There’s just something magical about decorating winter treats, and this Snowman Sugar Cookies Recipe is a delightful way to bring cozy, festive vibes right into your kitchen. These cookies aren’t just cute—they’re buttery, soft, and made to share smiles while you create them together.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Honestly, I’ve made countless sugar cookies, but this Snowman Sugar Cookies Recipe always brings me joy every holiday season. It’s the perfect mix of easy-to-follow steps and endless decorating fun, plus the flavor is just dreamy.
- Perfect soft texture: These cookies come out tender and buttery, not hard or crunchy, which I know you’ll appreciate.
- Fun to decorate: The cookie shape and royal icing combo turn your baking session into a creative party.
- Flavor customizations: With options like almond extract or other extracts, you can tailor the flavor just the way you like it.
- Make-ahead friendly: You can prep and store dough or cookies, which is a lifesaver during busy holiday prep.
Ingredients & Why They Work
This recipe balances simple pantry staples with a few flavorful extras. Each ingredient plays a crucial role: the all-purpose flour gives structure, the butter adds richness, and those extracts bring the personality that makes these cookies memorable.
- All-purpose flour: Using spooned and leveled flour ensures your dough isn’t dry or too dense.
- Baking powder: Adds just a touch of lift to keep the cookies soft.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and intensifies the flavors.
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature butter is essential for creamy dough and tender cookies.
- Granulated sugar: Classic sweetener that helps with cookie spread and texture.
- Egg: Binds everything together while adding moisture.
- Vanilla extract: The backbone of flavor in nearly every cookie recipe.
- Almond extract (optional): My secret weapon for an outstanding, slightly nutty note that takes these cookies to the next level.
- Royal Icing and gel food coloring: For that picture-perfect decoration and vibrant colors.
Make It Your Way
I love how adaptable this Snowman Sugar Cookies Recipe is—you can make the classic version or swap up the flavor profile and decorating style depending on your mood or occasion. Plus, decorating is half the fun, so I encourage you to play around!
- Variation: My personal favorite is adding a half teaspoon of almond extract to the dough—it lifts the flavor beautifully without being overpowering.
- Dietary tip: If you want gluten-free, you can try a 1-to-1 flour substitute and expect slightly different texture but just as good flavor.
- Seasonal twist: During the holidays, I like to swap almond extract for peppermint or maple for a festive spin.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Snowman Sugar Cookies Recipe
Step 1: Whisk and Prep Your Dry Ingredients
Start by whisking the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. This evenly distributes everything, making sure you don’t get any weird clumps or uneven rising when baked. I always set this aside while I cream the butter and sugar—helps keep things organized.
Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugar Until Fluffy
Using either a stand mixer or handheld one, beat your room-temperature butter with sugar on high for about 2 minutes until it's light, smooth, and creamy. This step is the key to tender cookies! Once fluffy, beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until fully combined. I always scrape down the sides to make sure everything mixes evenly- no one likes missed chunks of butter!
Step 3: Combine Wet and Dry & Chill
Mix your dry ingredients into the wet on low speed just until combined. The dough will be soft—if it feels sticky, add a tablespoon more flour, but don’t overdo it! Next, divide the dough into two parts, roll each on lightly floured parchment to about ¼-inch thickness, stack with parchment between, cover, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or up to two days. Chilling helps roll out easier and keeps cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
Step 4: Cut and Bake Your Snowman Shapes
Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Using a snowman cookie cutter, carefully cut shapes from the dough. Re-roll scraps to maximize yields – I usually get about 20 cookies! Place them on parchment-lined baking sheets with enough space to spread. Bake for 11-12 minutes until the edges are just a light golden brown. Keep an eye on your oven and rotate sheets halfway if needed. Let cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Step 5: Decorate with Royal Icing Magic
Prepare your royal icing and divide it into four portions: plain white, red, black, and orange. I find gel food coloring works best for vivid colors without altering consistency. Use piping bags with the appropriate tips: larger tips (#4 or #5) for filling and scarves, smaller tips (#1) for hats, eyes, mouth, and nose details. I pipe a white border and fill first, chill to set, then add scarves, hats, buttons, and faces. Once the icing sets (usually 2-3 hours at room temp), your snowmen are ready to bring joy!
Top Tip
From my experience, the biggest game-changer in this Snowman Sugar Cookies Recipe is the chilling step. The dough becomes easier to roll, cuts cleaner, and bakes into perfect shapes that don’t lose definition.
- Chill your dough properly: Resist the urge to skip this! I learned the hard way that skipping chilling results in misshapen cookies.
- Use quality gel food coloring: It keeps icing thick and bright—no watery run-offs.
- Piping bags with couplers: Made switching colors smoother, especially when you only have one set of tips for multiple colors.
- Room temperature ingredients: This makes a huge difference in dough texture and mixing ease.
How to Serve Snowman Sugar Cookies Recipe
Garnishes
For garnishes, I usually stick with simple but effective royal icing details. Tiny edible pearls or sparkly sanding sugar add a subtle festive touch. Sometimes I add a dusting of white edible glitter for that snowy sparkle effect—I love how it glistens on the scarf and hat areas.
Side Dishes
These cookies pair beautifully with a warm cup of cocoa, mulled cider, or your favorite holiday tea. I like serving them alongside a charcuterie board with nuts and dried fruits for a festive gathering.
Creative Ways to Present
One of my favorite presentation ideas is stacking the decorated cookies in a cellophane bag tied with a red ribbon, perfect for gifting. You can also set out a decorating station at parties, letting guests personalize their own snowmen – it’s always a hit with kids and adults alike!
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
I store leftover decorated snowman cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, layering parchment paper between. They usually stay fresh and soft for about 5 days—any longer and I pop them in the fridge to keep them from going stale.
Freezing
You can freeze these cookies either before decorating (just the baked cookies) or freeze the dough itself. For dough, divide it into disks wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and roll as directed. Baked cookies freeze best once icing is fully set—just layer between sheets of parchment in a freezer container.
Reheating
For soft, fresh-tasting cookies after freezing, bringing them to room temperature works best. If you want a slightly warm cookie, I pop them in a 300°F oven for 3-5 minutes, watching carefully to avoid melting the icing.
Frequently Asked Questions:
These cookies stay soft and delicious for about 5 days at room temperature when stored in an airtight container. Refrigerating them can extend their shelf life up to 10 days.
Absolutely! I’ve tried maple, peppermint, lemon, and coconut extracts with delicious results. Each adds a unique twist to the flavor. Just use about 1 teaspoon or adjust to taste, and be sure to keep vanilla too for balance.
Start simple! Pipe a smooth white base first and let it set before adding details. Use small piping bags and practice on parchment first to get comfortable. Remember, it’s all about fun and creativity, not perfection. Using thicker royal icing for outlines and thinner for filling helps the process.
Definitely! You can bake and decorate these cookies a few days before your event. Just store them in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them fresh. For longer storage, freeze them once decorated and thaw the night before.
Final Thoughts
Making this Snowman Sugar Cookies Recipe always feels like a little holiday tradition in my kitchen—both relaxing and joyful. I hope you find as much happiness baking and decorating these charming treats as I do. They’re perfect for sharing, gifting, or just enjoying a cozy afternoon. So grab your mixing bowl and let the snowman decorating fun begin!
Print
Snowman Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Snowman Sugar Cookies are soft, festive, and perfect for holiday decorating. The buttery dough is flavored with vanilla and optional almond extract, rolled out, cut into charming snowman shapes, baked to perfection, and decorated with colorful royal icing details for a fun and delicious treat.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 and ¼ cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional, but makes the flavor outstanding)
For Decorating
- Royal Icing
- Red gel food coloring
- Black gel food coloring
- Orange gel food coloring
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) to the butter-sugar mixture and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Combine Dry and Wet: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. The dough will be soft. If too sticky for rolling, add 1 more tablespoon of flour.
- Divide and Roll Dough: Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place each portion onto lightly floured parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Roll dough to about ¼-inch thickness with a lightly floured rolling pin. The dough shape can vary but thickness must be even.
- Stack and Chill Dough: Lightly dust one rolled dough with flour, place parchment paper on top, then place the second rolled dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Cut Cookies: Remove top dough from fridge carefully. Using a snowman cookie cutter, cut shapes. Re-roll scraps and continue cutting until all dough is used. Repeat with second dough piece.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes until lightly browned around edges. Rotate baking sheets halfway if needed. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Prepare Colored Royal Icing: Divide royal icing into 4 portions: keep one white, color one red, one black, and one orange using gel food coloring. Adjust colors to desired shades.
- Decorate White Base: Fit piping bag with Wilton tip #5 or #4. Pipe white icing border around cookie edges, then flood inside leaving space for hat. Allow icing to set; place in refrigerator to speed drying if desired.
- Decorate Details: Use piping bags with Wilton tip #1 for black icing to pipe hat, eyes, mouth, buttons. Use same tip for orange icing to pipe nose. Use Wilton tip #5 or #4 with red icing to pipe scarf.
- Set Icing: Allow icing to fully set at room temperature for 2-3 hours before serving or storing. Cookies stay soft for 5 days covered tightly at room temperature or up to 10 days refrigerated.
Notes
- Freezing: Cookies freeze well up to 3 months whether plain or decorated. Ensure icing is fully set before freezing layered between parchment paper.
- Dough Freezing: Dough can be frozen after step 3, divided in disks, wrapped tightly. Thaw in refrigerator, then at room temperature about 1 hour before rolling.
- Flavor Variations: Substitute almond extract with 1 teaspoon maple, coconut, lemon, or peppermint extract. Add 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon for seasonal flavor.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Use cool-to-touch room temperature butter and room temperature egg for optimal dough texture.
- Tools: Recommended tools include electric mixer, rolling pin, snowman cookie cutter, silicone baking mats or parchment paper, baking sheets, cooling rack, food coloring, piping bags and tips.
- Storage: Decorated or plain cookies should be stored in airtight containers to maintain softness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
Leave a Reply