Hello everyone!

Ready to bake!
I am here in Winchester, Virginia helping my host family and they have kindly let me participate in their family tradition of baking reindeer cookies for Santa. I hope to share more family traditions this week so please send in your pictures!
We found this special peanut butter cookie recipe to use for the base of our reindeer cookies. We were excited because they promised soft peanut butter cookies (and they delivered!) Here is a link to the website we found the recipe on. Be sure to check out her other treats!
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-peanut-butter-cookie-recipe/
Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) of salted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
chocolate chips
pretzels
M&M’s (preferably the brown and red!)
Directions
In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.


Mix in peanut butter, then the egg, and then the vanilla.


In a separate bowl, mix the baking soda and flour.

Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Do not overmix.

Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.

We covered and stuck the dough in the fridge for about 2 hours and all was good.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chilled dough from fridge and roll into balls. Spread a thin layer of granulated sugar on a plate and roll each dough ball to evenly coat (if desired*). *we did not do this part because we were about to make reindeer.
Add chocolate chip eyes, an M&M for the nose, and pretzels for the antlers.

On an ungreased baking sheet, bake for 8-9 minutes, until the tops begin to *slightly* crack. Do not bake longer than this. Cookies will look undone, but will firm up as they cool.
Transfer to a cooling rack very VERY carefully! Those antlers take some practice to handle!

Those smell delicious! I hope we can manage to save one for Santa in a couple nights! What kind of cookies do you make for Christmas?
Until tomorrow,
Traveling Sam