Peanut Butter Reindeer

Peanut butter reindeer are the kind of holiday cookie project that gets kids in the kitchen without anyone losing their patience. Starting from a peanut butter cookie mix shortcuts the whole flour-sugar-creaming routine, leaving more time for the part children actually care about: decorating.

The big trick here is the rolling-bag technique. Drop the dough into a jumbo zip-top bag, dust with flour, and roll right inside the plastic. No floury counter, no stuck dough, no sticky rolling pin to wash. Slide the bag onto a baking sheet, chill an hour, then cut the bag open and use the reindeer cutter directly on the rolled dough.

Decorations make the reindeer. Chocolate chips for noses (one red M&M for Rudolph if you’re committing), candy-coated chocolates for eyes, vanilla milk chips for antler highlights, and colored sprinkles for the harness. Five to seven minutes in the oven is all they need; baked too long, they brown and lose their soft texture.

Kids’ Tips

• Dip the cookie cutter in flour after every cut to prevent dough sticking.
• Press decorations gently into the raw dough before baking so they stick instead of falling off after.
• Use a floured pancake turner to lift fragile cut-outs without breaking off antlers.
• Reroll scraps only once or twice. Repeated rolling makes the dough tough.

Variations

• Swap reindeer cutters for stars, snowflakes, or trees to vary the holiday lineup.
• Drizzle melted white chocolate over cooled reindeer for a snowy finish.
• Use a chocolate cookie mix instead of peanut butter for darker, fudgier reindeer.