Snowman Sugar Cookies (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)
Bring Starbucks magic home for the holidays with these snowman sugar cookies — soft, buttery, and dressed in their cutest scarves and hats!
These adorable snowman cookies are totally fun to make during the holiday season! I’m a huge fan of Starbucks — the coffee, the baristas, and the bakery-style treats — so creating cute copycat Starbucks snowman cookies has been at the top of my list for a while now.
If your family is anything like mine, cookies are a full-on event come December. Once the tree is up, my kitchen turns into a snowstorm of flour, sprinkles, and teenage boys who mysteriously appear the second the cookies come out of the oven.
These Starbucks-inspired snowman cookies are our latest obsession. Soft, festive, and so fun to decorate, this copycat recipe brings the magic of the season to your kitchen.
I love giving a little personality to each snowman shape. They all get a jaunty red scarf, an oversized snowman hat, and of course, no snowman’s complete without a cheerful orange nose!
Too busy to make this right away? Pin it for later! Pin this post to your favorite board on Pinterest and it will be there when you’re ready!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These adorable snowman cookies are as fun to make as they are to eat! With a classic sugar cookie dough base, they bake up soft and flavorful, perfect for frosting and decorating.
Whether you’re making them with the kids, giving them as gifts, or just sneaking one with your coffee (no judgment), this cookie recipe brings out the best parts of holiday baking — creativity, laughter, and a kitchen that smells like pure Christmas joy.
Today I’m sharing how easy it is to make homemade cookies. It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit!
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 unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and all-purpose flour.
There are tons of fun sugar cookie recipes for all sorts of occasions throughout the blog. Check them out!
How darling are these adorable snowmen cookies?! These Christmas cookies are great for baking exchanges and packing in boxes or bags because, once dry, they are easy to store flat.
I love the classic version of the snowman shapes with the red scarf and brown hat. But Starbucks has recently come out with snowman shortbread cookies dressed up in white-chocolatey icing with ear muffs that are super cute too!
Love Starbucks as much as I do? Check out these creative ideas and 20+ Starbucks Christmas Drinks!
Inspired by Starbucks
As you are planning your baking, be sure to set aside enough time to decorate the cookies. In fact, you may even want to spread it out over a few days.
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.
Snowman Sugar Cookies
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.
Supplies
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Snowman 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 to swap out shortening for butter.
Snowman Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- White sugar – Sweetens your cookies and gives that perfect soft crumb.
- Butter, room temperature – Provides creamy, rich flavor that makes these cookies melt-in-your-mouth good.
- Egg – Helps bind everything together for that soft, chewy center.
- Milk – Keeps the dough tender and adds a hint of richness.
- Vanilla extract – Adds warmth and rounds out the flavor.
- All-purpose flour – The sturdy base that holds your adorable snowmen together.
- Baking soda – Gives just enough lift to keep the cookies from being too dense.
- Salt – Balances all that sweetness and enhances the buttery flavor.
Tip: Premade 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.
Instructions
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients. Add the butter, egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer or stand mixer until a soft cookie dough forms.
3. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least one hour. This keeps your snowman shapes from spreading while baking.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Dust your surface with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4″ thickness.
6. Use a snowman cookie cutter to cut shapes from the dough. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
8. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before decorating.
This recipe will make about 30 large snowman cookies.
Royal Icing Recipe
Use my easy royal icing recipe to make your own icing for these cookies! You will need orange, brown, black, red, and white royal icing that has been tinted with food coloring. You will also need white candy sprinkles for the scarf.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Powdered sugar – The silky-smooth base for your icing.
- 3 Tbsp Meringue powder – Helps the icing set perfectly without using egg whites.
- 8-12 Tbsp Room temperature water – Adjusts your icing consistency for piping or flooding.
- 1 tsp Clear vanilla extract – Keeps your icing bright white while giving it a little flavor boost.
- 1/2 tsp Cream of tartar – Stabilizes the icing and adds a glossy finish.
- Gel food coloring – Use white, red, black, brown, and orange to bring your snowmen to life.
Instructions
1. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine sugar, cream of tartar, and meringue powder.
2. Add 8 tablespoons of water and the vanilla, beating on low for 1 minute until blended.
3. Continue adding water one tablespoon at a time until the icing drizzles slowly from the whisk.
4. Separate the icing into small bowls and tint with gel food coloring.
5. Mix well and pour into icing bottles, piping bags, or pastry bags.
Tip: I prefer to use icing bottles over a piping bag because I find them easier to handle, but you can use whatever is most comfortable for you!
My Royal Icing Tips
- If the icing is too thick, add more water one drop at a time.
- If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar one teaspoon at a time.
- Icing can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- To use, mix the royal icing with a hand mixer until 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.
How to Decorate These Adorable Cookies
These instructions will show you how to decorate a Starbucks snowman cookie like the ones pictured. You can really get creative though and have fun with the process — there is no wrong way to decorate pretty holiday cookies!
1. Outline each cookie with white icing, leaving the hat area un-iced. Flood the body outline with white icing and let it dry for about 30 minutes.
2. When the white icing is completely dry, add the brown snowman hat, red scarf, black eyes, and orange nose using the same technique.
3. Before the red icing sets, sprinkle with white candy or nonpareils for snowy sparkle.
These adorable snowmen turned out to be simply darling for the Christmas season! Far easier to create than you would think, all you need is a little patience and practice to make these soft sugar cookies.
Recipe Notes
Allow the icing to dry completely (at least 4 hours) before storing or boxing for gifts. Then you can cover them in plastic wrap or place them in a single layer between a piece of parchment paper.
These Christmas cookies are sturdy enough for packaging but soft enough to melt in your mouth. They look amazing wrapped in cellophane or packed up in a cookie box.
Tips and Tricks
- Chill your dough overnight for extra flavor and easier rolling.
- Use large baking sheets to give cookies plenty of room to bake evenly.
- Add a few drops of lemon extract or lemon juice to brighten the icing flavor.
- If your icing dries too quickly, cover your small bowls with damp paper towels between uses.
- Create “mini snowmen” by using different sizes of cookie cutters — perfect for treat boxes.
- For a fun twist, drizzle melted chocolate on the hats or add extra chocolate toppers for flair.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do snowman cookies last?
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze (without icing) for up to 3 months.
Can I use store-bought dough?
Yes! Add 1/4 cup flour to premade cookie dough, roll it out, and follow the same baking directions.
How do I get smooth royal icing?
Mix until the icing drips slowly from your whisk and takes 10–15 seconds to smooth out on a flat surface — this is “flood” consistency.
Can kids help make these?
Absolutely! Little ones can decorate with scarves, buttons, and ear muffs — just be prepared for plenty of giggles (and some sugar highs).
What’s the best way to package the cookies?
Wrap each in plastic wrap once the icing is dry or stack between parchment sheets in a gift box for the cutest homemade treat ever.
These snowman sugar cookies are everything you want in a fun treat — festive, delicious, and full of personality. So grab your mixing bowl, crank up the carols, and let’s turn your kitchen into the sweetest winter wonderland ever.
If you love these copycat Starbucks snowman sugar cookies, please share them on Facebook or Pinterest so that others can enjoy them too!
Starbucks Snowman Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 4 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- 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.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour. This helps to prevent the dough from spreading while baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Dust your surface with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4" thickness on the floured surface.
- Use cookie cutters to cut snowman shapes from the dough. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges, about 7 minutes.
- Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Premade 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.
- When decorating cookies, I prefer to use icing bottles over a piping bag because I find them easier to handle, but you can use whatever is most comfortable for you!
- Chill your dough overnight for extra flavor and easier rolling.
- Use large baking sheets to give cookies plenty of room to bake evenly.
- Add a few drops of lemon extract or lemon juice to brighten the icing flavor.
- If your icing dries too quickly, cover your small bowls with damp paper towels between uses.
- Create “mini snowmen” by using different sizes of cookie cutters — perfect for treat boxes.
- For a fun twist, drizzle melted chocolate on the hats or add extra chocolate toppers for flair.
Nutrition
Have you ever eaten Starbucks snowman cookies? They are not sugar cookies but shortbread and the frosting is not royal icing but rather white chocolate.
This is a copycat recipe – inspired by the cookies but using my own recipe :)