These Melted Snowman Cookies Are the Ultimate Holiday Baking Activity for Kids

Baking Christmas cookies is the ultimate way to draw the whole family into the kitchen—and we can't think of a better recipe to do just that than our Melted Snowman Cookies. Consisting of a simple sugar cookie base and decorated with melted vanilla candy coating, some sprinkles, and some black frosting, the finished cookies decorate your counter with an adorable collection of melted snowmen. Not sure exactly how to get your kids involved in the fun? We've broken it down, step by step, so you'll end up with much more than just a mess.

Step 1: Make the Dough

First, the kids can help you make the cookie dough. It is a standard sugar cookie recipe that calls for creaming butter and sugar together until lightened before adding the egg, milk, and flavorings.

Even if your hand is on the mixer, having kids pass you pre-measured ingredients is an easy way to make them part of the process. Once the liquid ingredients are combined, mix the dry ingredients, and the kids can watch the dough transform as you incorporate the flour into the butter-sugar mixture. The cookie dough has to refrigerate for an hour, so send the kids off to enjoy a Christmas book or movie while you use this intermission to set up rolling and cutting stations for the cookies.

Step 2: Roll, Cut, and Bake the Cookies

Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface to set things up for the kids. Then give them a circular cookie cutter and let them help you cut 18 circles that are about three inches wide.

Punch them out and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Reroll the remaining dough, and let the kids create 18 smaller circles that are only 1 1/4-inch wide. Eventually, you will place the smaller circles on top of the larger circles, making the melted snowman's head.

Once you've finished cutting, place the cookies in the oven. After the circles are done baking and have cooled completely, it's time for the kids to help assemble the snowmen.

Step 3: Assemble and Decorate the Snowmen

Before getting started, tape a sheet of parchment paper down in stations for each child to help prevent as mess as kids get to decorating. Once you're set-up, have an adult melt the vanilla candy coating, and place a dot of the vanilla coating on the back of each small cookie circle.

Then, let the kids place the smaller cookie just off the center of the larger cookie to start building the snowmen at their designated parchment paper station. The melted vanilla candy coating will help hold the head of the snowman in place while decorating the rest of the cookie.

Let the kids use a spoon to spread more of the melted vanilla candy coating over their snowmen to create a melted look. Little hands can place the black and orange sprinkles as buttons, eyes, and noses, and there's no need for perfection. If they're a little out of place, it will help make the features look like they've melted and slid around. If you have older kids, they can also participate in piping the snowmen's arms, or you can save that task for yourself.

Allow the candy coating to harden before eating, and you'll have a festive and funny collection of cookies that everyone in the family can enjoy!