You know, all those holiday TV shows and movies make snowmen look so glamorous and romantic. And they are really fun creatures. But let’s face it—they’re just as wild as any animal that lives outside. They’re not people, after all. Like other animals, they’ve got to take care of business once in a while. You don’t see little snowman outhouses dotting the countryside, do you?

That means that if you have a snowman, you’re likely to have a yard full of snowman droppings. You might not notice them, because they’re the same color as the snow all around them. But they’re worth looking for. Because—as it turns out—snowman droppings are quite a winter treat.

For those of you don’t have a snowman—or live in some warm-weather kind of place like Texas—I happen to have a recipe that comes close to capturing all of the wonderfulness of snowman droppings. But you really should try to sample the real things sometime.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1/2 cup soft butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup malted milk powder

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

6 ounces semisweet white chocolate or almond bark

Start by beating butter, shortening, 3/4 cup powdered sugar and vanilla in a large bowl at high speed with an electric mixer. Add flour, 1/2 cup malted milk powder, and cocoa. Beat at lower speed until thoroughly blended. Then stick it all in the fridge for several hours. Snowman droppings always start out cold.

Later, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Shape the droppings into round balls and place them at least two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes until just slightly browned.

While your droppings are baking, melt the white chocolate in a pan on the stove or in the microwave. After you remove the balls and allow them to cool for five minutes, dip them in the white chocolate and let them dry on wire racks until the coating is set.

Consider serving them on a pile of really clean snow (if you’ve got any) to give that authentic snowman dropping feeling. At least serve them cold.

Here comes another very odd biblical tie-in. If you’ve ever been out after a big snowfall, you know that nothing is whiter than snow. It’s so white that it can blind you when the sun hits it.

But in Psalm 51:7, David said that if we’re cleansed by God we will be made whiter than snow. And we know from the New Testament that those whose sins are forgiven by trusting in Christ as Savior are cleansed and made whiter than snow. That’s white.

If you’re a Christian, thank God for cleansing you from your sin and making you whiter than snow. Then make some snowman droppings for your friends.

I dare you.

Cookie recipe from "Cookie Dough Fun," Publications International, 1997