Looking for a cute and quick idea to make delicious cookies that are different from the usual? These bear cookies might be exactly what you’re looking for! They are delightful shortcrust cookies – I used hazelnut shortcrust pastry, but you can use any recipe you like – that take on the adorable shape of a bear’s face, without the need for special cookie cutters. The preparation is simple and quick: just form dough balls and assemble them on top of one another to create a cute 3D shape. Chocolate chips are used for details like eyes and nose, giving them an irresistible touch. Perfect to make even with very young children, since you only use your hands to shape them, bear cookies are a great creative activity to share with your family. And since Valentine’s Day is approaching, they could also be a sweet and original gift for your loved one. Find out how to make them by following this simple recipe, which can also be made with gluten-free flours!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 30 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Valentine's Day
- Energy 88.88 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.24 (g) of which sugars 4.06 (g)
- Proteins 1.66 (g)
- Fat 5.41 (g) of which saturated 2.17 (g)of which unsaturated 2.97 (g)
- Fibers 0.47 (g)
- Sodium 16.65 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 18 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for about 30 bear-shaped cookies
I made the bear cookies gluten-free using 140 g of rice flour + 60 g of corn flour (both finely ground) instead of all-purpose flour. If you are celiac remember that the following ingredients need to be labeled “gluten-free”: rice flour, corn flour, baking powder, chocolate chips.
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (for gluten-free version: 1 cup of rice + 3/8 cup of corn)
- 3/4 cups hazelnuts (shelled and peeled)
- 7 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 egg (whole)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch baking powder
- to taste chocolate chips
Tools
- 1 Mixer
- Cling Film
- 1 Mat silicone (optional)
- 1 Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
How to make hazelnut bear cookies
To make bear cookies, start by chopping the hazelnuts: place them in a mixer along with a couple of tablespoons of sugar taken from the total amount (1). This way, the sugar will absorb any oil released by the hazelnuts and make the process easier. Chop finely, giving only short pulses at first to avoid overheating the mixer. At the end, you should obtain a sort of flour (2). Put it in a separate bowl. In the same mixer, put the butter in pieces – straight from the fridge – the flour (or rice and corn flours, for the gluten-free recipe), and a pinch of salt (3).
Blend everything until you get a sandy mixture (4). Then add the sugar, chopped hazelnuts, whole egg, egg yolk, and baking powder (5). Add very little of this, no more than a gram, otherwise, the cookies will lose their shape when baked. Blend again until the mixture starts to clump together (6).
Then turn the mixture out onto a work surface (7) and knead it briefly with your hands, just until you get a smooth dough ball (8). Wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After the resting time, take the dough out of the fridge and, with your hands, form a ball about the size of a walnut, a ball about half that size, and two very small balls for each cookie (9).
Lightly flour the work surface (or use a silicone mat), and flatten the larger ball, which will be the bear’s head (10). Gently flatten the medium-sized ball as well and place it on the lower half of the larger disc: it will form the bear’s muzzle.
Place the smaller balls on the top edge of the larger disc to simulate the bear’s ears (11). Press gently to adhere the dough. Complete each cookie with 3 chocolate chips: one to place in the center of the muzzle to simulate the nose, and two just above the muzzle for the eyes (12).
As you shape your bear cookies, place them spaced apart on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (13). Bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F (static) for about 20 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown (14).
Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before removing them from the tray. You can serve the hazelnut bear cookies for breakfast or a snack, or package them in a box as a gift for Valentine’s Day.
Storage
Bear cookies remain crisp for 3 or 4 days when stored in a tin box or an airtight container.
Tips and Variants
As mentioned, you can use any shortcrust pastry you prefer for these cookies: simple, with oil, almond, or buckwheat… Just be careful with the baking powder, as using too much can cause the cookies to lose their shape. Just a pinch is enough to make the shortcrust friable without causing it to rise too much during baking.
