Reindeer Poop Cookies
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Make a batch of these Reindeer Poop Cookies for your family this holiday season that tastes a whole lot better than the name suggests!
These are not your average reindeer cookies though! They are mint choc chip flavor and stuffed with white peppermint chocolate chunks. Add this recipe to your holiday baking list – you won’t be disappointed!
I’ve got more fun Reindeer Crafts and Recipes for you to enjoy – right click and open these ideas in a new tab so that you can read them after this one!
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Reindeer Poop Cookies
What is it about the word poop that kids find hilarious? They’ll certainly get the giggles when you hand them a reindeer poop cookie this winter!
You may be wondering why on earth I am sharing such a gross sounding cookie for! Well, you guys have been asking for them and I always aim to deliver!
There are other styles of reindeer poo cookies out there, but I like to think of these cookies as if those piles of pellets got stepped on and squished out!!!!! I know. Gross!
Ingredients used in this recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but here is a brief outline so you know what to expect from the recipe. I highly recommend always reading a recipe all the way through before starting.
- Vanilla Extract – use the best that you can afford
- Espresso Powder – brings out the chocolate flavor of the cookies
- Cocoa Powder – use good quality cocoa powder, and not hot chocolate powder
- Unsulphered Molasses – see tips section below
- Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Chips – see tips section below
- Chocolate Chips – use milk, dark, white, semi-sweet, or bittersweet – whatever you prefer
Plus usual baking ingredients like eggs, flour, baking soda, salt, butter, and sugar.
Equipment used in this recipe
You are likely to have many of these cooking tools in your kitchen already, but I’ve added some Amazon links for your convenience should you need to purchase anything for this recipe.
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Large and Medium Mixing Bowls
- Mixing Spoon/Spatula
- Mini Cookie (Ice Cream) Scoop – this helps to get even pieces of cookie dough
- Parchment Paper or
- Silicone Baking Mat
- Plastic Wrap
- Wire Cooling Rack
Recipe Tips for Reindeer Poop Cookies
We’re at that point again where I have to think of my UK audience vs my US audience vs my Worldwide audience when it comes to ingredients. This time it’s about one of the ingredients used in this recipe – molasses.
Molasses
Molasses is a viscous product resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies by the amount of sugar, method of extraction, and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used for sweetening and flavoring foods in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere. Molasses is a defining component of fine commercial brown sugar. (Thanks Wiki for the info)
Now, I always thought molasses in the UK was essentially black treacle. And it is. However, what I didn’t know is that there are different types of molasses, and this is where things might become unstuck! There is such a thing as light molasses, and dark molasses, and then there is sulphered, and unsulphered molasses. Not to mention blackstrap molasses! What a minefield!
Want to know the difference between them? The Kitchn tells all! And if you can’t source molasses, then The Spruce Eats has substitute ideas.
This recipe uses Grandma’s Original Unsulphered Molasses.
Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Chips
If you can’t source these candy chips for the reindeer cookies, then you could buy some regular peppermint bark and smash it into chunks. Or use a mint-flavored chocolate bar and cut it into pieces.
Making the Cookie Dough
I’ve got step-by-step photos to guide you through making these holiday cookies, and there is also a slideshow video over on my YouTube channel that you can watch and save to your Playlists for future reference. (Don’t forget to subscribe while you are there!)
- The recipe combines wet and dry ingredients separately before mixing together.
- The reason behind this is SCIENCE!
- When you mix them together there is very little mixing to combine them together which means the gluten in the flour has less time to develop.
- This means a lighter, fluffier end product!
- It also means that ingredients like raising agents, spices, sugar are more evenly distributed.
- Add the peppermint chips and chocolate chips to the dough and mix well so that each cookie will get some!
- Once the cookie dough is made it is wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the fridge for at least an hour. This helps the dough firm-up and is easier to handle.
- You can make the reindeer poop cookie dough up to three days in advance by storing it wrapped in the fridge – great for the busy Holiday season!
- Using a small cookie (ice cream) scoop to measure out your dough means you will get nice and even cookies.
- Roll the dough balls in sugar and make sure they are well coated. To me, the sugar looks like flecks of snow!
- Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on a lined cookie sheet.
- Or use a silicone mat with guidelines to get evenly spaced cookies.
- This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies, so they will need to be baked over two cookies sheets.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time.
- When cooked the cookies will be puffed, the center set, and they will start to form cracks. Do not overbake!
- Cool slightly on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make It A Wintery Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses? Here are some recipes to take a look at to make a complete meal!
- Appetizer: Winter Vegetable Soup
- Main Dish: Chicken Cacciatore – Italian Hunter’s Stew
- Side Dish: Italian Roasted Vegetable
- Beverage: Apple Cider Dark and Stormy Cocktail
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.
More Recipes Using Chocolate Chips
Here are some more yummy recipes that use chocolate chips!
- Delicious Caramel Apple Cookies with Chocolate Chips Recipe
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cranberry Bread
- Rocky Holiday Road Recipe
More Christmas Cookies Recipes
If you want more cookie recipes to bake during the holidays, try one of these:
Reindeer Poop Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1½ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp unsulphured molasses
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- ½ cup peppermint white chocolate chips
- ½ cup chocolate chips
For Rolling Cookie Dough Balls
- ½ cup white sugar
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Add the cocoa powder, molasses, and warm, melted butter to a large bowl and stir to mix together.
- Stir (1 cup) sugar into the butter mixture, followed by the egg, vanilla extract, and espresso powder. Stir between each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to form a dough.
- Add the peppermint white chocolate chips and the chocolate chips and mix well to distribute them into the dough.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for at least one hour. (Or up to 3 days.)
- When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Place rolling sugar into a small bowl.
- Scoop the cookie out and roll into dough balls (about 1").
- Roll the dough balls in the sugar and make sure they are well coated.
- Place the sugar-coated cookie balls 2" apart onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Put one cookie sheet in the oven at a time. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are puffed, centers are set and are starting to form cracks. Do not overbake!
- Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Time does not include dough chilling time - minimum 1 hour, or up to 3 days if you want to make the dough in advance.
- 12 tablespoons of butter is equal to 1½ sticks or ¾ cup or 170g or 6oz
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 178Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 2g
This site uses an outside source (Nutritionix) to provide estimated nutrition. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
The Create the Holidays series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog features free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Christmas and the Winter Holidays. Check out Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.