Cute Snowman Sugar Cookies (Easy Icing Technique)
Create adorable snowman sugar cookies with this easy icing technique. Perfect for festive treats that melt hearts with sweetness!
Making your own sugar cookies is easy! But even more so with this simple snowman design that doesn’t require a lot of time or special skills.
These cute snowman sugar cookies are totally fun to make during the holiday season! I’m a huge fan of creating cute cookies for every occasion, especially delicious ones like these.
Too busy to make this right away? Pin it for later! Pin this easy recipe to your favorite board on Pinterest and it will be waiting there when you’re ready.
Sugar cookie dough is super versatile and easy to make with only a handful of ingredients from the grocery store. You will need simple ingredients like butter, granulated sugar and all purpose flour.
This is my grandmas time honoured recipe, a sure-fire winner every time!
But seriously, how darling are these round snowman sugar cookies?! These little guys are great for baking exchanges and gift wrapping in boxes or bags because, once dry, they are easy to store flat.
What’s great about this icing technique is that there are not a lot of layers so you don’t have the wait time between a bunch of layers of royal icing. When adding details it’s important to wait until the layer of flooded icing is completely dry otherwise the icing may crack and the colors will bleed.
The last detail of the snowman, the mouth, can be added about 30 minutes after the white icing so that it’s completely dry.
Before you get started make sure that you have everything that you need to make and decorate these cookies. I found our cookie cutters and icing bottles at Michaels but you can also order them from Amazon below.
This post contains affiliate links.
Sugar cookie supplies:
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 2″ Circle cookie cutter
- Icing bottles
- Wire cooling rack
- Cookie scribe or toothpick
- Food writer
This is my grandma’s classic sugar cookie recipe – time tested and delicious. The only thing that I have changed over the years is swapped out shortening for butter.
Snowman cookies recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 4 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Tip: Pre-made sugar cookie dough can be used to create these cookies as well. Simply add 1/4 cup of flour to the dough, combine well and roll as directed. You could also use premade cookies and simply decorate them with your own royal icing.
Directions:
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine dry ingredients. Add butter, egg, milk and extract. Mix on medium speed until a soft dough forms.
3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour. This helps to prevent the dough from spreading when baked.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fehrenheit.
5. Dust your surface with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4″ thickness on the floured surface.
6. Use cookie cutter to cut shapes from the dough. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges, about 7 minutes.
8. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.
This recipe will make about 40 circle shaped cookies.
Use my Easy Royal Icing Recipe to make your own icing for these cookies! You will need orange, brown, black and white royal icing that has been tinted with food coloring.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups confectioners powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp meringue powder
- 8-12 Tbsp room temperature water
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- Gel food coloring
Instructions:
1. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine sugar, cream of tartar and meringue powder.
2. Add 8 tablespoons of water, the vanilla and beat for 1 minute on low.
3. Continue to add water one tablespoon at a time until the icing slowly drizzles from the whisk when lifted.
4. Separate the icing into small mixing bowls and add gel food coloring to reach the desired color.
5. Mix well and pour into icing bottles.
I prefer to use icing bottles over a piping bag because I find them easier to handle.
My royal icing tips:
- If the icing is too hard, add more water one drop at a time.
- If the icing is too soft, add more powdered sugar one teaspoon at a time.
- Icing can be stored at room temperature in a an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- To use, mix the royal icing with a hand mixer so that it becomes smooth and shiny again.
- Flood consistency is reached when a spoonful dropped onto a flat surface takes 10 – 15 seconds to become completely smooth.
These instructions will show you how to decorate easy snowman cookies like these ones. You can really get creative though and have fun with the process! There is no right or wrong way to decorate pretty holiday cookies.
How to decorate these cute cookies:
1. Create a half moon shape at the bottom of the cookie with white icing.
2. Add an orange carrot nose to the center of the cookie.
3. Create two twig arms reaching upwards with the brown icing.
4. When the white icing is dry, add a black mouth.
5. Sprinkle the surface with white non-pariels or add snowflake dots with white icing.
These adorable snowman cookies turned out to be simply darling! Far easier to create than you would think, these easy holiday sugar cookies make a deliciously festive treat!
Recipe notes:
Allow the icing to completely harden for at least four hours before packaging or storing the cookies. You can cover them in plastic wrap or place them in a single layer between a piece of parchment paper.
These look amazing wrapped in cellophane or packed up in a cookie box.
Be sure to check out these 20+ snowman cookie decorating ideas for more inspiration and hours of fun!
If you love these easy snowman sugar cookies, please share them on Facebook or Pinterest so that others can enjoy them too!
Easy Snowman Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 4 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- 1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- 2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine dry ingredients. Add butter, egg, milk and extract. Mix on medium speed until a soft dough forms.
3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour. This helps to prevent the dough from spreading when baked. - 4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fehrenheit.
- 5. Dust your surface with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4" thickness on the floured surface.
- 6. Use cookie cutter to cut shapes from the dough. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
- 7. Bake until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges, about 7 minutes.
- 8. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.
Nutrition
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