Reindeer Candy made with Peanut Butter Cups

If you're looking for a fun and festive snack to enjoy during the holidays, look no further than this easy recipe for reindeer candy!

This easy-to-make treat is made with everyone's favorite chocolate peanut butter cups, pretzel sticks and candy eyes. It's sure to bring a smile to everyone's face. Best of all, reindeer candy can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

So whether you're throwing a holiday party or just want a special treat for Santa on Christmas Eve, reindeer candy is the perfect sweet snack.

Check out all the other reindeer dessert ideas for even more fun ways to celebrate the holidays this year!

Over the years I've shared quite a few Christmas cookies and Christmas Treats to make the holiday season exciting and fun.

These reindeer candy treats are so much fun to make and they're perfect for school or church Christmas parties. You could even leave a few out for Santa on Christmas Eve!

For this recipe, I used mini chocolate peanut butter cups for the reindeer faces, and then add pretzel sticks for the antlers. You could also use regular sized peanut butter cups or even white chocolate cups for a completely different flavor.

Just get creative the recipe and have fun! The kids will love helping you make these as well.

Table of Contents

• 💭How to melt chocolate almond bark
• 💭How to melt chocolate chips
• Main Ingredients Needed
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Before You Begin!
• 💭Give Homebaked Candies as Christmas Gifts
• 💭Recipe Variations
• 💭Storage Tips
• 💭Top Recipe Tip
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments

Reindeer recipes have been popular easy dessert on the blog lately! Check out a few of our favorite Reindeer Cupcakes, Reindeer Cookies, Reindeer Pretzels or my Reindeer Cupcake Cake to help you celebrate the holiday season.

💭How to melt chocolate almond bark

Chocolate almond bark is a common ingredient in many holiday recipes, from shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate to dipping pretzels for Reindeer Pretzels decorated for Christmas. Melting the almond bark can be tricky, but with a little care and attention it's possible to get perfectly smooth, creamy melted chocolate every time:

• To melt chocolate almond bark, start by breaking the bark into small pieces. This will help the chocolate melt evenly.
• Then, place the bark in a heat-proof bowl and set it over a pot of simmering water.
• Stir the chocolate occasionally as it melts, and be careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water (this will cause the chocolate to seize up).
• Once the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat and use it as desired.

💭How to melt chocolate chips

For this recipe, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips for the melted chocolate. This process can be used to melt chocolate chips for dipping cookies, candy, pretzels, or any other holiday treat. Here are the easy steps I used for melting chocolate chips using the microwave:

• First, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl.
• Second, microwave on high power for 30 seconds.
• Third, remove from the microwave and stir. Repeat this process in 15-second increments until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth.

Main Ingredients Needed

Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!

Betty Crocker Large Candy EyeballsMore InformationREESE'S Miniatures Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter CupsMore InformationRold Gold Pretzel SticksMore InformationM&M'S Milk Chocolate Bulk Red CandyMore InformationSemi Sweet Chocolate ChipsMore Information

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 | Melt the Chocolate Chips

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips at 15 second intervals, stirring between, until completely melted. The melted chocolate will be used to "glue" the reindeer features into place.
• Place a large dab of chocolate directly on a piece of parchment paper.
• Then press two pretzel sticks into the melted chocolate.
• This forms the reindeer's antlers.

Step 2 | Add the Peanut Butter Cups

• Unwrap the Reese's Miniature Cups.
• Add another drop of chocolate on top of the pretzel sticks and press the Reese's Miniature Cups onto it.

Step 3 | Decorate the Reindeer

• Add a dab of chocolate towards the bottom of the peanut butter cup and add a red M&M for the nose.

• Next, add two small dabs of melted chocolate for the candy eyes.
• Put the baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden before serving.

💭Give Homebaked Candies as Christmas Gifts

• You can easily print out the the Cookie Gift Tags above to give these Reindeer Candy as gifts.
• Include these really cute handmade with love stickers to seal the parchment paper. 
• You can even order personalized homemade from my kitchen personalized stickers on Amazon! 

💭Recipe Variations

• If you didn't want to use pretzel sticks, try pretzel twists. Those would make cute antlers!
• Check out my other recipe for Chocolate Reindeer Cookies is very similar to this recipe only uses a chocolate cookie bar.

💭Storage Tips

• Reindeer Candy are best served and stored on a flat surface. The antlers tend to break when placed in bags.
• They can be stored at room temperature for about 1 week as long as it's not too warm in the house.
• Storing the candies in the refrigerator will cause the pretzel sticks to become soggy, therefore, I recommend enjoying them fresh within a few days or up to a week of preparing them.

💭Top Recipe Tip

• Use a lollipop stick to set the melted chocolate in place before you add the candy eyes or nose.

📖 Recipe Card