Melted Snowman Cookies

“Can we bake cookies?” asked my six-year-old granddaughter while visiting. She loves to bake and we always have fun making cookies together. “Of course,” I replied. “I have a new recipe that I think you’re going to love!” Melted Snowman Cookies are made with a shortbread cookie on the bottom and a marshmallow on top. Add a face, scarf and buttons and you’ll have a fun, festive winter cookie.

We got all of our ingredients on the counter and prepared our baking sheets. She looked at a picture of the cookies and laughed. “These snowmen are melting, Grammy,” she said.

Melted Snowman Cookies start with a shortbread cookie base and get decorated with frosting, marshmallows and colorful embellishments. We used some white frosting for the snow puddle, Twizzler Pull and Peel candy for the red scarves, and confetti sprinkles for the nose and buttons.

Each time we bake together, I try to introduce her to a new kitchen tool or technique. Last year we made Lady Locks and she learned how to use a piping bag to fill each cookie of wrapped dough with a fluffy filling. She surprised me and piped the cream into more than 4 dozen cookies.

My granddaughter was most fascinated this year by the edible marker that we used to make the eyes and mouth of the snowman. She was skeptical about using a marker to dot the features on the marshmallows to make each face. “Are you sure we can eat this?” she asked a few times.

We bake something each year and my granddaughter exclaims, “These are my favorite cookies!” But what she doesn’t realize yet, is we aren’t just making holiday cookies, we are making lifetime memories, too.

Melted Snowman Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 25 minutes per batch

Makes: 18-20 cookies

For the cookie:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Decorations for the snowman:

• 16 ounces WHITE frosting
• 18 large marshmallows
• Twizzlers Pull and Peel red candy
• 1 black Wilton Food Writer edible marker
• Confetti Decorating Sequins (flat sprinkles)
• 1 tube black Betty Crocker Writing Gel

How to make Melted Snowman Cookies?

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
• Gradually add the flour until combined. The dough will be crumbly. Place the dough on a clean work surface and knead the dough until it forms a ball, about two minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to ¼ inch thickness. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles. Place cookies one inch apart on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat process with second half of dough.
• Bake for 20-24 minutes. Cookies should be just slightly golden. Cool completely on wire racks before decorating.
• Spread frosting in the shape of a puddle on each cookie. This can be done with a butter knife or a piping bag. Warming your frosting for 15 seconds in the microwave before placing it in a piping bag makes it easier to spread.
• While frosting is soft, add a large marshmallow to the side of each cookie.
• Peel a strip of red licorice to use as the scarf. Wrap it carefully around the base of the marshmallow and push down slightly to secure it to the frosting. Trim ends as needed.
• Use a black food marker or chocolate sprinkles to make the eyes and mouth of each snowman.
• Use the confetti sequins to make the buttons in the snow and use the orange sequins for the nose.
• Draw two branches (arms) for each snowman using the black writing gel.

Helpful Tips to making Melted Snowman Cookies

• Turn your cookies into chocolate shortbread by modifying the recipe as follows:
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup baking cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

• Turn Melted Snowman Cookies into NO-Bake cookies by using a graham cracker for the base instead of a shortbread cookie. Super easy and super cute!

For more festive cookie recipes, check out these links to Grandma’s Double Sugar Cookies with Jam, Lady Locks, and Grandma’s Snickerdoodles. Grab someone you love and make some memories today.

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Melted Snowman Cookies

A shortbread cookie topped with white icing and a marshmallow, then decorated to look like a snowman. So fun to make with family!

Servings: 18 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Decorating: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Ingredients 

For the Cookies:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Decorations for the Cookies:

• 16 ounces WHITE frosting
• 18 large marshmallows
• Twizzlers Pull and Peel red candy
• 1 black Wilton Food Writer edible marker
• Confetti Decorating Sequins, flat sprinkles
• 1 tube black Betty Crocker Writing Gel

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
• Gradually add the flour until combined. The dough will be crumbly. Place the dough on a clean work surface and knead the dough until it forms a ball, about two minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to ¼ inch thickness. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles. Place cookies one inch apart on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat process with second half of dough.
• Bake for 20-24 minutes. Cookies should be just slightly golden. Cool completely on wire racks before decorating.
• Spread frosting in the shape of a puddle on each cookie. This can be done with a butter knife or a piping bag. Warming your frosting for 15 seconds in the microwave before placing it in a piping bag makes it easier to spread.
  
• While frosting is soft, add a large marshmallow to the side of each cookie.
• Peel a strip of red licorice to use as the scarf. Wrap it carefully around the base of the marshmallow and push down slightly to secure it to the frosting. Trim ends as needed.
  
• Use a black food marker or chocolate sprinkles to make the eyes and mouth of each snowman.
• Use the confetti sequins to make the buttons in the snow and use the orange sequins for the nose.
• Draw two branches (arms) for each snowman using the black writing gel.
  

Notes

1. Turn your cookies into chocolate shortbread by modifying the recipe as follows:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 cups of flour  
• ¼ cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

     2. Turn Melted Snowman Cookies into NO-Bake cookies by using a graham cracker           for the base instead of a shortbread cookie. Super easy and super cute!