then 
Add IMPERIAL SUGAR to Home Screen
Ingredients
- 48 maraschino cherry halves
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 144 chocolate chips
- 96 pretzel antlers*
- *Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Place a few layers of paper towels on counter and arrange maraschino cherry halves on towels. Gently pat them dry with more paper towels. Then let them air dry until needed.
- Beat butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Scoop out 1 tablespoon portions of cookie dough and arrange on parchment-paper lined baking sheets with a few inches in between each cookie.
- Roll cookie dough into smooth balls then flatten the cookies into a 1 3/4-inch circle.
- Press two chocolate chips right next to each other in center of each cookie dough circle to create reindeer’s eyes. (They will separate when cookies spread as they bake.)
- Press a single chocolate chip about 1/2 inch below two chocolate chip eyes. This chocolate chip will be covered with a cherry nose after the cookies are baked. Melted chocolate will help to “glue” cherry to cookie.
- Insert a pretzel antler on either side of top of cookie.
- Bake decorated cookies for 10 minutes until edges of cookies are set and tops of cookies no longer look wet.
- Cookies will spread slightly while baking and chocolate chip eyes will spread apart slightly.
- Remove pan and immediately press one maraschino cherry half over single chocolate chip to create reindeer’s nose.
- Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet then remove them and place them on a cooling rack until cooled completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Imperial Sugar Insight
*Cut mini pretzel twists using a serrated knife to create antlers for your reindeer. You’ll need a total of 96 pretzel antlers for your reindeer cookies, but many pretzels will break while you are cutting them so be sure to have more pretzels on hand.
Recipe created for Imperial Sugar by Beth Jackson Klosterboer @Hungry Happenings.
