These adorable snowman cookies bake up perfectly soft and chewy and are decorated with the most delicious homemade buttercream.

A dusting of sanding sugar gives them a wonderful pop of texture, and they come together in a flash because they’re decorated with sprinkles! These are very kid-friendly and sure to be a holiday favorite.

How to Make These Snowman Cookies

Let’s walk through each step of this recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible!

I’ve also shared a video on how to make them below, along with the tools I used. If you don’t have all of these on hand, feel free to get creative and work with what you’ve got! I share some other options in the recipe card.

Cookie Decorations

• 1 cup white sanding sugar
• Round, black sprinkles

Tools / Equipment

• parchment paper or silicone baking mat
• large baking sheets /cookie trays
• 2 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter
• 2 large piping bags or freezer Ziploc bags
• large, round piping tip (like a Wilton 1A)
• orange gel food coloring

Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough

The first step is to make the cookie dough! Follow the recipe card at the bottom of this post to make the dough.

Then divide the dough in half and wrap each piece of dough in a piece of plastic wrap.

Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes. You can also chill the dough overnight.

Step 2: Roll and Cut Out the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.

Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, leaving the other in there to continue to chill. Unwrap the cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap out flat on your counter.

We will be rolling out the cookie dough on the plastic wrap to make cleanup a breeze and to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Dust both sides of the cookie dough and your rolling pin with flour.

Roll the chilled dough to be 1/3 inch thick and cut out as many circles as possible with a flour-dusted round cookie cutter. I used a 2 1/2-inch wide cookie cutter.

Chill the cut-out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.

Step 3: Bake the Cookies

Bake for 12-14 minutes on the top rack of your oven (time varies based on the size and thickness of the cookies). Rotate the tray halfway through to help the cookies bake evenly.

Keep a close eye on the cookies and be sure to pull them out before the edges start to brown. Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps, and rewrap them in plastic wrap.

Pop them back in the fridge to chill. Pull out your 2nd chilled piece of dough and repeat the steps above. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Step 4: Make the Vanilla Buttercream

While the cookies bake and cool, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.

If the frosting seems too thick, add an extra Tbsp of heavy cream. If it seems too thin, add another 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.

If you’re unsure what consistency the frosting should be, check out my frosting consistency guide.

Once the frosting is made, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula to get it SUPER smooth.

Scoop 1/4 cup of frosting into a small bowl and color it orange with gel food coloring. Put the orange frosting into a small piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip like a Wilton 10 or snip a small opening at the base of the bag (about 1/4 inch). Seal the top of the bag with a rubber band or clip and set aside.

Place the remaining white frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip (like a Wilton 1A) and seal the top with a large rubber band.

If you don’t have that type of piping tip, you can just cut a 1/2-inch opening at the base of the piping bag. Set aside.

Step 5: Frost and Decorate the Cookies

Pour about 1 cup of white sanding sugar or granulated sugar into a small bowl. Set aside. Once the cookies have fully cooled, pipe a thin layer of frosting on top of one of the cookies.

Gently press the cookie into the sanding sugar until the entire top is covered. This should even out the frosting.

Use small black sprinkles to add eyes and a mouth. If you don’t have black sprinkles, you can also use mini chocolate chips (flip them upside down so that the flat side faces up) or color a little bit of frosting black.

If desired, add red or pink heart sprinkles to look like cheeks. Then use the orange frosting to pipe on a carrot nose.

Repeat with the remaining cookies, then enjoy!

Substitutions and Swaps – Cream Cheese Cookie Base

Now that we’ve covered how to make these cookies, let’s talk about the ingredients!

This recipe uses quite a few ingredients and I know you might not have them all on hand.

Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered. Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make.

• Granulated Sugar –  I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar as it will change the spread of these cookies.
• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place (and omit the salt)!
• Cream Cheese – Full-fat cream cheese that comes in a block works best.
• Large Egg – If you have an egg allergy, try using a flaxseed egg or a vegan egg replacer like this one made by Bob’s Red Mill.
• All-Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps give these cookies a soft texture and prevent them from overspreading. If you don’t have any one hand it can be omitted, but your cookies won’t bake up as soft.

Substitutions and Swaps – Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place.
• Heavy Cream – Whipping cream, coconut cream or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat, coconut) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
• Vanilla Extract – Other extracts can also be used in place of the vanilla extract if needed.

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

This recipe can be used to make 24, 2 1/2-inch cookies. The yield and bake time will vary based on the size of the cookie cutter you use and the thickness of the dough.

Tips for Making the Best Snowman Cookies

• Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes fluffy and soft cookies.
• Don’t overwork the cookie dough! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough and dense cookies.
• Roll the cookie dough out to a consistent thickness of 1/3 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over or under-bake in the oven.
• Chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake.
• Don’t overbake the cookies. Err of the side of underbaking your cookies and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.
• Feel free to get creative with what you use to make the snowman’s face and work with what you’ve got! You can also use fondant, black frosting, or mini chocolate chips if needed.

Making These Snowman Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips

You can store frosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature, 5 days in the fridge, or the freezer for a month.

If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend chilling them thoroughly before doing so and adding a layer of parchment paper between them. The buttercream will firm up when it’s chilled, but won’t set hard like royal icing.

This cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. If I do freeze the cookie dough, I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.

Baked, unfrosted cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in an airtight container.

I recommend waiting to frost them until they’ve thawed to room temperature.

Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat them, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before frosting them.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make these snowman cookies, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment.

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