Bear | Chocolate | Cookies | Dessert
ByBianca FernandezUpdated on
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Quick, easy chocolate chip cookies, but kawaii. These teddy bear cookies crisp, chewy, arenāt too sweet, and are full of flavor & cuteness! <3 š
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About these teddy bear cookies
Wow, itās been a few months since my last post! Life has been pretty busy for me because I moved to a different neighborhood in Boston, switched jobs, and had my first few pop-ups! But, now Iām back with one of the classics: chocolate chip cookies. Kawaii, of course.
Over the past few days, I was brainstorming what kind of cookie recipe I should share next. Then, I realized I never even posted a basic chocolate chip one! So, here is one of my OG cookie recipes.
These bear cookies are soft, a ālil ~chewy and gooey~, and just a bit too cute to eat. Theyāre super easy to decorate, too. I came up with a VERY SIMPLE icing recipe, meaning no royal icing needed or anything fancy. That means no egg whites, aquafaba, glycerin, yadda yaddaā¦ just powdered sugar and a bit of water.. seriously.
However, if you donāt want to make icing, you can always use melted chocolates or candy melts instead. Itās up to you, of course!
Table of Contents:
Why you should make these kawaii cookies
Check out these reviews belowāthey speak for themselves! š
āThese are the cutest [bear] cookies Iāve ever made! The recipe was so easy to follow and they turned out perfectly on my first try! Iāve never decorated cookies before and so I was a little intimidated, but the simple icing recipe made it so easy and I loved the outcome! Iāll definitely be making these again for my friends!ā ā Maurene, commenter
āOMG, these cookies are so adorable and turned out so well!
Iāve made these multiple times now and I love them so much šš Thank you so much for making all these wonderful recipes ššā ā Matty, commenter
āI made this recipe with a friend of mine and these were the cutest, tastiest cookies Iāve made in SOOO long!! The recipe was easy and made cookie decorating actually feel possible! I will definitely make this and other recipes from Bianca againš„°ā ā Bianca, commenter
Equipment
- Hand whisk,electric whisk, orstand mixer fitted with paddle attachment: I used a hand whisk because I didnāt feel like getting my other mixers out, LOL. Any work fine here, especially since the butter is semi-melted.
- Rubber spatula
- Cookie scoop: I used a small one to make ~1 Ā½ inch balls.
- Microwave-safe bowl: To semi-melt the butter in.
- Small mixing bowl: For the easy cookie icing.
- Medium mixing bowl: For the dry ingredients.
- Large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer: For mixing all of the cookie dough.
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone mats
- Piping bags: For decorating the teddy bear cookies with icing! You can alternatively use a Ziploc bag with the ends snipped off.
Ingredients
For the chocolate chip cookie dough:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Table salt: I use Mortonās.
- Unsalted butter: I like using Vital Farms.
- Light or dark brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips: semi-sweet, dark.. up to you!
For the easy cookie icing:
- Powdered sugar
- Water
- Food coloring: I always prefer using gel food coloring because it is highly pigmented. A little goes a long way!
How to make the easiest chocolate chip cookies
- Mise en place: aka āput in placeā. This French saying simply means measure out all of the ingredients and prep your equipment beforehand. This helps you stay more organized and move more seamlessly in the kitchen.
- Kinda melt the butter: In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave cold butter for about 20-30 seconds. It will be mostly melted, but still have some solid chunks. I like this method because sometimes I forget to leave butter out at room temp, and I want cookies ASAP! Semi melting the butter gives you both softened + melted butter, making these cookies great.
- Mix butter and sugars: In your large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer, mix together the semi-melted butter and sugars until smooth.
- Add egg and vanilla: Whisk in these ingredients until fully combined.
- Dump in dry ingredients + chocolate chips: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips all at the same time. Fold the batter until no dry spots remain.
- Shape bear cookies: For the head, use a small cookie scoop to roll 1 Ā½tbsp of dough. Place on a lined baking tray. For the ears, roll Ā½tsp balls of dough and place 2 on the sides of each head.
- Bake: Bake the kawaii cookies at 350Ā°F for 10-13 minutes, or until edges are fully browned. As they cool, make the icing.
- Make the easy cookie icing: Combine water and sugar until you get a thick, but pipable consistency. Keep some white icing, then color the rest using black and pink food coloring. Use these to decorate the bear cookies.
- Store: Store in an airtight container for up 5 days.
And there you have itā¦ easiest chocolate chip cookies ever!
FAQs
Can I make them gluten-free?
Yes!To make these pumpkin cookies gluten-free, I recommend using a high quality 1:1 gluten-free flour, like King Arthur or Bobās Red Mill.
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes, you can. I recommend lining a plate or baking tray. Place the heads and ears on top; you donāt need to connect them now, since they may break apart when being stored. Freeze dough balls for about 1 hour.
Once theyāre fully solid, transfer the dough balls to a large freezer bag or airtight container. They should keep for up to 3 months.
Bake as usual, but add about 2-3 more minutes to the baking time.
Tips
- Use akitchen scale: I LOVE using akitchen scalebecause it always yields consistent, accurate results when measuring ingredients. However, if youāre measuring your dry ingredients with cups, make sure you follow this tip:gently spoon in the flour into the cup until itās full, then scrape the excess off using the back of a knife or offset spatula.
- Decorating: If you donāt feel like making my easy icing recipe, feel free to use melted chocolate! You can use melted white chocolate for the snout and ears, then milk/dark chocolate for the eyes and smile. For the blush, you can dye white chocolate with pink or red oil-based food coloring. If you donāt have oil-based food coloring, the chocolate will seize and clump up. To combat this, stir in a few drops of neutral oil (canola, vegetable) until the chocolate smooths back out.
How to store freshly baked cookies
You can freeze the raw dough balls in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You donāt have to freeze the shaped bears, you can freeze the ears and heads separately. This is because they might break in the freezer anyway, if thrown around.
Bake as usualājust add 1-2 more minutes to the time.
For freshly baked cookies, allow them to fully cool. Then, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
More kawaii cookie recipes
I really hope you enjoy this recipe. If you make these kawaii cookies, Iād love to see them. You can tag me at #bitesbybianca/ @bitesbybiancaon Instagram. Enjoy!
š Recipe
Teddy Bear Chocolate Chip Cookies (with EASY ICING RECIPE!)
Bites by Bianca
The classic chocolate chip cookie meets kawaii baking.
These cookies are soft, have a slight chew, and are balanced with the perfect amount of salt.
4.87 from 36 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 13 minutes mins
Total Time 33 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Servings 12 bear cookies
Calories 272 kcal
Equipment
1 hand whisk, electric whisk, or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment
1 rubber spatula
1 microwave-safe bowl
1 small mixing bowl
1 medium mixing bowl
1 large mixing bowl or bowl of stand mixer
parchment paper or silicone mats
3 piping bags or ziploc bags
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 Ā½ cup all-purpose flour
- Ā¼ tsp baking powder
- Ā½ tsp baking soda
- Ā¾ tsp table salt
Wet ingredients:
- Ā½ cup unsalted butter
- ā cup brown sugar packed
- Ā½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix-ins:
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Decorations for face:
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1-2Ā½ tsp water
Instructions
For the cookie dough:
Place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F/177Ā°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper/silicone mat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: 1 Ā½ c all-purpose flour, Ā¼ tsp baking powder, Ā½ tsp baking soda, and Ā¾ tsp salt.
In a microwave-safe bowl, add unwrapped stick of butter. Microwave for about 20-30 seconds. It will be mostly melted, but still have some solid chunks.
In a large bowl, whisk the melted-ish butter, ā c brown sugar, and Ā½ cup granulated sugar until smooth.
Add 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the mixture. Whisk until combined.
Dump in all of the dry ingredients and 1 c chocolate chips. Fold together using rubber spatula until no dry flour remains.
Use cookie scoop to gather dough (about 1 Ā½ tablespoons each) and place on lined baking sheet. This will be the bear's head. For the ears, take about 1 tsp of dough (without any chocolate chips mixed into it), split it in 2, and place on top left and right sides of the head.
Repeat for other bears, spacing the cookies about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 10-13 minutes, until edges are slightly browned. Remove from oven.
Allow to cool on sheet for at least 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.
For the faces:
*If you don't have piping bags, you can use ziploc bags and cut the tip off of one corner.
In a small bowl, add 4 tbsp of powdered sugar. Add Ā¼ tsp of water at a time, mixing until you get a pipeable consistency. You may need up to 2 Ā½ tsp of water.
If it's too liquidy, add more powdered sugar. If it's too stiff, add more water.
Pour half of the mixture into a piping bag. This will be the white color for the snout and ears.
To the remaining icing, add a drop of pink food coloring. Mix until combined, then add half of this mixture to another piping bag. This will be the blush.
To the rest of the icing, add black food coloring. Mix until combined, then transfer all of the icing to another piping bag. This will be for the nose and eyes.
Snip the very ends of the piping bags. First, pipe the snouts and ears using the white icing. Once the snouts are semi-dry, pipe the noses and eyes using the black icing. Finish with the pink icing for the blush.
Enjoy! š
Notes
- Store cookies at room temp in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 208mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 256IUCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
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