Reindeer cookies

These cute-looking reindeer cookies, made with honey, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger, are incredibly flavorful sweet treats. They have a crispy exterior and a soft interior. These cookies are perfect for making together with your family and friends during the holiday season. Enjoy them with a warm cup of milk, coffee, or tea.

Why you should try this reindeer cookie recipe

Fun to make with family and friends. One of the great things about this reindeer cookies recipe is that it's enjoyable to make with your loved ones. The design of these cookies is simple yet cute and fun-looking, making them a great project for kids of all ages. I am sure adults will also find the process of making these easy reindeer cookies enjoyable.

Delicious flavor. These reindeer head cookies are not only fun to make but also absolutely delicious. If you appreciate Christmas cookies with flavors like those found in Gingerbread cookies, you'll love these reindeer cookies. They are made with caramelized honey and spices such as cinnamon and ginger, creating a homemade cookie with amazing flavor. Baking these cookies will fill your home with an aroma that captures the holiday spirit.

If you're looking for more Christmas dessert recipes, look no further! Check out these festive Meringue cookies and Chocolate bark with dried cranberries. You can also try making Cranberry bars or Linzer cookies with cranberry jam.

Ingredients you will need

• Flour - Use all-purpose flour to make soft reindeer Christmas cookies.
• Spices - I use ground ginger and cinnamon, but you can opt for a pre-made gingerbread spice mix or omit spices altogether. Caramelized honey and vanilla alone provide these soft cookies with incredible flavor.
• Salt 
• Unsalted butter
• Sugar - You can use white or brown sugar or a 50/50 mix.
• Honey - Choose honey that you would enjoy eating on its own, as its flavor will directly influence the taste of the cookies.
• Vanilla extract
• Egg
• Baking soda - Honey is naturally quite acidic, so we need to use a fair amount of baking soda to create the tiny bubbles that give our cookies a crispy exterior and a soft texture inside. But don't worry, there won't be any residual soda flavor left after it reacts with the honey.
• Chocolate - I use semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use milk chocolate instead. However, since milk chocolate melts more easily, be careful not to overheat it in the microwave. Heat it until you can still see a few unmelted pieces inside. Then, add the rest of the chocolate and keep mixing until the mixture is homogeneous, and all chocolate pieces have melted.
• Red sugar granules or M&M's

Cooking tips

• Don't burn the honey mixture. After adding baking soda to the saucepan, you will notice a vigorous reaction as the mixture becomes foamy and expands. It will also darken in color quite rapidly. As soon as you see the mixture turn a light amber color, remove it from the heat, or you risk burning the sugars in the honey, which could result in your cookies having a bitter flavor.
• Allow the honey mixture to cool down before incorporating it with the egg. This cooling step is important to prevent the egg from cooking or curdling when it comes into contact with the hot mixture.
• Store the cookies in an airtight container. These cookies can dry out if you store them uncovered, so once the chocolate has set, place them in an airtight container or cover them with plastic wrap on a plate.

How to make reindeer cookies

Making the cookie dough

1. Combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, and set it aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine the honey, butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Heat over medium heat until well combined, and the first small bubbles are visible on the surface.
3. Lower the heat to low and add the baking soda, whisking well. Cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously or until the mixture becomes a light amber color.
4. Allow to cool down for 2-5 minutes. Then, slowly pour the mixture into the bowl with the egg while whisking vigorously.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough has formed. It should be sticky, like a very thick paste. If the dough is runny, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and mix again.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.

Baking and decorating

1. Roll out the dough on a floured surface or between two parchment papers so that it's ¼" (½ cm) thick. Cut out 22 cookies using a 3" (7cm) round cookie cutter. Collect the cookie dough scraps and reroll them when needed. 
2. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving at least 1" of space between each cookie, and place them in the fridge while the oven preheats to 340F (170C).
3. Bake in batches for approximately 10 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up, spread out, and the dough is no longer shiny.
4. Remove from the oven and let them cool to room temperature.
5. Melt ⅔ of the chocolate in a microwave. Add the rest of the chocolate and mix until all the chocolate has melted. Transfer the chocolate into a piping bag and cut off the end, making a very small opening.
6. Attach the noses using the chocolate and then draw deer horns with it to make reindeer face cookies. 

Possible variations

• Skip Adding Spices - As mentioned previously, you don't have to add cinnamon, ginger, or other spices to the cookie dough. This way, you will achieve cookies with an amazing caramel, vanilla, and honey flavor.
• Use Different Cookie Cutters - If you want to transform these Christmas reindeer cookies into something else, no problem! Feel free to use any cookie cutter you like to create other holiday-inspired designs.
• Use Royal Icing - These cookies have a flat enough surface to be glazed with royal icing.

FAQ

More cookie recipes you may like

Chocolate oatmeal cookies

Double chocolate cookies

Red velvet cookies

Recipe card

Reindeer cookies

These cute-looking reindeer cookies, made with honey, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger, are incredibly flavorful sweet treats. They have a crispy exterior and a soft interior.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Chilling: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 22 cookies

Calories: 148kcal

Author: Anna

Equipment

• Digital kitchen scale
• Saucepan
• Rolling Pin
• Round cookie cutter 3" (7cm) in diameter
• Plastic wrap
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 300 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 125 g unsalted butter
• 125 g honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 70 g white sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg

For the decorations

• Red M&M's for the noses
• 100 g semi-sweet chocolate chips for the horns and eyes

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

• In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, and set it aside.
• In a saucepan, combine the honey, butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Heat over medium heat until well combined, and the first small bubbles are visible on the surface.
• Lower the heat to low and add the baking soda, whisking well. Remove from the heat if the mixture bubbles too much. After a few seconds, the reaction will subside. Cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously or until the mixture becomes a light amber color.
• Remove from the heat and let it cool down for 2-5 minutes. Then, slowly pour the mixture into the bowl with the egg while whisking vigorously.
• Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until the dough has formed. It should be sticky, like a very thick paste. If the dough is runny, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and mix again.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface or between two parchment papers so that it's ¼" (½ cm) thick. Cut out 22 cookies using a 3" (7cm) round cookie cutter. Collect the cookie dough scraps and reroll them when needed. You can make more cookies using a smaller cookie cutter.
• Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving at least 1" (2cm) of space between each cookie, and place them in the fridge while the oven preheats to 340F (170C).
• Bake in batches for approximately 10 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up, spread out, and the dough is no longer shiny.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Melt ⅔ of the chocolate in a microwave. Add the rest of the chocolate and mix until all the chocolate has melted. Transfer the chocolate into a piping bag and cut off the end, making a very small opening.
• Attach the noses using the chocolate and then draw deer horns with it on a completely cooled cookie. Let the chocolate set before serving the cookies.

Video

Notes

Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze them for up to 2 months.

Store the dough in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Reindeer cookies

Serving Size

 

1 cookie

Amount per Serving

Calories

148

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

7

g

11

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Trans Fat

 

0.2

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.3

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Cholesterol

 

20

mg

7

%

Sodium

 

280

mg

12

%

Potassium

 

49

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

20

g

7

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

2

g

4

%

Vitamin A

 

155

IU

3

%

Vitamin C

 

0.03

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

9

mg

1

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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