Stacked Snowman Sugar Cookies

Name: Stacked Snowman Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (softened); 1/2 cup shortening; 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 egg; 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 teaspoon almond extract; 4 cup flour; 1/2 cup corn starch; 2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 cup butter (softened); 3 cups powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3-4 Tbsp. milk

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These stacked snowman sugar cookies are made with soft, bakery-style sugar cookies, buttercream frosting, and simple candy decorations. They're such a fun Christmas baking project for kids and adults, and you don't need any fancy decorating skills to make them!

If you're planning a holiday baking day, don't miss my 40 Christmas Cookie Recipes for more classic and festive cookies to add to your Christmas cookie trays.

Stacked snowman sugar cookies on parchment paper.

If you're looking for a fun baking activity to do with the kids this holiday season, these stacked snowman sugar cookies totally fit the bill. You simply bake three different sizes of round sugar cookies, frost them, stack them together, and decorate them with eyes, a carrot nose, a mouth, and buttons.

The best part is that you don't need any special decorating skills. If you can spread frosting with a butter knife and add a few sprinkles, you can make these adorable snowmen!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy to decorate. You don't need piping skills or fancy decorating techniques. The snowmen come together with simple frosting and sprinkles, making them a great Christmas cookie project for kids.
No-chill sugar cookie dough. The dough doesn't need to be refrigerated before rolling and cutting, so you can get right to baking.
Soft and tender cookies. Cornstarch helps give these sugar cookies their soft, tender texture, while butter adds rich flavor and shortening helps the cookies hold their shape.
Fun for kids. Kids can help cut the cookies, spread on the frosting, stack the snowmen, and add all of the little details.
Easy to customize. Use different candies and sprinkles for the faces and buttons, or change the frosting colors to create your own snowman designs.

What Others Are Saying

The cookies were easy to make. We used mini chocolate chips for eyes. Thank you---Doreen on Facebook

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
What Others Are Saying
Tips and Tricks
Ingredients
How To Make Snowman Sugar Cookies
Snowman Cookies FAQs
More Holiday Cookies To Make
Stacked Snowman Cookies

Tips and Tricks

Use nesting cookie cutters or biscuit cutters. These are the round cookie cutters (biscuit cutters) that I used. They are a great versatile set that can be used to make 3-ingredient biscuits too.
Don't add too much flour. The dough should be soft and easy to work with. Start with the smaller amount of flour listed in the recipe card and add more only if the dough seems too soft or sticky.
No refrigeration is necessary. One of the reasons I love this sugar cookie recipe is that the dough can be rolled and cut right away. There's no need to plan ahead for several hours of chilling.
Let the cookies cool completely. Make sure the cookies are completely cool before frosting them. Warm cookies will soften the buttercream and make the snowmen difficult to stack.
Tip for snowman eyes and buttons. The black eyes and buttons that came with my snowman sprinkle kit will stay fresh for 2-3 days before the color starts to run a bit. So just be aware of that. Here are some black sugar pearls that don’t bleed. You can also use back frosting or mini chocolate chips, but these sprinkles are easier for kids.
Storage tip. These will stay fresh for about 3 days, but you can freeze them (frosted or unfrosted) for months.

Ingredients

Bowls of flour, sugar, baking powder, corn starch, butter, shortening, egg, vanilla and almond extract.

Sugar Cookies

Butter and Shortening: I use a combination of butter and shortening for the best texture and flavor. If you don't want to use shortening you can use all butter, but I highly recommend trying the recipe as written first.
Sugar: There are only two types of cookies that I don't use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar for: sugar cookies and snickerdoodles. White sugar is best for sugar cookies. It gives them great flavor and texture.
Egg: For richness and texture.
Vanilla Extract and Almond Extract: Extracts are where you can get creative when making cookies. Vanilla and almond are my favorites to use and are a wonderful flavor combination.
Flour: All-purpose flour is a great option for baking cookies.
Cornstarch: This recipe requires a substantial amount of cornstarch. Trust me, it makes a soft and tender cookie.
Baking powder: Baking powder gives sugar cookies life and a light texture.

Easy Buttercream Frosting

My favorite buttercream frosting holds sprinkles well and sets up enough to prevent smudging.

Butter: For the best flavor and texture, always use butter in your frosting.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar gives the frosting a fluffy and smooth texture.
Milk or Heavy Cream: A bit of milk or cream helps thin the frosting out to a spreadable consistency.
Vanilla: For flavoring.

Sprinkles

Snowman eyes, nose, and buttons sprinkles
Chocolate sprinkles for mouth (or use more black sugar ball sprinkles)

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Snowman Sugar Cookies

Stand mixer mixing butter and sugar mixture.

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer*), combine butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat until fluffy.

Step 2: Turn the electric mixer to a low speed and add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add baking powder. Stir in the flour and cornstarch, and mix until a soft dough forms.

Step 3: Lightly flour your working surface and shape dough into a large ball.

Step 4: Roll the dough out to the desired thickness using a rolling pin (I usually do ¼- ⅜") and cut into shapes. For reference, I used a 3", 2", and 1 ¼" cutter.Add flour to the dough if it feels too sticky, but a nice, soft dough is what you want.

tray of baked round sugar cookies in various sizes

Step 5: Carefully transfer the cut-out cookie shapes with a spatula to a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Cookies will be soft. Let sit on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully moving to a cooling rack.

Step 6: Beat frosting ingredients together. Spread over cooled cookies.

Hand adding candy buttons on snowman cookies.

Step 7: Stack a large, medium, and small frosted cookie on top of eachother to create a snowman. Add candy and sprinkles for eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons.

Store cookies at room temperature, and cover the baking sheet in plastic (once the frosting is set up a bit) to keep cookies fresh.

Snowman Cookies FAQs

Why do you use cornstarch in sugar cookies?

Cornstarch helps soften the dough and gives the cookies a tender, soft texture. It's one of the ingredients that gives these sugar cookies their bakery-style texture.

Why do you use both butter and shortening?

Shortening helps the cookies stay soft and hold their shape, while butter adds rich flavor. Together they create a soft sugar cookie that's easy to roll, cut, and decorate.

Do I need to chill the sugar cookie dough?

No. This sugar cookie dough does not need to be refrigerated before rolling and cutting. The shortening helps the cookies hold their shape while baking, making this a great last-minute Christmas cookie recipe.

How long will snowman sugar cookies stay fresh?

They're best within about 3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can freeze them for longer storage.

What can I use for the snowman's eyes and buttons?

Snowman sprinkle kits make decorating especially easy for kids, but you can also use black sugar pearls, mini chocolate chips, or black frosting.

Can I make these snowman cookies ahead of time?

Yes! The cookies can be baked and frozen ahead of time, either frosted or unfrosted. They're a great option for getting a head start on your Christmas baking.