Description
Reindeer Cookies are a festive and fun holiday treat made with a chocolate cake mix base, decorated with chocolate frosting, mini Nilla Wafers, candy eyes, pretzels, and colorful M&M’s to resemble adorable reindeer faces. These cookies are quick to prepare, bake in just minutes, and are perfect for Christmas celebrations and cookie exchanges.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Batter
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Decorations
- 1 can chocolate frosting (or 1-2 cups homemade chocolate frosting)
- 24-28 mini Nilla Wafers
- 24-28 red and brown M&M’s
- 1 package candy eyes (24-28 pairs)
- 48-56 mini pretzels
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) to ensure even baking of the cookies.
- Mix Batter: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chocolate cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil. Stir everything together well until a thick cookie batter forms.
- Form Cookies: Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat this process until all dough is used.
- Arrange on Baking Sheet: Place 12 cookie dough balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner, spacing them evenly to allow spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for approximately 8 minutes or until the tops start to crinkle and set.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Decorate: Once cookies are fully cooled, spread a generous layer of chocolate frosting over the top of each cookie.
- Add Base Features: Place one mini Nilla Wafer onto the bottom half of each frosted cookie to act as the reindeer’s snout.
- Add Eyes: Position two candy eyes above each Nilla Wafer on the cookie to create the reindeer’s eyes.
- Add Antlers: Place two mini pretzels above the candy eyes to serve as antlers on each cookie.
- Attach Nose: Use a small dab of frosting to stick one red or brown M&M onto each Nilla Wafer, mimicking a reindeer nose.
- Set Frosting: Allow the frosting to set completely to keep all decorations in place before serving.
Notes
- These reindeer cookies are simple to make, making them ideal for baking with kids or holiday parties.
- The candy eyes and pretzels create a fun, festive appearance perfect for Christmas celebrations.
- If preferred, homemade chocolate frosting can be used instead of canned for a richer taste.
- Ensure cookies are fully cooled before decorating to prevent frosting from melting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 160 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
