With winter upon us, you may be looking for a fun and easy cookie to get you into the spirit of the season, and these melted snowman cookies are the perfect choice! They have a delicious sugar cookie base and a royal icing and marshmallow decoration that are fun to make with kids and adults alike.
Our recipe uses our favorite Aunt Judy’s Sugar Cookie recipe, but if you want to make yours super easy you can also buy a sugar cookie mix or even premade sugar cookies to speed things up a bit. Don’t have time to make your own icing? You can also use ready-to-pipe icing in a bag as well!
Looking for more holiday cookie recipes? Check out:
- Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
- Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
These cookies are perfect for a holiday cookie table or a kid’s classroom holiday party snack idea.
Tips for melted snowman cookies:
- If your icing piping skills aren’t great, try using food markers to add your details instead! Just wait until the icing has set a few hours before writing on the cookies.
- To make your marshmallow snowman head a little melty, try putting the marshmallows in the microwave for about 30 seconds until they puff up a little before pressing into your cookie.
- If you are transporting your cookies to a party, it’s best to make them the day before and let the icing fully harden overnight if possible.
- When mixing up your black icing, make it a little thicker than your white icing (just add a little more powdered sugar to it to thicken it) so that it will keep its shape and not spread out when you pipe it.
- You can use regular food coloring, but we love gel food color since it’s more concentrated and you’ll get a more intense color.
Decorating ideas for melted snowman cookies:
There are lots of different ways you can decorate your snowman, try using:
- Icing: You can stick to just icing in different colors for the buttons and scarf for easy decorating.
- M&Ms: Round candies like M&Ms or M&M minis make great buttons.
- Pull and Peel Twizzlers: These or sour straws make great scarves.
- Mini Reese’s Cups: You can use these for a snowman hat!
- Oreos: A mini Oreo on top of a single larger Oreo makes a cute top hat!
How to make melted snowman cookies:
Bake cookies: Make your easy cookie dough, roll out your dough and cut out cookies, bake, and let your cookies cool.
Ice cookies: Mix together your icing ingredients until you reach the consistency you want. The mixture should flow in thick ribbons, but not be super runny.
Use a piping bag or ziplock to pipe the frosting into a snow puddle shape on the cooled cookies (or you can spoon it on and spread with back of the spoon). You want the icing to look a little messy since the snowman is melting so it’s OK if some goes over the edge.
Decorate cookies: While the icing is still wet, press in your marshmallow head near the side of your cookies and any snowman buttons you want to add.
Add some icing to a small bowl and add black food coloring to a piping bag or ziplock bag and pipe on the eyes, mouth, and arms. Attach orange sprinkle nose with a small dab of icing (or make some orange icing to pipe it on). Use more candy to add scarfs, hats, or earmuffs for some extra details!
New to cookie decorating? Check out What You Need to Decorate Sugar Cookies!
Allow the cookies to set for at least 2 hours before serving, but the cookies are best if left to set overnight. The frosting will get harder as it sets, so this is best if you plan to transport the cookies anywhere.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store melted snowman cookies?
You can store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Can you freeze melted snowman cookies?
If you want to freeze them, they will last up to three months in the freezer. Just place them on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes in the freezer to flash freeze them and then place them in a bag together with wax paper sheets between them. Let them come to room temperature before eating.
Can I save any extra royal icing?
Extra royal icing can be saved in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. Just add in tiny bits of water to thin before using if mixture thickens up.
Can I make royal icing if I don’t have meringue powder?
Yes! There are lots of royal icing recipes that don’t use meringue powder or you can even make Vegan Royal Icing that’s delicious too!
Looking for more holiday recipes? Check out:
- Eggnog French Toast
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls – Small Batch
- Spiced Gingerbread Waffles
- Eggnog Pie
- Puppy Chow Mix (Muddy Buddies)
The Best Melted Snowman Cookies
Equipment
-
1 stand mixer or hand mixer
-
piping bag and small tip or ziplock bag
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 ⅓ cup softened butter
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Royal Icing
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 5-6 tablespoons water
Decorations
- marshmallows
- black food coloring
- M&Ms for buttons
- orange sprinkles for nose
- gumdrops for earmuffs (optional)
Instructions
To Make The Cookies
-
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Then stir in the eggs and vanilla until just combined.
-
In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Then stir the dry ingredients in with the wet until a dough forms.
-
On a floured surface, roll the dough out so it's 1/4-inch thick or a little less. Cut out circle shapes with cookie cutters. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
-
Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. The centers may look a little undercooked, but the edges should just be beginning to brown. Remove to a cooling rack and they will firm up.
To Make The Icing
-
To make the royal icing, simply whisk together the meringue powder, powdered sugar, and water. Start with five tablespoons and add an additional one (or two) as needed. The mixture should flow in thick ribbons, but not be super runny. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar; if too thick, add small bits of water until desired consistency.
Decorate The Cookies
-
Use a piping bag or ziplock to pipe the frosting into a snow puddle shape on the cooled cookies (or you can spoon it on and spread with back of the spoon). You want the icing to look a little messy since the snowman is melting, so it’s OK if some goes over the edge.
-
While the icing is still wet, press in your marshmallow head near the side of your cookies and any snowman buttons you want to add. Add some icing to a small bowl and add black food coloring to add to a piping bag or ziplock bag and pipe on the eyes, mouth, and arms. Attach orange sprinkle nose with a small dab of icing (or make some orange icing to pipe it on). For earmuffs, just shorten a gumdrop by cutting off a bit of the bottom and use a dab of icing to glue them to the sides of your marshmallow head. Use more candy to add scarfs or hats for some extra details!
-
The cookies are best if left to set overnight, but you can also consume them immediately if you like. The frosting will get harder as it sets, so this is best if you plan to transport the cookies anywhere.
Notes
- Icing: You can stick to just icing in different colors for the buttons and scarf for easy decorating.
- M&Ms: Round candies like M&Ms or M&M minis make great buttons.
- Pull and Peel Twizzlers: These or sour straws make great scarves.
- Mini Reese’s Cups: You can use these for a snowman hat!
- Oreos: A mini Oreo on top of a single larger Oreo makes a cute top hat!
- If your icing piping skills aren’t great, try using food markers to add your details instead! Just wait until the icing has set a few hours before writing on the cookies.
- To make your marshmallow snowman head a little melty, try putting the marshmallows in the microwave for about 30 seconds until they puff up a little before pressing into your cookie.
- When mixing up your black icing, make it a little thicker than your white icing (just add a little more powdered sugar to it to thicken it) so that it will keep its shape and not spread out when you pipe it.