Holidays Made Easy: Delish Deer Cookies

Need a quick cookie with maximum cute factor? Look no further! Triangle-shaped butter shortbread cookies (AKA Petticoat Tails) are made even tastier with a dip in melted chocolate. Little hands can help arrange the pretzel ‘antlers’ and mini semisweet chips which create the eyes and nose of our woodland deer. This recipe can easily be adapted for Christmas cookie trays by replacing the semisweet chocolate chip nose with a red candy-coated chocolate piece.

Photo by: Heather Baird

Heather Baird

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Ingredients

  • 5 ounces vanilla almond bark
  • 1 ounce dark chocolate or milk chocolate, wafers or finely chopped bar
  • 10 triangle shaped shortbread (Petticoat Tails)
  • 20 pretzel twists
  • 30 mini semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Place the almond bark in a microwave-safe bowl at 100 percent power and heat at 30 second intervals until completely melted. Add the dark chocolate and stir well until melted and completely incorporated.

Photo by: Heather Baird

Heather Baird

2. Use parchment paper to create a work surface. Gather your materials: the melted candy, shortbread, pretzel twists and chocolate chips.

Photo by: Heather Baird

Heather Baird

3. Dip the front surface of the cookie into the melted chocolate mixture. Hold the dipped cookie over the bowl so the excess candy runs off and back into the bowl.

Photo by: Heather Baird

Heather Baird

4. Place the cookie on the parchment paper. Add two whole pretzel twists to each upper side of the cookie to create the deer's antlers. 

Photo by: Heather Baird

Heather Baird

5. Add two mini chocolate chips just below each pretzel, and add one chocolate chip at each triangle point for the nose. Allow the cookies to stand until set, about 20 minutes.

Photo by: Heather Baird

Heather Baird

6. For gifting, place the cookies in a mini pie box with a window. 

Photo by: Heather Baird

Heather Baird

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