Chocolate Reindeer Cookies (no-bake!)
A cute, easy and no-bake recipe for Reindeer Cookies! Festive Christmas cookies for the whole family! Easy to make, these reindeer cookies are made with Ritz crackers and a peanut butter filling, before being dipped in chocolate and decorated like Rudolph!
REINDEER Cookies
With minimal effort – these reindeer cookies will pack a big punch of WOW on the cuteness spectrum 😍.
Is everyone else feeling festive?!
Christmas is just around the corner and in our house, that means cookies!
These super easy no-bake cookies should definitely be on your must-make cookie list! Made with simple ingredients you can make as many or as few cookies as your heart desires – 5, 10, 50.. it’s really up to!
My girls and I whipped up a batch of these last week and we had such a fun time making these reindeer cookies and even more fun (licking the chocolate off of our hands 🙈) eating them!
These peanut butter ritz cookies are a great recipe to get your kids to help you make, and they are a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit!
Reasons to Love these Cookies
- made with simple and wholesome ingredients
- toddler and kids love them
- can make as many or as few as you like
- filled with protein with no added sugar
- can make into reindeers or simply add a few sprinkles
- easy to make gluten-free or dairy-free
Ingredients
Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients that you will need to make this chocolate reindeer cookie recipe:
- Ritz Crackers: can also use gluten-free crackers if needed.
- Peanut Butter: not the natural kind (probably the only time I will tell you this) but I have found that when using the natural peanut butter it is too oily and the crackers will slide.
- Chocolate Chips: semi-sweet, dark chocolate or allergy-friendly chips will work.
- Coconut Oil: helps make the chocolate melt and harden.
- Decorations: pretzels for antlers, red hots for reindeer nose and candy eyes. Or keep it simple and just add a pinch of sprinkles to the top of these cookies.
Instructions
- Prep: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Prep Crackers: Place crackers in even rows on the baking sheet.
- Add Peanut Butter: Drop roughly 2-3 tsp of peanut butter onto each cracker. This doesn’t have to look perfect.
- Sandwich: Add on the top layer of crackers by gently pressing the top and bottom crackers together until the peanut butter moves to the edge but doesn’t go over. You can also use a slight twisting motion to get the peanut butter where you want it.
- Let Set: Place the baking tray in the fridge or freeze and let set for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Melt: Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring until the chocolate is melted. Mine took 2 minutes until it was completely melted. Let cool slightly
- Dip: Using a fork and spoon, or two spoons, dunk the cookies into the chocolate, making sure the cookie is completely covered. I like to use a fork and let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl before placing the cookies back on the baking sheet. Repeat with half of the batch.
- Decorate: Then decorate by adding the reindeer antlers, eyes and nose or simply add a pinch of sprinkles. You want to give the cookies a few minutes after their chocolate dunk to decorate or the items might slide around a bit. Repeat until all cookies are covered in chocolate and decorated.
- Let Set: Pace the baking sheet back into the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour to set.
Tips
Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind:
- If you don’t have a microwave, you can melt the chocolate in a stovetop in a bain-marie. Place a few inches of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl and place over the water (the water shouldn’t be touching the bowl). Stir until melted.
- Let the cookies set in the fridge after you have added the peanut butter to the crackers. This will make them much easier to handle when you are dipping them in chocolate.
- Have fun decorating them! We opted of reindeer cookies but you can decorate them however you like!
Cooking with Kids
You can easily get your kids to help you make these fun reindeer cookies!
TODDLERS
- Toddlers can help measure the ingredients.
- With help they can help sandwich together the Ritz crackers.
- They will have fun decorating the cookies with sprinkles.
KIDS
- They can pick out and measure all of the ingredients.
- They can help to add the peanut butter to the Ritz crackers.
- With help, they can cover the cookies with the chocolate.
- They will have fun decorating the reindeer cookies.
Storage
These cookies are a great make ahead option and they are a great addition to a cookie exchange! Once the chocolate is fully set, transfer them to an airtight container with the layers separated with parchment. They will keep well in the fridge for up to a week.
More Cookie Recipes
Tools Needed
- Measuring Cup
- Baking Sheet
- Sprinkles
- Red Cinnamon Candy or Dye-Free Version (use the red ones)
- Candy Eyes
Get the recipe: Chocolate Reindeer Cookies (no bake!)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookies
- 30 ritz crackers
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, not the natural kind
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Reindeer Decorations
- 1/2 cup mini pretzels or pretzel pieces
- 1 tbsp red cinnamon candies or dye-free version
- 1 tbsp candy eyes
- 2 tbsp sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Prep Crackers: place crackers in even rows on the baking sheet.
- Add Peanut Butter: drop roughly 2-3 tsp of peanut butter onto each cracker. This doesn't have to look perfect.
- Sandwich: Add on the top layer of crackers by gently pressing the top and bottom crackers together until the peanut butter moves to the edge but doesn't go over. You can also use a slight twisting motion to get the peanut butter where you want it.
- Let Set: place the baking tray in the fridge or freeze and let set for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Melt: place the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring until the chocolate is melted. Mine took 2 minutes until it was completely melted. Let cool slightly
- Decorate: using a fork and spoon, or two spoons, dunk the cookies into the chocolate, making sure the cookie is completely covered. I like to use a fork and let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl before placing the cookies back on the baking sheet. Repeat with half of the batch. Then decorate by adding the reindeer antlers, eyes and nose or simply add a pinch of sprinkles. You want to give the cookies a few minutes after their chocolate dunk to decorate or the items might slide around a bit. Repeat until all cookies are covered in chocolate and decorated.
- Chill: place the baking sheet back into the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour to set.
- Eat: serve and enjoy
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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4 Comments on “Chocolate Reindeer Cookies (no-bake!)”
The cutest! What a fun one to do with kiddos.
Cute! Can these be made with a different nut butter? We have a peanut allergy in the house.
Yes! We made them with a thicker (not so oily) almond butter from Trader Joe’s last weekend and they were great! I would imagine any nut or seed butter that doesn’t contain a ton of excess oil would work great. Hope that helps. Please let me know what you try and how it goes.
I just made these and they were very delicious. My kids loved these chocolate cookies. I will be making them again!