reindeer Drop Cookies
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients in the mixer until combined.
- Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop mounds of cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This prevents spreading while they bake.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Bake the cookies in the oven for 11-12 minutes, until the tops are set and the centers are slightly undercooked.
Chocolate Frosting
- Add butter to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip the butter for 3-4 minutes, until it begins to get light in color, almost white. Mix in vanilla and milk. Add cocoa powder. Slowly add powdered sugar.
- Once the cookies are fully cooled, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon to add a dollop of frosting to the top of each cookie.
Chocolate Pretzels
- Heat chocolate almond bark or brown candy melts in a microwave-safe container in 30-second intervals until fully melted.
- Dip mini pretzels until fully covered and shake off any excess. Lay them flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let them set until they harden. Once they’ve set, cut each pretzel in half.
- Add googly eyes and a red pearl sprinkle for a nose to each cookie. Use two halves to make antlers on each cookie.
Tips
Don't skip chilling the dough. Refrigerating the scooped cookie dough for 1 hour helps the cookies hold their thick, rounded shape instead of spreading too much in the oven.
Slightly underbake the cookies. Take them out once the tops are set, but the centers still look slightly soft. They will continue to bake on the hot pan and stay soft inside.
Cool completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cookies can cause the chocolate frosting to soften or melt.
Adjust the frosting consistency as needed. If the frosting is too thick, mix in a small amount of milk. If it becomes too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
Make the chocolate pretzels ahead of time. The coated pretzels need time to completely harden before they can be used for the antlers, so you can prepare these while the cookie dough chills.
Make extra pretzel antlers. Only 1 pretzel is needed per cookie because they’ll be cut in half to make the antlers. However, the chocolate-covered pretzels may crack when you cut them in half, so coating a few extras will save you from having to make another batch.
Use a sharp knife to cut the pretzels. Cut straight through the center of each hardened pretzel with a sharp knife to create two antlers. Avoid sawing back and forth too much, which can cause it to crack.
Place the antlers, eyes, and noses in the frosting while it is soft. Add the pretzel halves, candy eyes, and red pearl sprinkle nose immediately after frosting each cookie so they can be gently pressed into place and stay secure.
Each reindeer can look a little different. The googly eyes and slightly different pretzel shapes give the cookies personality, so they don’t need to look perfectly identical.
Recommended Recipes
- 31 Bakery-Style Frosted Drop Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Christmas Candy Cane Cookies
- Christmas Ornament Cupcakes
- Christmas Tree Cupcakes
- Christmas Tree Drop Cookies
- Grinch Drop Cookies
Reindeer Drop Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Reindeer Drop Cookies
- ¼ cup Butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Cream Cheese room temperature
- ½ cup Brown Sugar packed
- ¼ cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- dash of Salt
Chocolate Frosting
- 10 tablespoons Butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoons Milk
- 3 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 ¾ cup Powdered Sugar
Chocolate Pretzel Antlers
Instructions
Reindeer Drop Cookies
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients in the mixer until combined.
- Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop mounds of cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This prevents spreading while they bake.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Bake the cookies in the oven for 11-12 minutes, until the tops are set and the centers are slightly undercooked.
Chocolate Frosting
- Add butter to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip the butter for 3-4 minutes, until it begins to get light in color, almost white. Mix in vanilla and milk. Add cocoa powder. Slowly add powdered sugar.
- Once the cookies are fully cooled, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon to add a dollop of frosting to the top of each cookie.
Chocolate Pretzels
- Heat chocolate almond bark or brown candy melts in a microwave-safe container in 30-second intervals until fully melted.
- Dip mini pretzels until fully covered and shake off any excess. Lay them flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let them set until they harden. Once they've set, cut each pretzel in half.
- Add googly eyes and a red pearl sprinkle for a nose to each cookie. Use two halves to make antlers on each cookie.
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