Chocolate Reindeer Recipes

CHOCOLATE REINDEER CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat two 8-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk the cocoa powder and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the cocoa mixture in a steady stream until just combined, then finish mixing with a rubber spatula.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and tap the pans against the counter to help the batter settle. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level.
• For the ganache: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the heavy cream and corn syrup to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand 5 minutes, then stir until completely smooth. Let the ganache sit until it has cooled and thickened to a spreadable consistency, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Place 1 cake layer on a cardboard cake circle on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch any drips. Spread about 1/2 cup of the ganache on top and place the second cake layer cut-side down over the ganache. Dollop half of the remaining ganache on top and spread with a large offset spatula so the ganache covers the top of the cake and slowly runs down the sides. Repeat with the remaining ganache, using the offset spatula to make a smooth, even layer over the surface and around the sides of the cake. Refrigerate until set, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• To decorate: Melt the white chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 15 second intervals on 50 percent power until melted, stirring after each interval. Let sit 5 minutes, then transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip. (Alternatively, transfer to a resealable plastic bag and snip off a corner.) Pipe a straight line through the center of the cake from top to bottom, then another line through the center from left to right, dividing the cake into quarters. Pipe 2 more lines to divide the cake into eighths. Pipe a circle of white chocolate around the edge of the cake. Pipe a small circle where the points intersect in the center of the cake. Place a candy-coated chocolate near the tip of each point for reindeer noses (one of them will be red). Add 2 reindeer eyes above each nose. Stick 2 pretzel twist pieces above each pair of eyes.

SWEET AND SALTY CHOCOLATE REINDEER

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well., Divide dough into 8 portions; cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours., Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 6-in. circle; cut into 6 wedges. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press in pretzels for antlers, baking bits for eyes and a gumdrop for the nose., Bake 7-9 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE REINDEER COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Place butter, brown sugar and water in a large saucepan; cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Stir in eggs and extract. Stir in flour mixture. Let stand until firm enough to shape, about 15 minutes., To freeze dough, shape level tablespoonfuls of dough into balls; flatten each to 1/4-in. thickness. Place in a covered container, separating layers with waxed paper; freeze until firm. (May be frozen up to 3 months.), To bake, preheat oven to 350°. Place frozen dough portions 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake until set, 12-14 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely., Spread cookies with frosting, reserving a small amount for mouths. Decorate faces with candy eyes; add peanut butter cups for snouts, pretzels for antlers and M&M's for noses. Pipe mouths with reserved frosting.

CHOCOLATE REINDEER COOKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix together cake mix, eggs and shortening until well combined. The dough will be pretty thick.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls, making sure they are all similar in size.
• Place dough onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
• Immediately transfer cookies to a cooking rack.
• Frost the cookie with chocolate frosting.
• Place on the vanilla wafer for the reindeer snout.
• Stick the M&M nose on the wafer with a small dab of chocolate frosting.
• Place the pretzels on for the antlers.
• And then place the edible eyes on just above the wafer cookie.

CHOCOLATE SPRITZ REINDEER COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in sugars and cocoa until well blended. Beat in milk, vanilla and egg yolk. On low speed, slowly beat in flour until well blended, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Fit heart template in cookie press; fill cookie press with dough. Place pretzels onto lightly floured surface. Force dough through template on top of flat, bottom end of each pretzel twist (two rounds at top of pretzel will form the antlers). Press 2 baking bit at upper part of heart to make eyes, and 1 chocolate chip to make nose on each reindeer. Place reindeer on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are firm, but not browned. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

CHOCOLATE REINDEER COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with cooking parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In small microwavable cup, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 to 45 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds, until melted and smooth; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat butter and sugars with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add melted chocolate; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat until soft dough forms. Refrigerate dough 20 minutes.
• Shape dough into 64 (1-inch) and 32 (3/4-inch) balls. For each cookie, arrange 1 (3/4-inch) and 2 (1-inch) balls, edges touching, on ungreased cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely before decorating.
• Meanwhile, to make ears, cut caramels in half horizontally. Cut each half into quarters, making 64 thin squares. Using fingers, slightly press together opposite corners squares, forming leaf shapes (see photo); set aside.
• To make antlers, cut each licorice twist into 4 (1 3/4-inch) pieces. Cut 2 (1-inch) slits in each piece, creating 3 sections; cut off half of each outer section (see photo).
• To Make Reindeer: Pipe 4 small dollops chocolate icing onto smaller portion of cooled cookie; press on ears and antlers. For eyes, pipe white icing onto cookie in 2 small oval-shaped dollops; press 1 milk chocolate candy on each. For nose, pipe small dollop of chocolate icing onto cookie; press on 1 chocolate-covered caramel. Using red icing, pipe mouth onto cookie.