Description
These adorable Snowman Cookies are a festive delight inspired by the popular Starbucks treat. Soft, buttery cookies are decorated with colorful icing to create charming snowmen that are perfect for holiday gatherings and cookie exchanges.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (280g, spooned and leveled)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened (170g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
For the Icing:
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar (500g)
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8–9 tablespoons room temperature water
- Black, orange, red, and brown food coloring
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough:
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. If the dough is too soft, add 1 tablespoon more flour at a time until it reaches a rollable consistency. Divide the dough into two equal parts.
- Roll and Chill the Dough:
- Lightly flour a silicone mat or parchment paper, then roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick.
- Stack the rolled dough with parchment paper between the layers on a large baking sheet.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
- Cut Out and Bake the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the chilled dough and use a snowman-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough to cut out more shapes.
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 3 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the Icing:
- In a stand mixer, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, vanilla extract, and water on high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth and silky. Adjust the consistency with more water or sugar as needed.
- Divide the icing into five small bowls. Keep one bowl white and color the others red, orange, black, and brown using food coloring.
- Transfer each color to individual piping bags.
- Decorate the Snowman Cookies:
- Use a round tip (#4 or #5) to cover the snowman cookies with white icing, leaving space for the hat. Allow the icing to set by placing the cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
- Use red icing with a round tip (#4 or #5) to pipe the scarf.
- Use brown icing with a round tip (#1) to pipe the hat, and black icing to pipe the buttons and eyes.
- Finally, use orange icing to pipe the nose and white icing to add polka dots to the scarf.
- Let the Icing Set:
- Let the cookies sit at room temperature for 2 hours until the icing sets completely.
Notes
- Ensure the cookies are completely cooled before decorating to prevent the icing from melting.
- For a smoother icing, sift the confectioners’ sugar before mixing.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 140mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg