Add a dash of cuteness to your holiday baking with these fun snowman face cookies. Cake mix cookies are topped with vanilla buttercream, sparkly sanding sugar, and candy features. These cookies are as easy to make as they are fun to decorate.
Easy Snowman Cookies
I love the holiday season, starting with Halloween all the way through to Christmas, because it’s the best time for fun, festive treats. Some of my favorites are my Reindeer Pretzels and Turkey Cupcakes, but these cute snowmen face cookies are right up there, too. They’re simple, festive, and perfect for adding a little extra holiday spirit.
These cookies are great to decorate with kids, and the cake mix base makes things easy, which you know I’m always a fan of. If you don’t feel like mixing up cookie dough, you can swap in store-bought sugar cookies and frosting—it’s a flexible recipe that works however you want.
Ingredients
- White cake mix – This is a quick and easy base for soft cookies that requires minimal measuring.
- Eggs – Help bind the dough and give structure to the cookies.
- Canola oil – Keeps the cookies moist and chewy.
- Unsalted butter – Forms the base of the buttercream and makes it rich and smooth.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens the buttercream and gives it a light, fluffy texture.
- Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the buttercream, complementing the cookie base.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness in the buttercream.
- Milk or cream – Helps thin the buttercream to the perfect consistency for spreading.
- Sanding sugar – Adds sparkle for a frosty, festive look.
- Orange Dots candy – Create the snowman noses.
- Regular M&Ms – Perfect for making the eyes.
- Mini M&Ms – Use as stones to form the snowman’s mouth.
Making the Snowmen Cookies
- Prep – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the cookie dough – In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil until a dough forms. Portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets using a medium cookie scoop, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies – Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Prepare the buttercream – In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk or cream until smooth and spreadable.
- Frost the cookies – Spread a layer of buttercream on top of each cookie using a knife or small offset spatula.
- Add the sanding sugar – Sprinkle sanding sugar over the frosted cookies for a sparkly, festive touch.
- Decorate the snowman faces – Place an orange dot in the center of the cookie for the nose. Add two regular M&Ms for the eyes, and arrange mini M&Ms in a curve to form the mouth.
Variations and substitutions
Cake mix flavors – While this recipe uses white cake mix, you can swap it with vanilla or yellow cake mix for a similar result.
Frosting options – Use cream cheese frosting, like on my Polar Bear Face Cookies, or white chocolate frosting, as used in my Jack Skellington Cookies.
Store-bought frosting – A tub of pre-made frosting works well if you’re looking for even more convenience.
Pre-made dough – Substitute the cake mix dough with store-bought sugar cookie dough if you want to skip the mixing step.
Candy noses – Swap the orange dots with Tic Tacs, Mike and Ikes, or jelly beans. You can also melt orange candy melts and pipe the carrot nose for a custom touch.
Eyes and mouth alternatives – Use chocolate chips for the eyes and miniature chocolate chips for the mouth, placing them flat-side up. Black or brown nonpareils also work, but be mindful that the color may bleed.
Tips for Success
- Use a cookie scoop – Using a cookie scoop ensures uniform-sized cookies that bake evenly.
- Reshape cookies if needed – If the cookies spread or come out misshapen, swirl a round cookie cutter or the rim of a cup around the warm cookies to make them round again.
- Cool before frosting – Ensure the cookies are fully cooled before adding the frosting to prevent it from melting.
- Add sanding sugar right away – Sprinkle the sanding sugar immediately after frosting to ensure it sticks well.
- Place M&Ms face down – Turn the M&Ms logo-side down for a cleaner, polished look on your snowman faces.
- Avoid refrigerating – Refrigeration will firm up the cookies and cause the M&Ms to appear cloudy. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for the best results.
How to store the cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
The undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before decorating and serving.
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Snowman Face Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box white cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
Decoration
- 1/2 cup white sanding sugar
- 18 orange Dot candies for noses
- 36 regular brown M&Ms for eyes
- 90 mini brown M&Ms for mouths
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil until a dough forms.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk or cream until smooth. Add more milk as needed until the frosting is spreadable.
- Spread a layer of buttercream on each cooled cookie using a knife or small offset spatula.
- Sprinkle sanding sugar over the frosted cookies immediately.
- Place an orange Dot candy in the center for the nose, two regular M&Ms for the eyes, and arrange mini M&Ms in a curve to form the mouth.
- Allow the frosting to set and enjoy.
Notes
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- The undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before decorating and serving.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is estimated based on automated calculations and should be considered as an approximation. These estimates are provided as a courtesy. Please use your own brand’s nutritional values to verify accuracy.
Carissa Kozacek
Wednesday 11th of December 2024
These cookies were a hit with the kids!!! Easy to make tons of fun and kept for a week not getting hard!! Will keep in out holiday tradition.