Honestly, Making Snowflake Sugar Cookies is Half the Fun

Okay, so every December, right as the gray skies kick in, I get this wild urge to crank up the oven, dust flour all over myself (and, like, half the kitchen), and make these Snowflake Sugar Cookies. I swear, the smell alone would make you want to sing Jingle Bells—even in July. One year, my cousin tried to “help” by using star-shaped cutters instead of snowflakes. Not the same vibe, but you do you, Ben!

Anyway, this recipe’s been my snowy-weather comfort for ages. There’s something about the way the cookies come out all sparkly and a bit cracked around the edges, like they’re actual snowflakes except, you know, not susceptible to puddles.

Why I Keep Coming Back to This Recipe

I make these whenever it feels like dreary weather is getting the upper hand, or when I want to bribe my kids to shovel the driveway without a fuss (works every time—just don’t tell them my secret). My family goes crazy for these because, well, they’re basically sugar in a fancy disguise. Plus, I used to be all thumbs with rolling dough, but after burning a few batches—please don’t ask about The Great Cookie Char of 2018—I realized: even the slightly overdone ones are kind of amazing if you dunk them in tea.

Oh, and if you ever needed an excuse to go wild with sprinkles or edible glitter, this is it.

What You’ll Need for the Snowflake Spell (Aka: Ingredients)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (sometimes I use half cake flour when I want extra tender cookies, but regular is just fine—granny swore by Gold Medal, honestly the store-brand works too)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp (in a true pinch, salted works—just drop the extra salt or ignore it, life’s too short)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg (large-ish; once I used a tiny one and the dough was really crumbly but still edible)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (sometimes I use almond extract instead, or a splash of both if I’m feeling spicy)
Optional: zest of one orange or lemon (gives a surprise brightness, but you don’t need it)
For decorating: royal icing, powdered sugar, sprinkles, edible glitter, whatever you like—sometimes I get lazy and just dust with icing sugar

How I (Usually) Make These—With A Few Detours

Preheat your oven to 350°F (or roughly 180°C). Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment, unless you want to deal with stuck cookies. (Also, who has more than two sheets? I just rotate.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a bigger bowl, beat the butter and sugar until they’re fluffy—like, stick-your-finger-in-and-taste fluffy. Toss in the egg and vanilla. If you’re doing citrus zest, add it here (trust me, it gets lost later). Then, gradually dump in the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. It’ll look like it won’t come together, but keep going—it always does in the end.
Plop the dough onto a floured surface. If it’s sticky (mine usually is because I get impatient with soft butter), add a smidge more flour. Knead it a few times, pat into a disc, wrap in cling film or a reusable wrap. Chill in the fridge—30 minutes if you can wait. Sometimes I cheat and only do 10. It’s…not always the best move.
Once chilled, roll out the dough—about 1/4 inch thick (or thinner; I’m not judging). Cut out all the glorious snowflake shapes. Don’t sweat it if they overlap or you need to squish leftover scraps into another ball…you’ll get more cookies that way.
Scrape the shapes onto your trays. Bake 8-10 minutes, just until the edges are starting to get golden. Mine always seem pale in the center even when they’re done. Let them cool on the tray for a few min, then move to a rack (or onto a plate if you can’t find your rack, as often happens to me). Decorate when cool, or just eat them, who’s to stop you?

A Few Things I’ve Learned (Usually the Hard Way)

If you let kids help, expect a flour snowstorm. It’s not a real mess until flour’s in your shoes.
Chill the dough—even if you’re impatient. I once tried skipping the chill, and my snowflakes looked more like squished frogs. Tasted fine, looked…not good.
Icing takes longer to set than you think. Plan for sticky fingers.

Wild Experiments & Cookie Fails

I mixed in chopped white chocolate once—cookies spread everywhere, tasted great, but did not resemble snowflakes at all.
I swapped half the flour for whole wheat—curious, dense, kind of like a snowflake bread. The kids did not approve.
But cinnamon in the dough? Genuinely good, though not traditional. Maybe I’ll keep it as a winter twist.

You Don’t Need Fancy Gear (But Fancy Gear is Fun)

Snowflake cookie cutters are adorable, yes, but a glass rim or a knife works if you’re patient and not too fussy about perfect edges.
If you don’t have parchment, just generously butter your trays and say a little prayer. Works in a pinch.
No electric mixer? A wooden spoon and strong arm will do (and count as a workout, frankly).

Keeping ‘Em Fresh (But Ours Rarely Survive 24 Hours)

Store the cookies in an airtight tin or even an old ice cream tub if you’re channeling your grandma vibes. Supposedly they keep for up to a week. But honestly, at my house, they’re gone by the next morning—at best, you’ll find a lone half-cookie with a suspicious bite missing.

How I Love to Serve These

Stack them on a big plate, dust with a little extra powdered sugar (for the snowy look). Sometimes, if I’m feeling over-the-top, I make hot chocolate (Serious Eats has a great recipe) or decaf Irish tea, and we all dunk our cookies, even when Mom says wait for dessert. On rare occasions, I’ll use them as the top cookie in an ice cream sandwich—messy, but oh so worth it.

My Hard-Won Pro Tips (Please Learn from My Mistakes)

Don’t roll the dough too thin—tried that once, and I swear they broke if you looked at them sideways.
Actually, I find it works better if you underbake just slightly for softer cookies, even though I used to be all about the crunchy edges. Tastes better next day (if you have any left…)
If you’re going for piped icing, try Sally’s royal icing guide; piping always looks a bit wonky the first time, but practice makes pretty-ish.
I once rushed cooling and the icing slid right off. Never again.

Your Questions, My Not-Always-Perfect Answers (Snowflake Sugar Cookie Edition!)

Do I have to chill the dough? Well, you probably should, but I’ve skipped it (don’t tell the baking gods) when short on time. Cookies get a little wobbly but still yummy.
Can I freeze the dough? Oh, absolutely; I wrap it in cling film and leave it in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling out.
Help! My cookies are spreading too much! Try more flour, chill longer, or check your oven temp. Honestly, sometimes I just embrace the blobby shapes—call it winter abstract art.
What if I don’t have snowflake cutters? Use what you’ve got—stars, circles, even hearts. I once made a whole tray using a jar lid. Still delicious.
How do you make them extra sparkly? Sanding sugar or edible glitter, but even regular sugar works—just sprinkle before baking. (Don’t eat regular glitter though, obviously!)
How thick should I roll them? About 1/4 inch, but I don’t always measure. Eyeball it!

One Last Tangent (Because, Why Not?)

There’s always that moment when I’ve just finished cleaning flour up off the dog—don’t ask—and I look over and realize, oh, we forgot to take our winter cookie plate pic again. Every year! Maybe this’ll be the year we finally snap that perfect shot. Or maybe not. Anyway, happy baking—just don’t blame me if your kitchen looks like a blizzard hit it when you’re done.