Stacked Snowman Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; shape each into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. With a 2-in. round cookie cutter, cut out 18 circles. Repeat with 1-1/2-in. and 1-in. round cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 7-10 minutes or until edges are set. Cool completely on wire racks., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine confectioner's sugar, meringue powder, 1/3 cup water and, if desired, extract; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat on high 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add enough remaining water until icing no longer holds a peak. Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. Using a pastry bag and #2 round tip, pipe icing over cookies. Let stand at least 5 minutes before gently stacking cookies to create snowmen. Let stand at room temperature several hours or until frosting is dry and firm. Using a new fine-tipped paintbrush, decorate snowmen with food coloring as desired.

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment. Microwave the flour in a small microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir well, then microwave again until the temperature reaches 180 degrees F, about 1 minute more (see Cook's Note). Sift into a medium bowl, then whisk in the salt; set aside.
• Beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, yogurt and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until well incorporated. (If needed, turn off the mixer and use your hands to help combine.) Fold in 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula, or mix them in with your hands.
• Scoop fourteen 1-tablespoon portions of dough and roll into smooth balls; scoop fourteen 1-teaspoon portions of dough and repeat. Put the balls on the prepared baking sheet and freeze until chilled, about 20 minutes.
• To make the coating, microwave the melting wafers and 4 teaspoons of the coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted. (Alternatively, melt in a double boiler.)
• One at a time, drop the chilled balls into the coating and roll around with a fork to fully coat. Remove each ball with the fork, letting any excess coating drip off, and return to the baking sheet. Fill in any holes with extra coating.
• To make the hats, put the nonpareils on a work surface white-side up. Dip the narrow end of the chocolate caramels into the coating and place one on each nonpareil. Put the hats on the baking sheet with the balls and refrigerate until the coating is set, about 5 minutes.
• Trim any excess coating around the balls with a paring knife. To make heads, dip the flat part of the small balls in the coating and stack one on top of each large ball. To make noses, dip the flat end of the jelly bean pieces in the coating and press one into the center of each head. Dip the bottoms of the hats in the remaining coating and attach one to each head. Refrigerate until the coating is set, about 5 minutes.
• Tie a sour belt strip around the neck of each snowman. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil and the black food coloring in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted. Transfer to a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag and snip off the corner. Pipe 2 eyes on each head and 3 buttons down the front of each body. Refrigerate until completely set, about 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Beat three 8-ounce packages cream cheese and 1 stick butter (both at room temperature) with a mixer until creamy. Beat in 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Divide into 3 balls (large, medium and small) and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours, then roll in unsweetened shredded coconut and stack the snowman. Add brown mini M&M'S for the eyes, mouth and buttons, and red and green M&M'S for the nose and scarf (attach with icing, if necessary). Add pretzel arms. Serve with fruit or cookies.

Steps:

• Beat egg whites lightly in a large bowl using an electric mixer until frothy. Slowly beat enough confectioners' sugar into egg whites to make icing that will hold shape; blend in lemon juice until desired consistency is reached.
• Arrange cookies about 1-inch apart on a large sheet of waxed paper. Spread icing onto each cookie, allowing icing to drip over edges to look like melting snow.
• Grease a microwave-safe plate. Place 1 marshmallow onto plate.
• Microwave marshmallow until it starts to puff up, 20 to 30 seconds. Immediately place marshmallow on the edge of 1 cookie while the icing is still wet to look like a melted snowman. Repeat with remaining marshmallows and iced cookies.
• Decorate 'melted snowmen' by piping 'twig-like arms' using black decorating gel on the icing. Make 'coal eyes' and a 'mouth' on the marshmallow using black decorating gel. Make a 'carrot nose' under the 'coal eyes' using orange decorating gel. Make 'coat buttons' by arranging silver nonpareils down the middle of the icing. Make 'scarves' or 'bow-ties' using red decorating gel or green decorating gel.
• Allow cookies to fully dry before removing from waxed paper, at least 1 hour.

Steps:

• Mix the flour, cocoa and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Beat the butter with the sugars in another bowl for about 3 mins until pale and creamy. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, and bring together with your hands. Wrap the dough and leave to chill in the fridge for 1 hr.
• Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/ gas 3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 4mm, and press out circles in three sizes. Place them, sorted by size, on baking sheets lined with baking parchment. Bake the smallest cookies for 6-8 mins and the remainder for about 10-12 mins. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Tip the icing sugar into a small bowl and gradually add the milk, stirring until smooth and thick. Coat the tops of the biscuits with it using a small knife, then stack three of each biscuit, starting with the largest. Cut the cranberries into small pieces and stick to the snowmen as eyes, mouths and buttons. Cut the strips of mango into the shape of mini carrots, and place them on the faces as noses. Leave to dry. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days. Recipe adapted from Let it Snow by Agnes Prus (£7.99, Hardie Grant). Photographs © Frauke Antholz.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter in a bowl using an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat white sugar, baking powder, and salt into butter until just combined. Beat egg, milk, and vanilla extract into butter-sugar mixture; add flour and mix until dough is just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is slightly chilled, about 10 minutes.
• Scoop dough into balls slightly larger than golf balls; flatten into cookies. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
• Butter a microwave-safe plate. Place marshmallows on the prepared plate.
• Microwave marshmallows until slightly puffed, 10 to 15 seconds. Gently press marshmallows until bottoms slightly ooze.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar and water together in a bowl until icing is slightly thicker than drizzle-consistency. Pour icing over cookies so it runs over the edges, reserving about 1 tablespoon.
• Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl, about 30 seconds. Pour melted chocolate into a piping bag with a small tip or a plastic bag with a corner snipped.
• Press 1 marshmallow close to an edge of each cookie to be the snowman's head. Draw 'stick arms' onto the icing using the melted chocolate.
• Divide the reserved 1 tablespoon icing into 2 small bowls. Mix red food coloring into 1 of the bowls and orange food coloring into the other bowl. Decorate the snowmen with scarves or ties using the red icing and yellow icing.