Spiral Snowman Cookies Recipes

CHOCOLATE SPIRAL COOKIES

Steps:

• For the Plain Dough: Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Separate the seeds from the outside skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean. Place the vanilla bean seeds, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and orange zest in a medium-sized mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute. Combine the baking powder, salt, and flour and add to the butter mixture all at once. Beat on low speed just until combined, about 1 minute. Do not overmix the dough or it will become tough. Remove the dough from the bowl. Form it into a 4 by-9-inch rectangle, wrap in plastic, and place in the refrigerator. For the Chocolate Dough: Repeat the exact same procedure as for the plain dough, combining the cocoa powder with the flour and adding it to the butter mixture.
• Let each dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (I prefer to make the dough a day in advance and let it rest overnight.) Overnight, all of the flavors (orange, vanilla, chocolate, butter) mature and the flour and butter absorb the flavor of the cocoa. The next day, the chocolate dough will be darker in color.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. It will be hard, so give it a few quick raps with a rolling pin to make it easier to roll. Lightly flour both sides of each dough. Roll both doughs into a 7 by 6-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Place one rectangle on top of the other and roll it out to an 8 by 20-inch rectangle. Brush the rectangle with a thin coat of water to help the dough stick to itself. Roll the dough into a cylinder that is 20 inches long and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inches in diameter. Cut the cylinder into 1/2-inch thick round slices. Lay the cookies, cut side down, on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet about 1/2-inch apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

SPIRAL SNOWMAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, flour, butter and egg until soft dough forms.
• On lightly floured surface, place heaping tablespoon of dough; roll dough into a 10-inch rope. On ungreased cookie sheet, loosely coil 1 end of rope into circle to make head. Loosely coil other end of rope in opposite direction for body. Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies about 2 inches apart.
• Sprinkle each cookie with coarse sugar. Add cinnamon candies for buttons, multicolored candies for nose and chocolate chips for eyes.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Pipe black gel for mouths. For each hat, on surface sprinkled with sugar, flatten gumdrop into hat shape; attach to head of snowman with small amount of frosting.

MELTED SNOWMAN 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.

SNOWMAN COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour and baking powder; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 325°. Shape dough into forty-eight 1-in. balls, forty-eight 3/4-in. balls and forty-eight 1/2-in. balls. On ungreased baking sheets, place one ball of each size, side by side, for each snowman., Bake 18-20 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven; cool on pans 2 minutes. Press on chocolate chips for eyes and M&M's for buttons. Carefully remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a small bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, extract and enough milk to reach a piping consistency. If two colors of frosting are desired, transfer half of the frosting to another bowl and tint each with a different food coloring., Cut a small hole in a corner of a food-safe plastic bag; fill with frosting. Pipe scarves on snowmen. Use frosting to attach chocolate kisses for hats.

SUPER SNOWMAN COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. With a floured 3-in. round cookie cutter, cut out 10 circles. Repeat with 2-1/2-in. and 2-in. round cookie cutters. Reroll scraps. If desired, using a paring knife, cut top hats from remaining dough. , On greased baking sheets, press together one circle of each size to form a snowman. Repeat with remaining circles. If using hats, place one on top of each snowman. , Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire racks., If desired, for ear muffs, dip marshmallows in corn syrup; roll in colored sugar. Let stand until dry. Frost and decorate cookies as desired using frosting, sugars, M&M's and, if using, ear muffs; insert pretzels for arms.

SPIRAL SNOWMAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, flour, butter and egg until soft dough forms.
• On lightly floured surface, place heaping tablespoon of dough; roll dough into a 10-inch rope. On ungreased cookie sheet, loosely coil 1 end of rope into circle to make head. Loosely coil other end of rope in opposite direction for body. Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies about 2 inches apart.
• Sprinkle each cookie with coarse sugar. Add cinnamon candies for buttons, multicolored candies for nose and chocolate chips for eyes.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Pipe black gel for mouths. For each hat, on surface sprinkled with sugar, flatten gumdrop into hat shape; attach to head of snowman with small amount of frosting.