Snow Globe Sugar Cookies + Cookie Exchange Party Ideas!

Snow Globe Sugar Cookies + Cookie Exchange Party Tips! My favorite cookie exchange tips after 15+ years of hosting, plus the cutest DIY snow globe cookies that everyone will love.

🍪 How to Host a Magical Cookie Exchange Party + DIY Snow Globe Cookies ✨

I’ve been hosting cookie exchange parties for over 15 years, and it’s one of my very favorite holiday traditions!! There’s something so special about gathering friends together, swapping homemade cookies, and kicking off the season with creativity, laughter, and a whole lot of sugar 🎄

This year, I wanted to bring something extra fun to the table, so I made DIY Snow Globe Cookies — and they were a total hit. They’re festive, easy to make, and perfect for a cookie exchange.

🎁 Cookie Exchange Party Tips I Swear By After 15+ Years

After hosting cookie exchanges year after year, I’ve learned that the best parties are simple, organized, and cozy. A little planning goes a long way and makes hosting feel joyful instead of stressful.

I share all of my tried-and-true hosting advice in this post:

8 Tips to Help You Host the Ultimate Cookie Exchange Party

A few of my favorite tips:

Send invitations early so guests can plan ahead ✉️
Be clear about how many cookies each person should bring 🍪
Ask guests to bring containers for taking cookies home 🎁
Encourage guests to share recipes 📄
Keep party food simple so the focus stays on the cookies and conversation ☕

These small details make a big difference and help everything run smoothly.

❄️ Why Snow Globe Cookies Are Perfect for a Cookie Exchange

When you’re bringing cookies to a cookie exchange, they need to be easy to transport, sturdy enough to stack, and eye-catching on a cookie table.

Snow globe cookies check all the boxes. They look impressive, but they’re surprisingly simple to make — and everyone wanted to know how I made them ✨

🍪 The Thick Sugar Cookie Recipe I Always Use

For these cookies, I used a copycat Swig/Crumbl-style sugar cookie recipe that makes super thick, soft cookies with thick frosting that holds decorations beautifully.

Here’s the exact recipe I used:
https://cookingwithkarli.com/crumbl-sugar-cookies/

This recipe is perfect for decorated cookies because the cookies bake up thick, sturdy, and incredibly soft.

🎄 Snow Globe Cookie Decorations (What You’ll Need)

These are the elements that turn a regular sugar cookie into a snow globe cookie. I’ll add links to all of these supplies later — this is just the ingredient list for the snow globe part of the cookies:

Clear plastic ornaments that screw apart (use one half per cookie)
Edible cupcake sugar decorations (Santas, reindeer, wreaths, snowmen, stockings, etc.)
Fresh rosemary (cut into small tree shapes 🌿)
Thick vanilla frosting (from the cookie recipe)

✨ How to Assemble DIY Snow Globe Cookies

Once the cookies were baked and completely cooled, I frosted each cookie with a thick layer of frosting. Next, I added the edible sugar decorations and cut small pieces of rosemary into tiny tree shapes, pressing them gently into the frosting.

To finish, I placed one half of a clear plastic ornament over each cookie to create the snow globe effect. That’s it — simple, festive, and so fun ❄️

🖨️ Printable Snow Globe Cookie Recipe Card (PDF)

I’ve created a one-page printable PDF recipe card for these DIY Snow Globe Cookies so you can easily save it, print it, or share it. It’s perfect for baking days, cookie exchanges, and holiday gifting.

Click here to download the printable Snow Globe Cookie Recipe Card

🧁 DIY Snow Globe Cookie Recipe (Printable Versio

DIY Snow Globe Sugar Cookie

Soft, thick sugar cookies decorated like festive snow globes. These cookies are perfect for cookie exchanges, holiday parties, and gifting 🎁

Cookie Base Recipe
This is my favorite copycat Swig/Crumbl-style sugar cookie recipe:
https://cookingwithkarli.com/crumbl-sugar-cookies/

Ingredients

Sugar cookie dough (from recipe above)
Vanilla frosting (from recipe above)
Edible sugar decorations
Fresh rosemary
Clear plastic ornament halves

Instructions

Bake cookies according to recipe instructions and cool completely.
Frost each cookie with a thick layer of frosting.
Decorate with edible sugar decorations and rosemary trees 🌿
Place one ornament half over each cookie to create the snow globe effect.
Store cookies in a single layer or bakery box until ready to serve or gift.

Tips

Use thick, sturdy cookies so the ornament sits flat
The cookies can be kept in a dry storage container with a lid for up0 to 4 days before using OR frozen for up to 2 months.
Assemble shortly before gifting for the best presentation
Transport cookies in shallow bakery boxes

🍪 More Cookie Exchange Recipes on Tatertots & Jello

If you’re building a cookie exchange spread, you’ll find lots of favorite cookie recipes right here on Tatertots & Jello. I’ll update this section with direct links soon:

Classic holiday sugar cookies
Frosted Christmas cookies
Easy no-bake holiday treats
Festive cookies perfect for gifting

🤍 Why Cookie Exchanges Are One of My Favorite Holiday Traditions

Cookie exchanges are about more than cookies — they’re about tradition, friendship, and slowing down during a busy season. After more than 15 years, this is still one of my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays, and I hope this inspires you to host one of your own.