Chocolaty Melted Snowmen Cookies
Prep Time: 50 mins
Bake Time: 9 mins
Total Time: 59 mins
Yield: 20 cookies
Ingredients:
½ cup shortening
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. baking soda
1 egg
3 Tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ cups all-purpose flour
10 jumbo marshmallows (optional)
1 lb. vanilla-flavor candy coating, coarsely chopped
20 bite-size chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped
Brown and orange sprinkles or other candies and/or tinted frosting
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
Beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined.
Beat in the cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.
Shape dough into twenty 1 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are just firm. Cool on a cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place cooled cookies on the prepared baking sheet. If desired, cut marshmallows in half crosswise and place one half on each cookie.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave candy coating on 50% power for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Spoon melted coating over each cookie to cover the cookie and resemble melted snow.
While coating is still tacky, add a peanut butter cup for a top hat and decorate with sprinkles or other candies to resemble snowman faces (If using frosting to make snowman faces, add it when the candy coating is dry.) Let it stand until set.
Notes:
How to Store Melting Snowman Cookies:
Place cookies in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze undecorated cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw if frozen. Decorate cookies before serving.
How to Make Melting Snowman Cookies Ahead:
Dough may be shaped into balls and then frozen until solid on parchment- or foil-lined cookie sheets. When frozen, transfer balls to an airtight container; cover. Store in the freezer. When ready to bake, arrange frozen balls on cookie sheets and bake as directed for 12 to 14 minutes.
Here are our best tips for making a batch of these cookies with melted snowmen:
When adding the cookie dough to the baking sheet, ensure each ball is the same size. This will help ensure the finished snowman cookies are uniformly shaped.
Cool the cookies completely before decorating. If the cookies aren’t cool, the toppings can melt off.
If you want to add colorful details, try using colorful sprinkles, sanding sugar, or colored candy coating to create them.
Let the cookies stand until firm at room temperature before packaging them up.
Recipe courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens.com
