Description

These Easy Reindeer Cookies are a delightful holiday treat featuring buttery cookies sandwiched with strawberry jam and decorated with milk chocolate to create adorable reindeer faces. Perfect for Christmas celebrations, they combine a tender, buttery base with sweet jam and whimsical chocolate detailing, sure to bring joy to your festive gatherings.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough

140g (1/2 Cup + 1/8 Cup) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
60g (1/2 Cup) Icing/Confectioners Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
210g (1 + 2/3 Cup) Plain/All Purpose Flour

Filling and Decoration

200g (1/2 Cup + 2 tbsp) Strawberry Jam
75g (2.6 oz) Milk Chocolate

Equipment

Electric Stand Mixer or Large Bowl with Electric Hand Whisk
Rolling Pin
6cm Round Cookie Cutter
1cm Circle Cutter
Baking Tray
2 x Small Bowls
2 x Disposable Piping Bags

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Instructions

Prepare the Dough: Place the butter, icing sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt into the stand mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, creating a creamy base for the cookie dough.
Add Flour and Form Dough: Gradually add the plain flour to the creamed mixture and gently fold it through until a soft dough forms. Remove the dough from the bowl and briefly knead it together by hand to ensure uniform consistency.
Roll and Cut Cookies: Place the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll out evenly to a thickness of 6mm. Use a 6cm round cookie cutter to cut out circles. Then, on half the cookies, use a 1cm circle cutter to cut out an off-centre small circle that will serve as the ‘nose’ hole.
Chill the Cookies: Arrange the cut cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the dough, which helps maintain shape during baking.
Bake the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 180ºC (356ºF) or 170ºC fan-forced. Space the chilled cookies evenly on lined baking trays. Bake each batch for 11-13 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.
Cool the Cookies: Remove from the oven and let the cookies firm on the tray for 1-2 minutes to avoid breakage. Then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Prepare Jam Filling: Soften the strawberry jam by stirring it in a small bowl until it is pourable. Transfer the jam into a disposable piping bag and snip the tip to create a small opening.
Assemble the Cookie Sandwiches: Pipe a small circle of jam onto each whole cookie (those without nose holes), making sure not to pipe too much jam or to place it too close to the edge. Carefully place the cookies with the nose holes on top, aligning them so the jam fills the nose hole, creating a bright red ‘nose’ effect.
Melt the Chocolate: Chop or break the milk chocolate into pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until two-thirds melted. Then stir until completely smooth.
Decorate the Reindeer: Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag, snip the end, and pipe small eyes above each red nose on the cookie sandwiches. Next, pipe the main antler lines on each reindeer cookie, followed by detailed strokes resembling downward-pointing arrows to create antler texture.
Set and Store: Allow the chocolate decorations to set completely on a cooling rack. Once set, store the cookies in a metal tin at room temperature. Consume within 4-5 days for optimal freshness and taste.

Notes

CRAZY cute, these easy reindeer cookies are guaranteed to bring joy to everyone you love this Christmas!
Be careful not to overfill the jam to prevent it from leaking out the nose holes.
Chilling the dough before baking is crucial to help maintain cookie shape.
Use a fan-forced oven setting if available for even baking.
Allow chocolate decorations to fully set before storing to avoid smudging.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 275
Sugar: 18g
Sodium: 26mg
Fat: 13g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Unsaturated Fat: 4g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 37g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 3g
Cholesterol: 46mg