Move over generic sugar cookies, and make way for these Rudolph Reindeer Cookies! Spiced cookie butter is spread between tender and crunchy almond butter cookies for a Christmas treat that is simply out of this world!
This post was originally published on November 7, 2020. It was updated with new recipe information on December 6, 2023.
Ingredients
- Biscoff Cookie Spread - A creamy spread made from Lotus Biscoff cookies! It's also known as cookie butter, and it's sweet, spiced with cinnamon, and is the perfect complement to almond cookies. Biscoff cookie spread can be found at most major grocery stores and online on Amazon.
- Almond Flour - Choose almond flour over almond meal, as the flour is ground more finely, making for lighter and crispier cookies.
- Unsalted Butter - Opt for the unsalted variety, as different brands of butter add differing amounts of salt to salted butter. Bring the butter to room temperature before baking for the lightest and crispest cookies.
- Light Brown Sugar - The molasses in this sugar adds moisture and caramelized notes to the cookies, making them the perfect canvas for spreading on the Biscoff cookie spread!
- Egg - Binds the cookies together and adds a rich flavor base.
- Vanilla Extract - For the best flavor, use pure vanilla extract if possible.
- Ground Cinnamon - For those perfectly Christmasy warm spices.
- Powdered Sugar - Ideal for dusting the cookies with a fresh snow appearance.
- Chocolate Chips - Or, candy melts. Melted and drawn onto the cookies to create Rudolph's face.
How to Make Reindeer Cookies
Though there are a few steps to make these reindeer linzer cookies, all are simple and easy to follow. Biting into the final buttery and cinnamon-sweet cookies is more than worth any time or potential effort!
Step 1: In a large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and light brown sugar.
Step 2: Add the vanilla and egg to the creamed butter mixture and beat until smooth.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon.
Step 4: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Step 5: Sandwich the cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the cookie dough until it's ⅛ inch or ⅓ cm thick. Place the sheet of rolled-out cookie dough into the freezer for 5 minutes to let it solidify.
Step 6: Cut the cookies out using a 3-inch or 8-cm circle cutter. If the dough starts to soften, stick it back in the freezer for another 5 minutes before removing the cut-out cookies onto a baking sheet. Gather the scraps of dough and re-roll as much as needed.
Step 7: For half of the cookies, use the wider end of a jumbo piping tip to cut out a circle from the dough.
Step 8: Bake the cookies for about 18 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 325°F/160°C. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 9: Lay out all of the cookies with cutouts on a surface, and dust them with some powdered sugar. Take the cookies without cutouts, and spread the Biscoff spread on one side, and place the cutout cookies on top, making a cookie sandwich.
Step 10: Using some melted candy melts or chocolate, draw on Rudolph's face!
Recipe Success Tips
- Chill the Cookie Dough. This will help the flour to hydrate, resulting in better-textured cookies. Additionally, let the sheet of cookie dough chill in the freezer before cutting out the cookies, as doing so will make it easier to remove the freshly cut cookies from the dough.
- Roll Out the Cookie Dough Evenly. Doing so ensures that the cookies cook evenly. For the easiest rolling, use a rolling pin with guides, or simply measure the dough thickness with a ruler.
- Cool the Cookies Completely Before Filling. Not only will the fully cooled cookies be easier to handle when icing, but they also won't melt the cookie butter, making for better consistency and presentation.
- Don't Burn the Chocolate. Carefully melt the chocolate chips or chocolate melts by warming them on low heat in the microwave for short intervals or over a double-boiler, stirring the chocolate regularly as it melts.
Storage Directions
Storage: Leftover cookies can be kept covered in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezing: These Rudolph cookies can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before enjoying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Also known as Linzer tart cookies, Linzer cookies are cookie sandwiches that originated in Linz, a city in Austria. Traditionally, black or red currant jam is sandwiched between two buttery almond cookies. The top layer has a cutout, the Linzer eye, where the jam peeks through. It's actually a cookie version of the Linzertorte, a tart using the same ingredients and topped with a lattice crust!
Inspired by classic Linzer cookies, these Christmas Linzer cookies maintain the classic crisp almond cookies but substitute Biscoff cookie spread for the jam before being finished with adorable Rudolph decorations.
Yes. You can roll out store-bought cookie dough, cut out the shapes, and bake them following the instructions on the packaging. Once they've baked and cooled, assemble the cookies with Biscoff spread and decorate!
I haven't tried making this recipe without eggs, but you can try using an egg replacer like a flax egg. You can also try using this recipe for the cookies instead and cut out the holes to make Rudolph's face.
If you live somewhere warm, I would keep these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge to prevent the filling and decorations from melting.
Absolutely! I would advise freezing it after you've rolled it out, so it's easier to cut the shapes out and bake them.
You could bake it for an extra minute or two, and that should help with the crunch!
More Christmas Recipes
- If you want a delicious and easy Christmas treat, try these gluten-free Christmas cookies! They're chewy with notes of vanilla and peppermint.
- These matcha Christmas tree cookies are buttery and crisp, with just the right amount of matcha flavor.
- Looking for some ginger cookies that don't require molasses? These chewy gluten-free ginger cookies are for you!
- This dairy-free fudge is super easy to make, and no one will be able to tell they're dairy-free!
Reindeer Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 7 oz Biscoff spread
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- chocolate or candy melts, for drawing Rudolph's face
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and light brown sugar. Add the vanilla, egg, and beat until smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until combined. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Put the cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper and using a rolling pin, roll the cookie dough until it's ⅛ in (⅓ cm). Stick the rolled out cookie dough into the freezer for 5 minutes to let it solidify.
- Preheat the oven at 325°F (160°C) while the dough is chilling.
- Cut the cookies out using a 3in (8cm) circle cutter. If the dough starts to soften, stick it back in the freezer for another 5 minutes before taking the cut out cookies onto a baking sheet.
- For half of the cookies, cut out a circle using the wider end of a jumbo piping tip. You can gather the scraps of dough and re-roll as much as needed.
- Bake the cookies for about 18 to 20 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Lay out all of the cookies with cutouts on a surface, and dust them with some powdered sugar. Now take the cookies without cutouts, and spread the Biscoff spread on one side, and place the cutout cookies on top, making a cookie sandwich.
- Using some melted candy melts or chocolate, draw on Rudolph's face.
Alyssa & Marissa says
These are so adorable and they are perfect for Christmas. 🎄
Ai says
Thank you so much ladies!❤️
Jhuls says
I love anything Biscoff!! These look so adorable!
Ai says
Thanks Jhuls! Me too! Biscoff is truly amazing!
Alyssa says
biscoff in the middle in genius! Not to mention, these are the cutest cookies!
Ai says
Thank you so much Alyssa!
chahinez @lifestyleofafoodie says
Those are so freaking cute! Need to make them ASAP!
Ai says
Thanks so much Chahinez! Yup, you most definitely need to make these!
Nivedhitha says
OMG, these are the cutest cookies! Going to make these! Love from India!
Nadja says
Hi...we just found out, all of the messurments in gramm are wrong.
1.5 cup butter =338g
1cup light Browser sugar =180g
3cups flour= 375g
1.5 cups almond flour= 144g
Maybe it would be better to omit the information.
Best regards from Germany
Ai says
Hi Nadja. Here is a link to an ingredient weight chart that I find quite useful: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart I use grams when I bake my recipes, so if you follow the recipe using my gram measurements, it'll turn out fine. Happy baking!
Nicki says
Do you have a vegan recipe for these as these have egg?
Ai says
Hi Nicki! I haven't tried making this recipe without eggs, but you can try using an egg replacer like the one by Bob's Red Mill. You can also try using this recipe for the cookies instead, and cut out the holes to make Rudolph's face. Let me know if you try it out!
Anne says
I live in a humid country, If I use melted chocolate chips will it not melt? How to keep it hardened?
Ai Willis says
I would keep them in an airtight container in the fridge in that case!
Anne says
Can I freeze the dough overnight?
Ai Willis says
Absolutely! I would advise freezing it after you've rolled it out, just to make life easier when you go to bake them.
Anne says
Tried it out it came out well but I thought it would be crunchy cookies but it turned out to be soft. Is there anything I can add to make it crunchy?
Ai Willis says
You could bake it for an extra minute or two, and that should help with the crunch!