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Melting Snowman Cookies Recipe

4.4 from 63 reviews

These Melting Snowman Cookies are whimsical and festive sugar cookies topped with marshmallow snowman heads and colorful icing details, perfect for holiday celebrations. The soft sugar cookie base is easy to make and decorated with fun, piped icing and mini chocolate chips to bring the snowman characters to life.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups (227g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Icing Ingredients

  • 2 cups (260g) powdered sugar
  • 24 tablespoons water
  • Black gel food coloring
  • Orange gel food coloring
  • Brown gel food coloring
  • Red gel food coloring

Decoration Ingredients

  • 12 large marshmallows
  • Mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to prepare for baking the cookies.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, combine the unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand with a wooden spoon, cream them together until light and fluffy to ensure a smooth cookie base.
  3. Add Egg and Vanilla: Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined to enrich the dough with moisture and flavor.
  4. Mix Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix until the dough is streak free and soft but not sticky. If the dough feels sticky, chill it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
  5. Roll Dough: On a floured surface with parchment paper, lightly flour the top of the dough and roll it out gently to about 1/4 inch thickness, turning the dough occasionally to avoid sticking.
  6. Cut Cookies: Use a 2 or 3 inch round cookie cutter to cut out cookie rounds. Lift the cutouts carefully with an offset spatula and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart for even baking.
  7. Reuse Dough Scraps: Gather leftover dough scraps, re-roll, and cut out additional cookies until all dough is used, yielding about 12 cookies total.
  8. Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
  9. Prepare Icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Add more water gradually to reach a glue-like consistency suitable for spreading and piping.
  10. Color Icing: Divide the icing into portions and tint each with black, red, orange, and brown gel food coloring. Adjust thickness by adding powdered sugar if needed to keep the icing pipeable but not too runny.
  11. Fill Piping Bags: Transfer each colored icing into separate piping bags or plastic bags, cutting a small hole at the tip for detailed decorating.
  12. Prepare Marshmallow Heads: Optionally trim about 1/4 inch off the bottom of each marshmallow with kitchen scissors to shorten them slightly for proportion.
  13. Decorate Marshmallows: Pipe small black dots on the sides for eyes and mouths, and add a tiny orange dot for the nose to create snowman faces on the marshmallows.
  14. Assemble Cookies: Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of plain white icing on each cooled cookie and spread it into a messy puddle shape. Press a marshmallow head gently on top to adhere to the icing.
  15. Add Buttons: Place mini chocolate chips onto the icing beneath the marshmallow for snowman buttons.
  16. Set Icing: Allow the white icing to set for 10-15 minutes until firm to the touch to prevent color bleeding during further decoration.
  17. Final Decorating: Pipe snowman stick arms on the cookie sides and add colorful scarves around the marshmallow heads with the desired icing color. Let any additional decorations dry before serving.
  18. Serve and Enjoy: Present the playful melting snowman cookies to guests or enjoy them yourself as a festive treat.

Notes

  • Use room temperature butter and egg for easier mixing and better texture.
  • If the cookie dough is too sticky after mixing, chill it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before rolling.
  • Adjust the icing consistency with additional powdered sugar if gel food coloring dilutes it too much.
  • Trimming marshmallows is optional but helps keep the snowman heads proportional to the cookies.
  • Allow icing to set completely before adding more details to prevent color bleeding.
  • Use mini chocolate chips for snowman buttons for size accuracy and visual appeal.

Keywords: Melting Snowman Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Christmas Cookies, Marshmallow Snowman, Festive Cookies, Easy Sugar Cookies