Gingerbread reindeer cookies
Gingerbread reindeer cookies are a fun and festive Christmas treat. Using a gingerbread man cookie cutter, they couldn’t be easier for kids to make.
Gingerbread reindeer cookies are a cute biscuit kids will love making in the holiday season. Made with our popular gingerbread recipe and simply using a gingerbread cookie cutter upside down they’re a fun and festive bake.
Christmas is a great time to get kids busy in the kitchen, whether it’s making mince pies, homemade fudge to give as gifts or these gingerbread cookies. Our traditional gingerbread men are always a hit at Christmas, and these reindeer cookies are a fun twist on those.
To make the reindeer you can use the same delicious recipe, the same gingerbread man cookie cutters, then simply turn them upside down. Add a red nose where the face would go, some icing antlers where the legs are, some ears where the arms used to be and you have yourself a cute Rudolf cookie!
How can kids help to make these reindeer cookies?
These are such a fun bake, kids will love making them during the festive season. Kids will love getting their hands messy making the dough. It’s a really hands on recipe which my kids always enjoy and it you also don’t need any specialist equipment like mixers to make them.
If your children enjoy playing with play-dough, they’re sure to enjoy rolling and cutting out these cookies. It’s quite a robust dough, so even children who can be a bit heavy handed at times should be able to help.
There are a few different steps in this recipe so even if your children don’t help to make the dough itself you can get them involved in decorating the biscuits, turning the plain cookies into reindeer. Even young children and preschoolers should be able to do this with a little help.
Can I still make these if I don’t have a gingerbread man cutter?
Yes, an upside down gingerbread man cutter makes a good shape for a reindeer but if you don’t have one of those you can use a simple circle. I think it’s the red nose, eyes and antlers that really make these reindeer come alive so can get a similar effect on a plain circular cookie. You can see a few in the picture below of our plain circle reindeer cookies.
How long do they keep?
These gingerbread cookies will keep in an air tight container for up to a week. If you want to keep them for longer you can also freeze them. You can either freeze the dough or the cookies wrapped in cling film and in a freezer bag for up to three months.
Other easy Christmas bakes for kids
Find all of our easy Christmas baking recipes or check out some of our favourite Christmas bakes for kids below.
Gingerbread men
Christmas tree brownies
Easy mince pie recipe for kids
Lebkuchen
Easy snickerdoodle recipe
Chocolate crinkle cookies
Easy Christmas sugar cookies
Gingerbread house
Christmas buns
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these ginger bread men
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Rolling pin
Baking tray
Gingerbread man cutter
Wire rack
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Ingredients
350g (3 cups) plain / all-purpose flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
100g (1/2 cup) butter
175g (1 cup) light muscovado sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
1 large egg
To decorate
Icing writers, or
1 – 2 cups icing sugar
Red smarties/chocolate drops
Icing googly eyes
How to make easy gingerbread men
Pre-heat your oven to 190C / 170C Fan / 375F fan and line 3 baking sheets with baking or parchment paper.
Rub the butter and flour together
Get your child to measure the flour and add it to a large mixing bowl. Next, measure the butter and cut it into small pieces. This will make it easier to rub in and is a great way for little kids to practice their cutting skills.
Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. The idea is to rub and squeeze the butter in with the flour with your fingertips, not your whole hand, so it breaks down into small pieces and it well mixed in. My kids always enjoy this step as it’s very tactile and they get the chance to get their hands a little bit messy.
Add the sugar, ginger and bicarbonate of soda
Get your child to measure the sugar then add it into the flour mixture. Add the ginger and bicarbonate of soda and mix it all in. Make sure your kids use their finger to level the teaspoon when they add the bicarbonate of soda so that you add just the right amount.
Mix it all in with a wooden spoon.
Add the remaining ingredients
Get your kids to measure out the golden syrup and add that to your bowl. The easiest way of doing this is to hold the spoon for your kids and let them squeeze out the syrup.
Crack the egg into a separate bowl before adding it to your mixing bowl just in case any shell goes in. If it does fish it out with a larger piece of shell as it will stick to that more easily than it will your finger.
Mix everything together until you have a smooth dough. We started with wooden spoons, then once it was less messy, brought it together with our hands. Squeeze it together and knead it so it stops crumbling apart, and makes a nice ball of gingerbread dough.
Make the ginger reindeer biscuits
The recipe makes quite a lot of dough so you might find it easier to divide the dough in half. Set one half aside until later. Then, on a lightly floured work surface get your kids to roll the other half of dough out until it is about 5mm thick.
Also try to rotate your dough in between rolls – so roll it out in one direction, then pick it up, rotate it by 90 degrees before rolling it again. This should stop it sticking too badly. You can add a little more flour under the dough in between rolls.
If you still find your gingerbread sticks to your worktop or rolling pin, try putting a sheet of baking paper underneath and on top while you roll it out.
Cut out your gingerbread reindeer using a man shaped or round cookie cutter. Place them on your baking tray. You can use a palette knife to help lift them on if you like.
Gather up any scraps and roll out again. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake the gingerbread reindeer cookies
Bake your cookies in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. They’re ready when they become a slightly darker shade. Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool slightly on their baking trays then gently pop them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the reindeer cookies
If you have icing writers you can use them to ice on the antlers, and add a little dot where the nose should go before sticking down the red Smartie/chocolate drop.
If you don’t have icing writers, you can mix up a little of your own icing. Measure in the icing sugar, then add a teaspoon or so of water and mix it together. You want it to be runny enough to pipe but no so runny that it won’t hold it’s shape once you pipe it. If you need to keep adding a little more icing sugar or a little more water until it’s just the right consistency.
Add the icing to small freezer bag, seal it and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Add a little dot of icing and use that to stick down the nose and eyes. You can also pipe on antlers. If your kids are little and find drawing the antlers too difficult, you could do that while they take charge of the eyes and red nose.
Leave the reindeer cookies to set. Serve and enjoy!
Gingerbread reindeer cookies
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Freestanding mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Rolling pin
- baking tray
- Gingerbread man cutter
- Wire rack
Ingredients
For the gingerbread cookies
- 350 g (3 cups) plain / all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 100 g (½ cup) butter
- 175 g (1 cup) light muscovado sugar
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 large egg
To decorate
- Icing writers
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- Red smarties/chocolate drops
- Icing googly eyes
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 190C / 170C Fan / 375F fan and line 3 baking sheets with baking or parchment paper.
Rub the butter and flour together
- Measure the flour and add it to a large mixing bowl. Next, measure the butter and cut it into small pieces.Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar, ginger and bicarbonate of soda
- Measure the sugar then add it into the flour mixture. Add the ginger and bicarbonate of soda and mix it all in. Use your finger to level the teaspoon so that you add just the right amount.Mix it all in with a wooden spoon.
Add the remaining ingredients
- Measure out the golden syrup and add that to your bowl.Crack the egg into a separate bowl before adding it to your mixing bowl just in case any shell goes in.
- Mix everything together until you have a smooth dough. We started with wooden spoons, then once it was less messy, brought it together with our hands. Squeeze it together so it stops crumbling apart, and makes a nice ball of gingerbread dough.
Make the ginger reindeer biscuits
- The recipe makes quite a lot of dough so you might find it easier to divide the dough in half. Set one half aside until later. Then, on a lightly floured work surface get your kids to roll the other half of dough out until it is about 5mm thick.Try to rotate your dough in between rolls – so roll it out in one direction, then pick it up, rotate it by 90 degrees before rolling it again. This should stop it sticking too badly. You can add a little more flour under the dough in between rolls.
- Cut out your gingerbread reindeer using a man shaped or round cookie cutter. Place them on your baking tray. You can use a palette knife to help lift them on if you like.Gather up any scraps and roll out again. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake the gingerbread reindeer cookies
- Bake your cookies in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. They're ready when they become a slightly darker shade. Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool slightly on their baking trays then gently pop them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the reindeer cookies
- If you have icing writers you can use them to ice on the antlers, and add a little dot where the nose should go before sticking down the red Smartie/chocolate drop.
- If you don't have icing writers, you can mix up a little of your own icing. Measure in the icing sugar, then add a teaspoon or so of water and mix it together. You want it to be runny enough to pipe but no so runny that it won't hold it's shape once you pipe it. If you need to keep adding a little more icing sugar or a little more water until it's just the right consistency.
- Add the icing to a piping bag or small freezer bag, seal it and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Add a little dot of icing and use that to stick down the nose and eyes. You can also pipe on antlers. If your kids are little and find drawing the antlers too difficult, you could do that while they take charge of the eyes and red nose.
- Leave the reindeer cookies to set. Serve and enjoy!
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