This Melted Snowman Cookies recipe is an easy and fun way to build sweet snowmen out of sugar cookies instead of snow. It’s as simple as combining a cookie mix with 2 ingredients and in mere minutes you can create the cutest cold weather figure that celebrates Christmas in food form! Perfect for your Cookie Swap!
Easy-To-Make From A Mix: Melted Snowman Cookies
Melted Snowman Cookies are the ideal way to make any day the best for building adorable snowmen, just in the kitchen instead of outside! These are perfect for your Christmas Cookie Exchange!
It is so easy to welcome the winter chill as you bake warm cookies in the oven, especially when this simple recipe is made from a mix and the icing is from a tub–no fussing with a homemade frosting. Capture some of that snowy magic by creating a customized sweet snowman sitting on a cookie–sure to melt your heart, not the snow!
An edible craft is the perfect kid-friendly and family fun activity for a snowy day trapped inside; with a little imagination, you can transform a basic cookie into a beautifully decorated and delicious treat designed to look like a snowman melting in a puddle.
Complete with candy buttons, scarf, face, and arms, you can make Frosty come to life as a happy, jolly soul, just in time for the holidays!
Check out our Melted Snowman Fudge and Melted Snowman Chocolate Bark recipes too!
Why We Love This Melted Snowman Cookies Recipe
- Quick and easy to make using a cookie mix combined with 2 ingredients.
- Sweet treat that is adorably delicious!
- Fun to make and decorate with kids or the whole family.
- Great edible gift that looks as good as it tastes.
- Perfect for a Christmas cookie platter, holiday party, or cookie swap.
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Sugar cookie mix: If you have your own recipe for sugar cookies, feel free to use that instead!
- Salted butter, softened: Feel free to use unsalted butter, but add an extra pinch of salt.
- Egg
- White frosting tub: You can also make your own homemade frosting instead of buying a pre-made tub.
- Water or milk
- Marshmallows, cut in half widthwise
- Tube black cookie icing: Chocolate frosting is another option. You can also use sprinkles for the eyes, nose, and buttons.
- Tube orange decorating icing: Replace this with some orange sprinkles if needed but be sure to “glue” the sprinkle with some icing.
- Package rainbow Twizzlers, sliced in half lengthwise: Any gummy string type of candy will work for this, particularly if they are colorful. You can even use pull-apart Twizzlers for this, though you won’t be able to get other colors besides red.
- Straight pretzel sticks, cut in half: If you don’t have any pretzel sticks, you can pipe the hands on with the black decorating icing.
- Mini M&Ms: Another option is to use some colored sprinkles. Or you can simply pipe on some colored icing buttons.
Substitutions and Additions
- Customize Your Cookie Creation: It is so easy to change out the candies, frosting, and even the cookie batter to bring new designs and flavors to your very own snowman creation. Your snowman can melt atop peanut butter cookies or any chipless cookie.
- Flavor Your Frosting: If you decide to make your own icing, you can add different flavored extracts, like almond extract or peppermint extract for a unique taste.
- Add Accessories: Have fun and get creative as you accessorize your snowman. You can add a hat using a mini Reese’s cup placed on the head; use mini chocolate chips for eyes, use different candies for buttons or other unique elements.
Recommended Tools
- Cookie sheet
- Mixing bowl and tools
- Measuring tools
- Piping bag with narrow tip if icing tubes are not available
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How to Make Melted Snowman Cookies
It is so easy to make these Melted Snowman Cookies simply by combining a cookie mix with 2 ingredients. Then have fun transforming a basic cookie into a beautifully decorated and delicious Christmas treat.
- Combine cookie mix with butter and egg.
Pro Tip: The crumbly texture will come together when you squeeze the cookie dough.
- Form dough into balls , place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart and bake according to mix instructions.
Pro Tip: Cookies are done baking when the edges are set, approximately 10-12 minutes. - Let cookies cool completely before decorating.
- Dilute the frosting with water or milk.
Pro Tip: It should be slightly runny, but it shouldn’t run down the sides of the cookie when applied. - Create a “melted puddle” on the tops of each cookie with white icing.
Pro Tip: Use a piping bag and tip for best results (See FAQ). - Make eyes and mouth on the marshmallow with black icing and the nose with orange icing.
- Use icing to “glue” the marshmallow onto one side of the cookie, slightly touching the puddle so that it appears melted under the head.
- Wrap the Twizzler “scarf” around the base of the marshmallows.
- Add pretzel stick “arms” and mini M&Ms “buttons” to the cookie.
Pro Tip: Make sure they are off-centered so that they look like they have melted off of the snowman’s body. - Let the cookies set for about an hour before serving and enjoy!
Tips
- This recipe can be made even easier if you use pre-made dough or bakery-bought cookies.
- Scoop your diluted white frosting in a piping bag or tube to make your puddle look pretty.
Storage Tips
- To Store: These cookies may be a little tricky to store due to the 3D nature of them. However, they are best to store at room temperature in an airtight container. Your snowmen will stay fresh for about 3-4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pipe the line on the outside of the puddle first, then fill in the puddle with more icing. Gently smooth out the edges with a butter knife. You will end up with a shiny, bright white, lovely puddle.
I like to pipe the eyes, nose, and mouth before putting the marshmallow on the cookie. This will allow for more control, which is especially important for making those particularly small dots. You will need to be very careful and precise. Also, make sure to leave some room at the bottom of the marshmallow for the scarf.
To make things slightly more simple, you can forgo using the mini M&Ms and pretzel sticks, and just draw the arms and buttons using the black decorating icing. It’s definitely not as cute, and there is more room for human error, but sometimes a baker’s gotta do what a bakers gotta do!
Even though it is technically called a cookie tray, you can add a variety of colorful sweets to your spread including brownies, cupcakes, and candy to make it festive. Check out our other Christmas treat recipes that you can easily add to your holiday platter, like our Christmas Tree Mini Cookie Cups, Reindeer Pretzel Rods, Christmas Tree Brownies, Christmas Sugar Cookie Fudge, and Gingerbread Kiss Cookies.
Melted Snowman Cookies
Ingredients
For cookies:
- 17.5 ounce sugar cookie mix
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter softened
- 1 large egg
Decorative toppings:
- 16 ounce tub white frosting
- 1-2 tsp water or milk
- 12 full-sized marshmallows cut in half widthwise
- 7 ounce tube black cookie icing
- 7 ounce tube orange decorating icing
- 6.2 ounce (½ 12.4oz package) rainbow Twizzlers sliced in half lengthwise
- 12 straight pretzel sticks, cut in half
- ½ cup mini m&ms
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to the temperature on the cookie mix instructions (mine was 375 degrees Fahrenheit) and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or cooking spray.
- Prepare sugar cookies using the salted butter and egg (my instructions also asked for water, but leave it out). You will be left with a crumbly texture that comes together when you squeeze the dough together.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to form 1 ½ inch balls, spread 2 inches apart and bake for the recommended time (about 10-12 minutes) or until the edges are set and then let the cookies cool completely.
- To decorate, begin by diluting the frosting with 1-2 teaspoons of water or milk. It should be slightly runny, but it shouldn’t run down the sides of the cookie when applied.
- Create a “melted puddle” on the tops of all the cookies using the white cookie icing. Use a piping bag and tip for best results. Note: Pipe the line on the outside of the puddle first, then fill in the puddle with more icing. Gently smooth out the edges with a butter knife. You will end up with a shiny, bright white, lovely puddle.
- Take each marshmallow half and create the face of a snowman using the black decorating icing for eyes and mouth and the orange decorating icing for the nose.
- Put some icing under the marshmallow to act as the glue, then place the marshmallow onto one side of the sugar cookie, touching the puddle but off to the side, as if the puddle has melted out from under the head.
- Pick out your desired colored twizzlers to act as the snowman’s scarves. Wrap the thinned twizzler piece around the base of the marshmallows.
- Lay the pretzel sticks on the cookie for arms and the mini m&ms for the buttons. Make sure they are off-centered so that they look like they have melted off of the snowman’s body.
- Let the cookies set for about an hour before handing out to your guests and enjoy!
Jenn’s Notes
- This recipe can be made even easier if you use pre-made dough or bakery-bought cookies.
- Scoop your diluted white frosting in a piping bag or tube to make your puddle look pretty.
Like how these are on a light cookie as opposed to the typical chocolate cookie. Look more realistic.