This Rudolph Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe is fun to make and delicious to eat. Use pretzels, mini chocolate chips and M&Ms to create your own Rudolph cookies!

Ask any kid who their favorite reindeer is and chances are that they will answer “Rudolph!” Well, that’s a great choice and is an especially fun one for baking.
With a bright red M&M nose, this Rudolph Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe is easy to identify as Santa’s lead reindeer.
The homemade peanut butter cookie recipe we use for these Rudolph cookies is easy to whip together.
But, if you just want to do the fun part of decorating with your kids, you could start with a refrigerated cookie dough instead.
Even little tots are able to help by placing the chocolate chip eyes and M&M noses in place to make these adorable reindeer cookies! For older kids they can help measure out ingredients and mix up the dough.
If you plan to make a lot of Rudolph Christmas cookies, it’s helpful to get a bag of ALL red M&Ms (which you can get in bulk on Amazon) or you can use a bag of holiday M&Ms and pick out the half that are red instead of green.
Want to make a gluten-free version? Start with this almond flour peanut butter cookies recipe and then continue with our decorating instructions using gluten-free pretzels.
Rudolph Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
1 1/3 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
48 Red M&M’s
96 Mini Chocolate Chips
Mini Twist Pretzels
Nestle TOLL HOUSE Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate MorselsRed M&M’S Bulk Candy Bag
Mini Twist Pretzels
How to Make Rudolph Cookies
Break pretzels into pieces to use as antlers.Preheat oven to 350.
Cream together peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth.
Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
Slowly add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, beating until incorporated.
Roll into 1/2-3/4″ balls and place on cookie sheet several inches apart.
Sprinkle with sugar and gently make an indentation slightly off the center of each cookie.
Bake 12-14 minutes.
Place an M&M in the indentation of each cookie.
Insert 2 mini chocolate chips (pointy side down) above the M&M to be the eyes.
Insert 2 pretzel pieces to be the antlers.
If the antlers won’t stick, place some chocolate chips in a sandwich bag and microwave 30 seconds and knead until soft. Clip the very tip of the corner and pipe onto cookie to act as glue.
For some extra fun, team up these cookies with our with our with our Reindeer Hot Chocolate! Packaging the two together would make a really fun Christmas gift.
For lots more fun reindeer themed fun, check out these tips for throwing the ultimate reindeer party!
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Rudolph Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 Egg
- 1 1/3 cup Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 48 Red M&M’s
- 96 Mini Chocolate Chips
- 48 Mini Twist Pretzels
Instructions
- Break pretzels into pieces to use as antlers.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cream together peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, beating until incorporated.
- Roll into 1/2-3/4″ balls and place on cookie sheet several inches apart.
- Sprinkle with sugar and gently make an indentation slightly off the center of each cookie.
- Bake 12-14 minutes.
- Place an M&M in the indentation of each cookie.
- Insert 2 mini chocolate chips (pointy side down) above the M&M to be the eyes.
- Insert 2 pretzel pieces to be the antlers.
- If the antlers won’t stick, place some chocolate chips in a sandwich bag and microwave 30 seconds and knead until soft. Clip the very tip of the corner and pipe onto cookie to act as glue.
Cheryl Dodson says
Do you use soften butter?
Chrysa says
I usually start with it at room temperature so it’s easier to mix.
Nelofar Shaik says
Lovely recipe. I’ll engage both my kids in kitchen for some time I guess.
Daria says
Can you make this dough ahead of time and refrigerate it?
Chrysa says
I have never tried that, but I would think you could make it at least a day or two ahead of time and it would still work.
Shannon says
I made this the night ahead last year and while it did become a little more “stiff” to work with it was fine.
Greta Jahraus says
How many cookies does a single batch make? Thanks!
Kerry says
Looks like 48 as you need 48 red M&M’s ?
Deb's Cell Wessel says
very cute, but need to be quick to put the face/antlers on while warm….cookies are allittle more ‘crunchy’ on the outside and breaks easily when putting in the antlers…alittle more work than I expected, but cute.
Amy Z. says
What a cute idea! I love how simple and easy it is too.
Ellie C. says
This is adorable! i want to make these with my daughter.