Melting Snowman Cookies

These just might be the cutest decorated cookies you will see this year. It uses sugar cookies that you can bake and cool yourself, or pick them up from your favorite bakery.
The best part of this project is certainly decorating! Use your favorite colored decorating gels to add eyes, mouths, carrot nose, hands and outfit to each Snowman. I’d recommend making a few extra for practice.

Melting Snowman Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 C heavy cream
  
• 1 bag (10.5 oz.) mini marshmallows
  
• 1 C confectioners powdered sugar
  
• 1/8 tsp salt
  
• 1 to 2 tsp clear vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place cream, marshmallows, confectioners’ sugar and salt in a large, deep saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until marshmallows melt completely. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour the icing into a mixing bowl and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.
2. Remove the icing from the refrigerator. Beat it a high speed using an electric mixer (a must as it will be impossible to beat thoroughly by hand). Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure that all of the chilled icing is incorporated.
3. Beat until smooth and glossy (about a minute or less). Once the icing is smooth (thin, almost sauce-like), set it aside to rest a room temperature for 30 – 40 minutes so that it will stiffen to spreadable consistency.
4. Dollop or pipe the icing atop your favorite cookies or cupcakes in the shape of a melting snowman. Pipe on frosting or use candy and mini chocolate chips to decorate as desired (nose, eyes, scarf, hat). If desired, you can dust with confectioners powdered sugar.

Cooks Note

Chilling the icing completely in the fridge makes it stiffer and harder to beat. It will soften as it warms up. For pure white icing, be sure to use clear vanilla. If you’re OK with off-white icing, you can use regular vanilla extract. You can also sprinkle some sugar on top to add some sparkle!