Decorating picture-perfect cookies is easier than ever with this helpful guide to making dazzling cookie art with buttercream, from Melissa Broyles, the professional baker behind Sugarbombe.

Buttercream icing is easy to make and forgiving to work with, unlike the finicky and traditionally used royal icing. This book brings this simple technique front and center, so you can pipe creative and contemporary cookie designs without the fuss! You’ll perfect Melissa’s foolproof buttercream recipe, then pipe over 25 of her most sought-after designs, from spooky Halloween characters to whimsical springtime scenes.

Each project is laid out with step-by-step photos and detailed directions that guide you through the hand motions. You’ll decorate with success no matter your skill level! Make enchanted forest scenes with Pinecone Bouqetes and Mythical Mushrooms, or cute desert critters such as Lovely Little Llamas and Desert Lighting Bugs. From cookies perfect for celebrating sweater weather, like Spooky Little Ghosts and Frosty Snowmen, to charming springtime designs like the Cheery Chicks and Blooming Tulips, this book has the perfect cookie for every holiday and event.

Best of all, you can find the stencil for each cookie right in the back of the book, so you have everything you need at your fingertips. Get ready to bring your baking to a whole new level, with this beginner-friendly guide to making beautiful buttercream cookies.

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Frosty Snowmen

These snowmen are sprinkled with coconut and filled with fluffy buttercream. They are sweet little reminders of all the fun-filled snow days from childhood and the memories we made with those near and dear. I hope making these cute snowmen will usher in some new fun memories for you, too.

Yield: 16 (5¼-inch [13.5-cm]) cookies

Ingredients

1 batch Ultimate Vanilla Sugar Cookies

1 cup (227 g) high-quality salted butter (at room temperature)

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

1 large egg (at room temperature)

2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract

3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch

2 batches American Buttercream

4 cups (454 g) salted butter (at room temperature)

11 cups (660 g) powdered sugar (sifted)

½ cup + 4 tbsp (89 ml) heavy whipping cream

4 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract

Divided and dyed in the following amounts

3 cups (681 g) swan wing (page 22)

1 cup (227 g) ruby (page 22)

1 cup (227 g) pine (page 21)

1 cup (227 g) flamingo pink (page 20)

1 cup (227 g) golden carrot (page 20)

½ cup (114 g) caramel (page 19)

½ cup (114 g) black (page 19)

½ cup (114 g) tiger lily (page 22)

2 cups (186 g) shredded coconut

½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar

Supplies

Frosty Snowmen template

8 piping bags

5 #5 Wilton piping tips

Small offset spatula

4 #45 Wilton piping tips

3 #1 Wilton piping tips

1 #2 Wilton piping tip

1. Prepare the sugar cookie dough. 
   1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed. The butter and sugar should become light yellow when they are fully creamed together. Add the egg and mix again, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and mix until completely incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl.

1. 2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cornstarch. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three small batches. Mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl between batches.

1. 3. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flattened disk; wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.

1. 4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175ºC).

2. Cut the dough with the Frosty Snowmen template and bake the cookies. 

3. Prepare the buttercream.
   1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer), cream the butter on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes,until light and fluffy.

3. 2. With the mixer on low, alternate between the wet and dry ingredients. Start by slowly adding about half of the powdered sugar, then add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract and finally add the remaining half of the powdered sugar. When the second half of sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium–high and mix for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

4. Measure it into small mixing bowls. Color the buttercream.

5. Add the shredded coconut and the powdered sugar to a food processor. Pulse four to five times for 1 to 2 seconds each pulse to achieve a “snowy” texture. Place in a medium bowl and set aside.

6. Fill a piping bag fitted with a #5 Wilton piping tip with the swan wing buttercream to outline the face and the body of the snowman, omitting the area for the scarf and hat. Starting at the left or right curve of the head, hold the tip of the piping bag parallel to the surface of the cookie. Gently apply pressure as you lift slightly upward, allowing the line of buttercream to fall to the cookie surface. Pipe the two rounded edges of the snowman’s head, and straight lines to outline the hat and scarf. Repeat this step to outline the body of the snowman, leaving a straight line to indicate the bottom of the scarf.

7. Using the same piping bag of swan wing buttercream, fill in the face and body. Holding the tip of the piping bag parallel to the cookie surface, gently apply pressure as you move in a zig-zag motion, filling in the outlined areas completely.

8. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with all the cookies. Use a small offset spatula to smooth out the buttercream.

9. Sprinkle the shredded coconut mixture over the cookie. Do not press the cookie into the coconut or it will create a flat surface and cause the buttercream to spread over the edges. Repeat steps 5 and 6 with all the cookies.

10. Fill four piping bags fitted with #45 Wilton piping tips with the ruby, pine, flamingo pink and golden carrot buttercream. Choose one of the colors and begin piping a scarf. Holding the tip of the piping bag at a 140° angle with the widest side parallel to the cookie surface, apply pressure as you fill in the area between the head and the body to create a scarf.

11. Starting at the top right edge of the scarf, hold the tip of the piping bag with the widest side parallel to the cookie surface. Gently apply pressure as you continue down the scarf’s tail to the longest point. Repeat this step for the shorter tail, ending at the notch just above the previous scarf tail. Continue piping scarves with the remaining three colors, making as many of each color as you would like.

12. Change the tip of the piping bag with the color you piped the scarf with from a #45 Wilton piping tip to a #5 Wilton piping tip. Using the same four corresponding colors you created the scarves with, outline, fill in and smooth out the hat of the snowman. Using the piping bag of swan wing buttercream fitted with a #5 Wilton piping tip, pipe a dot to create the pom-pom at the end of the hat.

13. Fill two piping bags fitted with #1 Wilton piping tips with the caramel and black buttercream. Fill a third piping bag fitted with a #2 Wilton piping tip with tiger lily buttercream.

14. Starting with the piping bag of black buttercream, pipe three dots down the center of the snowman body for his buttons. Use the same piping bag to pipe two dots for eyes. To make the smile, pipe a row of dots, starting slightly below and to the left of the snowman’s left eye. Continue to pipe dots in the shape of a smile, ending slightly lower and to the right of the opposite eye.

15. Using the tiger lily buttercream, pipe the carrot nose. Holding the tip at a 90° angle against the surface of the cookie, slowly apply pressure as you lift up and slightly back down to create a wider, more irregular carrot-like shape. Slowly ease off the pressure as you continue to lift upward, creating the point of the carrot.

16. Use the caramel buttercream to pipe the snowman’s arms. Starting on the bottom right edge of the scarf with the tip of the piping bag against the surface of the cookie, slowly apply pressure as you lift slightly upward, allowing the buttercream to fall into place as you create a stick-like arm. Repeat on the left side.

18. Change the piping bag of swan wing buttercream from a #5 Wilton piping tip to a #1 Wilton piping tip to create designs on the scarf and hat. These can be as simple as dots or lines, or a more complicated snowflake pattern.
19. Repeat steps 7 through 14 with the remaining cookies. Refill the piping bags with buttercream as needed. Leftover buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reprinted with permission from Beautiful Cookies for All by Melissa Broyles. Page Street Publishing Co. 2023. Photo credit: Melissa Broyles.