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I’m officially kicking off the holiday season with these Upside Down Gingerbread Reindeer Cookies. Made with sweet dark brown sugar, molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. They’re generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy chocolate vanilla icing that melts in your mouth. Roll the dough out, then cut it into gingerbread cutouts. Bake the chilled cutouts and flip each gingerbread man upside down. You’ll have the sweetest reindeer cookies that are fun to make and even more delicious to eat! They’re the perfect holiday cookie to bake, share, and gift this holiday season!
I will never call myself a professional baker. And I’m definitely not a professional cookie decorator. But when it comes to Christmas cookies, I try to share at least one decorated cookie that feels easy to recreate at home.
In previous years, I’ve shared my well-loved Christmas tree light cookies, decorated simply with mini holiday M&Ms. My Fat Santa Cookies have to be my most popular holiday cookies. And then there are the simpler drop-style gingerbread cookies that are soft and chewy! Honestly, there are so many good ones, just put Christmas cookies into the search on the site.
Today, I’m adding to my running list of holiday cookies! These are the sweetest gingerbread cookies. Simply flip the cookies upside down to turn them into cute reindeer cookies.
These are so fun! I’m excited to share the recipe with my little brother, Oslo. I know he’ll think they’re so cute, but he’ll enjoy eating them up even more!
These are the details
Ingredients
- salted butter
- brown sugar, I prefer to use organic when possible
- a single egg
- vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- ground ginger and cinnamon
For the icing
- powdered sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- meringue powder (this is optional)
- hazelnut liqueur (this is also optional)
- vanilla extract
- sea salt
For decorating
- melted chocolate
- assorted holiday sprinkles
- candy eyes
Special Tools
Nothing fancy. You’ll need a rolling pin or an empty wine bottle. You’ll also need a medium-sized gingerbread cookie cutter.
Steps
Step 1: make the cookie dough
Start by preheating the oven to 350° and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Now, let’s make the cookie dough! In a medium bowl, beat the butter with dark brown sugar, then add the vanilla, egg, and molasses.
Next, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. That’s the dough. It’s perfectly spiced and sweet. I think using brown sugar and molasses is such a wonderful combination and helps highlight the warming spices.
Step 2: roll the cookie dough out and make the gingerbread cutouts
Just as I do with my sugar cookies, I always like to roll out the dough, cut the cookies, and then freeze the cut cookies on a baking sheet for a few minutes. This ensures that the cookies hold their shape. To cut my cookies, I used a gingerbread cookie cutter.
Freeze the trays of cut cookies for 15-20 minutes.
Step 3: bake the cookies
When the cookie cutouts are well chilled, bake each tray for 10-15 minutes.
The kitchen is going to smell like Christmas magic!
Step 4: the icing
This icing is everything. Just a handful of ingredients, but I love the nutty hazelnut with sweet chocolate. It’s what makes these cookies really melt in your mouth.
The ingredients: powdered sugar, hazelnut liqueur, vanilla, and sea salt.
I also like to add a couple of teaspoons of meringue powder. This ensures the icing will harden and be dry for gifting! This is optional however, the icing should stiffen up no matter what. The meringue powder just adds a nice glossy finish.
Spoon the frosting into a ziplock bag and snip the corner off. You can use this to pipe or draw the frosting over each cookie. The frosting sets up pretty quickly once it’s exposed to the air, so keep it sealed in the ziplock bag.
Step 5: decorate
Now, you can flip each cookie upside down and draw the reindeer’s face. Use the photos to help guide you!
Add two candy eyes. I use a mini chocolate chip for the nose, but if you want to make Rudolph, you can use a mini red M&M candy.
Next, take the melted chocolate and add it to a separate ziplock bag, snipping the corner off. Use the chocolate to create the antlers. Again, the photos should help guide you!
Now decorate as desired with sprinkles and edible gold dust! I used a few holiday sprinkles for the antlers and then lightly dusted each cookie with gold dust for a holiday sparkle!
Allow the cookies to dry. Then package them up for gifting – or enjoy them with family and friends!
The combo of ginger, vanilla, and hazelnut isn’t usual, but I’m finding that everyone loves it. The hazelnut compliments the ginger and cinnamon wonderfully. The result is a perfectly gingery molasses cookie with rich notes of chocolate, vanilla, and ginger.
We couldn’t love these fun gingerbread cookies more. The frosting really makes them special. I hope you guys love them just as much as I do!
Looking for Christmas cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Upside Down Gingerbread Reindeer Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Gingerbread Reindeer Cookies
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 145 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg, mixing to combine. Then, add the molasses. Again, mix to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until combined.3. Divide the dough in half. Roll out the dough on a floured piece of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Make sure you’re using enough flour or your dough will stick. Using a gingerbread cookie cutter, cut the dough into cookies. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. I recommend using a floured spatula to lift the cookies. Cover the baking sheet and place it in the freezer until firm, 20 minutes. Roll out the leftover scraps, and repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for 10-13 minutes, until just set.4. Meanwhile, make the icing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder, hazelnut liquor (if using), vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of water until smooth and drizzly. If needed, thin the glaze by adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time until drizzly. 5. Transfer the icing to a ziplock bag. Snip a small hole in the corner of the icing bag. Pipe/draw an outline around the head of each cookie, around the arms, and across the chest of the gingerbread man. Turn the gingerbread man upside down so it is standing on its head. Fill the face in with icing. 6. Place the melted chocolate into a separate ziplock bag. Pipe/draw antlers coming out of the top of the head and over the gingerbread man’s legs and feet. Place candy eyes toward the top of the reindeer’s head and use 1 mini chocolate chip OR mini red M&M candy to create the nose. Decorate the antlers as desired with holiday sprinkles and/or edible gold dust. Let sit to dry for 1 hour (look through the photos for examples).7. Once the icing hardens, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. These are great for gifting!
