Snowman Cookies

The holidays wouldn’t be complete without at least one special baking day. In our house, it’s an event to look forward to—a dusting of flour on the countertops, a decorating station with sprinkles and lots of samples. For one of the best Christmas cookie recipes to add to your baking day, try snowman cookies. They’re so cheerful, and since they’re easy to decorate they’re also a perfect recipe to make with kiddos.

These snowman cookies are rich, fluffy and tender, thanks to a smart blend of cream cheese and butter in the dough. Three different extracts go into the cookies to give them a unique flavor profile: vanilla, coconut and almond. And, once they’re decorated, these snowman treats look about as cute as the buttons they don!

Ingredients for Snowman Cookies

• Butter: You want to use softened butter. It’s all about the right balance of not too firm but not too soft. Too-firm butter can lead to dense, firm cookies, but too-soft butter leads to thin, spread-out cookies.
• Cream cheese: When used in baking, cream cheese adds richness, creamy flavor and moisture. Don’t sub in low-fat, fat-free or whipped cream cheese, or the cookies will bake differently. As with the butter, you want to soften the cream cheese just enough.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar has so many uses in baked recipes. In these snowman cookies, sugar adds obvious sweetness, and it also contributes to the airiness and lightness of the batter.
• Egg: Don’t start with cold eggs! Instead, bake with room-temperature eggs to ensure a smooth batter with nice aeration.
• Extracts: The trio of vanilla extract, almond extract and coconut extract make up the complex flavor of these cookies. If you have a strong flavor preference, go all in on any one of the extracts.
• All-purpose flour: This flour is so common in baked recipes because it truly is so useful. With a gluten content that’s not too high or too low, all-purpose flour gives structure without making cookies dense or stodgy.
• Baking powder: As a leavening agent, baking powder helps give the batter rise and aeration. Don’t sub it out for baking soda; the two are not interchangeable.
• Candies: To decorate these snowy friends, mini chocolate chips make the eyes, mini M&M’s make the buttons and mini chocolate kisses make the hats. Have fun playing around with other candies too, and try some of our tips for decorating Christmas cookies. This is the perfect time to get little ones involved!
• Frosting: Confectioners’ sugar dissolves smoothly into liquids, so it’s ideal for making an ultra-smooth glaze or frosting for cookies, especially when beaten with milk. A hint of coconut extract reinforces the notes of coconut; feel free to sub in a different extract if you prefer.
• Food coloring: Red and green food colorings tint the frosting.

Directions

Step 1: Create the dough

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and extracts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.

Editor’s Tip: It’s important to give the butter mixture enough time to whip up and aerate. Make sure you know how to cream butter and sugar properly for the best baked goods.

Step 2: Shape the dough balls

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and shape it evenly into 48 1-inch balls, 48 3/4-inch balls and 48 1/2-inch balls. On ungreased baking sheets, place one ball of each size, side by side, to “build” each snowman.

Editor’s Tip: Dough balls should be firm enough to hold their size and shape. If they get too soft as you work with them, toss the dough back in the fridge until it firms up, 10 to 30 minutes or so. If the dough balls are too firm to work with, let them sit at room temp for a minute to soften.

Step 3: Bake

Bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Remove them from the oven, then let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for two minutes. Gently press the chocolate chips into the cookies for eyes and the M&M’s for buttons. Carefully remove the cookies from the baking sheets and transfer to wire racks. Let them cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: Bake these cookies in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the oven or the baking sheets. While you bake one batch, toss the unbaked snowman cookies back in the fridge so they don’t get too soft. Also, after each batch, let the hot baking sheet cool down before you use it again, or you risk burning your cookie bottoms.

Step 4: Make the frosting

In a small bowl, beat the confectioners’ sugar, coconut extract and enough milk to reach a piping consistency. For two different frosting colors, transfer half of the frosting to a separate bowl and tint each with a different food coloring.

Step 5: Decorate

Time to get creative with your snow friends! Cut a small hole in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag and fill the bag with frosting (or two bags for two different frostings). Pipe scarves on the snowmen. Use frosting to attach chocolate kisses for hats.

Editor’s Tip: If your baking helpers haven’t already jumped in, this is the time! Kids of all ages will enjoy decorating their own snowpeople.

Recipe Variations

• Add sprinkles: Sprinkles stick well to frosting, so add embellishments on the scarf or anywhere else you’ve decorated. Superfine sprinkles will look especially sparkly, like freshly fallen snow.
• Add mini pretzels: For stick arms on your snow creations, simply dot the tips of mini pretzel sticks with frosting and gently press them into the sides of each cookie.
• Change up the hat: Replace the Hershey’s Kiss with a fun-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup or a mini Oreo for a hat, or use frosting to pipe on earmuffs or kooky hair.

How to Store Snowman Cookies

Keep baked cookies at room temperature, in the refrigerator or in the freezer. You’ve got options, depending on when you plan to eat them.

How long do snowman cookies last?

Your decorated cookies should last at room temperature for up to three days. Stack them in between layers of parchment to keep the frosting intact, and store them in an airtight container. You can also store the cookies in the refrigerator for up to six days. Or, for longer-term storage, freeze the cookies. Just look out for these cookie storage mistakes.

Can you freeze snowman cookies?

Yes, freezing cookies is quite simple! To freeze cookie dough before baking, shape the dough balls as directed. Freeze the dough balls on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months.

To freeze baked cookies, wait to frost and decorate until you’re ready to enjoy them. Let the baked cookies cool completely, then follow the directions above for freezing them. Let the frozen cookies thaw in the fridge, at room temp or in a low-temp oven, then frost and decorate to your heart’s desire.

Snowman Cookies Tips

How do you know when snowman cookies are done baking?

Your snowman cookies are done when they develop a hint of light brown around the edges. Remember that cookies will continue to cook a bit as they cool, so you want to take them out of the oven just shy of your desired golden level.

Why are my snowman cookies flat?

To prevent your cookies from going flat in the oven, follow these tips: Measure flour correctly. Start with not-too-soft butter and cream cheese. Keep your dough chilled. Don’t remove the dough to shape into balls until your oven has fully preheated, and place any dough that you aren’t actively using back in the fridge.

What is a cookie saver?

You can keep your cookies around longer with a cookie saver, a storage container made just for cookies. These handy jars feature special airtight lids to help keep your moist baked goods moist and your dry baked goods dry. Some even have a terracotta stone inside, which you can wet for a slow release of moisture.