Melting Snowmen Sugar Cookies

Instructions

• Stir flour with baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

• Beat butter with sugar, using an electric mixer on medium-high, in a large bowl until fluffy, 2 to 3 min. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined. Divide dough into 3 portions. Form each portion into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

• Lightly flour your counter. Roll out 1 portion of dough to 1/4 in. thick. Using a 3-in. round cookie cutter, cut out circles. Arrange 2 in. apart on prepared baking sheets. Gather scraps and re-roll dough to cut out more circles. (Chill dough again if it is getting too soft.)

• Bake in centre of oven until cookies just begin to brown around the edges, 10 to 12 min. Let cookies stand on baking sheets for 5 min. Remove cookies to a rack to cool completely, about 30 min. Repeat with remaining dough.

• Spoon about 2 tsp royal icing onto a cooled cookie. Using the back of the spoon, drag icing to the edge of cookie in a random fashion. (It’s OK if it looks messy.)

• Cut a small piece off a flat end of a marshmallow. Place remaining marshmallow, sticky-side down, on wet royal icing.

• Break a pretzel stick in half and arrange on either side of the marshmallow “head.”

• Wrap a sour candy belt “scarf” around the base of the head.

• Using royal icing as glue, stick an orange candy sprinkle in the middle of marshmallow for the “nose.”

• Use black gel icing to pipe eyes, mouth and buttons onto cookie.

• Make a hat by using royal icing to stick a chocolate-caramel cup onto a chocolate coin, then on top of the marshmallow. Let cookie stand until icing is firm, about 2 hours.