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Snowman Cookies are so fun, cute, and easy to decorate! These are classic sugar cookies with buttercream frosting decorated like snowmen – they’re so much easier than using royal icing you’ll never go back to the hard way again!
Not only are the snowman cookies cute, but they are incredibly easy to decorate, thanks to the buttercream frosting on top. I prefer decorating cookies with buttercream because it’s so much easier than royal icing or a sugar cookie frosting – save your sanity and decorate them this way!
Ingredients Needed
- Sugar Cookies – use the cut out cookie recipe listed or make my chocolate cut out cookies. You can also use store bought cookie dough if you prefer.
- Powdered Sugar – combined with softened unsalted butter this is the body of the cookie icing.
- Milk regular: Low or Non-fat, you can also use heavy cream!
- Food color and/or sprinkles if desired: To decorate your cookies. I used nonpareils, as well as black, red, orange, and green gel food coloring.
How to make Snowman Cookies
- Mix butter with powdered sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, egg, salt, and vanilla extract in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- I roll my cookies before chilling – divide dough in half and roll cookie dough between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper. This is less mess – no need to roll on a floured surface. Chill cookie dough at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- When ready to cut cookies, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cut cookies with snowman cookie cutters and place them on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Chill cookies on sheets until they’re hard to the touch.
- Bake cookies – the time depends on the size. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
- Make the frosting, then decorate your cookies with sprinkles!
Decorating Options
Fuzzy Snowmen: frost cookies with white icing. Dip upside down in a bowl of white nonpareil sprinkles or white sanding sugar. Pipe eyes, carrot nose, buttons, mouth, and scarf using colored frosting.
Traditional Snowmen: Just frost with white cookie frosting and then pipe on scarf, hat, eyes, carrot nose, and buttons.
I used Wilton tips #3 and #4 for the buttons, eyes, and scarf and tip #2 for the carrot nose. This is my favorite Wilton tip set.
Don’t want to deal with tinting food coloring? Use sprinkles for the eyes and noses, or get some black gel icing (that comes in the tube).
Expert Tips
- Make sure to cool sugar cookies before frosting.
- Once you cut all the dough, re-roll the scraps and chill to use up every last bit of cookie dough.
- You know sugar cookies are done baking when they’ve lost their glossy sheen and are light golden around the edges.
- Buttercream cookie frosting doesn’t dry hard like royal icing made with meringue powder, but they will develop a slight crust. You can stack them carefully with minimal transfer.
Storing Sugar Cookies
- Store frosted cookies in the freezer for up to one month. I freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and then stack them once they’re frozen. You can also freeze the frosting in an airtight container.
- These are great for making ahead because you can freeze them or they’ll last a few days before you have to frost them. You can also freeze the cookie dough before you cut the shapes.
FAQs
Are these cookies stackable?
The frosting will not totally harden, but once they dry you can stack them in between parchment paper.
Snowman Cookies Recipe
These snowman cookies are fun and easy to create. The cookie is soft and chewy, while being topped with a sweet frosting!
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
COOKIE:
- 2 ½ cups (304g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups (141g) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
FROSTING:
- 4 cups (452g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk regular low- or non-fat are all fine (or use heavy cream)
- Food color and/or sprinkles if desired
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer). Mix on low, scraping the bowl occasionally, until the mixture forms a cookie dough. Be sure to start on low or the dry ingredients will fly everywhere!
- Divide the dough in half. Place a large sheet of waxed paper on a large cutting board or flat surface. Place the cookie dough on the wax paper. Place another large sheet of wax paper on top of the cookie dough. Press down into a flat disk with the palm of your hand, then roll out the dough between the two pieces of wax paper. After each 3-4 rolls, carefully lift the top sheet of wax paper off the dough, then replace it, flip the dough over, and carefully peel the other wax paper sheet, replace it, then continue rolling until the dough is about 1/4” thick. Place the dough, still between the wax paper sheets, on another cutting board or cookie sheet.
- Repeat with second half of dough. Place both rolled out cookie dough sheets in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or wrap them well with plastic wrap and chill overnight).
- When ready to cut cookies, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cut cookies in snowman shapes and place them on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Chill cookies on sheets for an additional 10 minutes or so, or until they’re hard to the touch.Bake cookies for 6-10 minutes depending on the size. I take them out as soon as the bottoms start to brown because we like them softer. If you want crunchy cookies, let them cook longer. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
- To make frosting, beat butter until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
- Slowly mix in powdered sugar, then vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the frosting is the consistency you desire.
- To decorate them as I did: Frost with white frosting. Tint some frosting black, red, orange, and green. Use a Wilton #3 or #4 tip to frost the scarf, hat, buttons, eyes, and carrot nose. If you want to do the “furry” snowman with sprinkles, frost the cookie with white frosting and dip the cookie upside down on a plate covered with white sprinkles, sanding sugar, or nonpareils. You can also use sprinkles to make the eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons.
Recipe Notes
- Cookies won’t harden completely but once they dry you’ll be able to stack them with
minimal transfer. If storing in an airtight container layer between sheets of wax paper. - Cookies can be frozen with or without frosting, for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- Amount of cookies and bake time depend on size and thickness of cookies.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
