These adorable teddy bear cookies might just be too cute to eat, but that won’t stop you! Spiced with cinnamon, they’re just perfect with a warming cup of tea!
These hugging bears created by Japanese chef Maa Tamagosan were apparently very popular a few years ago. I somehow missed them at the time. But I recently discovered them in a French Christmas cookbook I received as a gift. They were too cute to ignore so I quickly found myself searching online for the right cookie cutter.
I found the perfect one, reasonably sized (5.5 x 5 cm/2.2 x 2 inch) with arms just long enough to extend over the nut/chocolate candy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Too cute: It doesn’t matter if you’re making them for kids or adults, these cookies will bring a smile to their face!
- Easy to make: You’ll only need a few basic ingredients which you probably already have. And the best part is you don’t even need a mixer to make these cookies.
- Customizable: You can play around with the spices used or even omit them if you’d like.
Ingredients
- Flour: All-purpose flour, to give just enough structure to the cookies. If you don’t use enough, the cookies will spread and the shape won’t be defined. If you use too much, the dough will be dry and crumbly.
- Sugar: We’ll be using a combination of white granulated sugar and dark brown sugar. I like to use a higher proportion of dark brown sugar for a more complex flavor.
- Butter: Unsalted butter, for richness, flavor and tenderness. We’ll be using softened butter so it’s best to cut it into small pieces and let it warm up at room temperature. Then we’ll mix it with a spoon for convenience and simplicity (no mixer). I use European-style butter which has a higher fat content (at least 82%) and less water than American brands.
- Egg yolk: For richness, flavor and to bind the dough so you can easily fold the teddy bear arms. Without it, the dough would be too dry and crumbly. Adding an egg yolk will also yield more tender cookies.
- Spices and salt: Cinnamon, to give these cookies a warm flavor. Feel free to use as much or as little as you like. And a little bit of salt, to make all the other flavors pop!
- Baking powder: I like to add a little bit of baking powder for a softer texture. Without it, the cookies are quite dense and harden once cooled down.
You’ll also need almonds, chocolate candy or whatever you’d like the bears to hug! Just note that if you use Smarties or M&Ms, they might crack. The color also leaks a little occasionally or becomes paler. They’ll still taste great though and really pair well with the cookies.
Step-by-Step Instructions
We’ll start by mixing together the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
Then let’s make sure the butter is soft enough by pressing it against the sides of the bowl.
We can now mix in the sugars (brown and white) followed by the egg yolk. We don’t want to incorporate too much air so the cookies don’t spread during baking.
Time to add the flour mixture and mix just until a smooth dough forms. Don’t worry if it looks very dry initially. It will eventually come together!
It’s best to mix the dough with a spoon first to avoid warming it up too much. You can then finish kneading it by hand.
Now for the fun part! Roll out the dough and cut shapes using a teddy bear cookie cutter. If the dough is hard to handle at any point, freeze it briefly before trying again.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and have fun decorating them! You can use a toothpick to poke two holes for the eyes and one for the nose. Then place an almond (or whatever you like) on the cookie and fold the arms over it.
We wouldn’t want our work to be in vain so let’s freeze the dough to minimize spread while we preheat the oven. Then bake just until the edges are starting to brown.
The hot cookies will be very fragile so let them cool down first on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool down completely. Enjoy!
More Easy Cookie Recipes
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Teddy Bear Cookies
These adorable teddy bear cookies spiced with cinnamon are just perfect with a warming cup of tea!
16
cookies30
minutes16
minutesIngredients
100 g all-purpose flour (3.5 oz., 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (3 g/0.1 oz.)
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
60 g unsalted butter, diced and softened at room temperature (2.1 oz., 1/4 cup)
50 g dark brown sugar (1.8 oz., 1/4 cup)
20 g white granulated sugar (0.7 oz., 1 and 2/3 Tablespoons)
1 large egg yolk (about 16 g/0.56 oz.), at room temperature
16 almonds (or desired nut/chocolate candy)
Directions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Place the softened butter in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon (or a spatula), press the butter against the sides of the bowl to make sure it’s soft enough. If it isn’t, let it warm up a bit longer at room temperature or briefly heat in the microwave to soften it (not melt).
- Mix in the sugars (brown and white) until combined. Then add the egg yolk and mix to combine. Tip: Try not to incorporate too much air so the cookies don’t spread during baking.
- Add the flour mixture and mix just until a smooth dough forms. The dough will initially look very dry but will come together as you keep mixing. Tip: It’s best to mix the dough with a spoon first to avoid warming it up too much. You can then finish kneading it by hand.
- Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 6 mm (1/4 inch). Peel the parchment paper off occasionally if it looks creased to flatten again. Place on a baking sheet (with parchment) and freeze for a few minutes if needed so it’s easier to cut shapes.
- Peel off the top parchment paper and place back on the dough (to make it easier to remove the cookies later). Then invert and peel off the other piece of parchment paper. Cut shapes using a teddy bear cookie cutter. Tip: Cut the shapes as closely as possible to avoid rolling out the dough too many times.
- Place in staggered rows on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 4 cm apart (1 and 1/2 inches). If the dough is too soft to transfer, cover and freeze it briefly once more. Optional: Using a toothpick, poke two holes for the eyes and one for the nose.
- Place an almond (or whatever you like) on the cookie. Then carefully fold the arms over it and press down (so they don’t open during baking). Tip: If you’re having trouble folding the arms, wait for the dough to warm up a little before trying again. You can fix any cracks by carefully pressing with your fingers to warm up and bind the dough.
- Freeze for about 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190°C (374°F, conventional setting). Meanwhile, gather scraps and repeat the process.
- Bake (one sheet at a time) in the middle of the oven just until the edges are starting to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Cool down briefly on the baking sheet (3-5 minutes) as the hot cookies will be very fragile. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool down completely and enjoy!
Notes
- Make-ahead tips: The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
- Baking powder: I like to use a little bit of baking powder for slightly softer cookies. You can reduce the amount if you want your cookies a bit more dense and crunchy. Just be careful not to overbake them so they don’t harden once cooled down.
- You can use the back of a spoon to carefully fix the shape of the cookie as soon as it’s out of the oven, step 10 (while still soft and malleable, unless overbaked).
- Cookie cutter: I use a teddy bear cookie cutter (5.5 x 5 cm/2.2 x 2 inch) with arms just long enough to extend over the nut.
- You can use whatever you’d like the bears to hug as long as it can handle the oven! Note that if you use Smarties or M&Ms, they might crack. The color also leaks a little occasionally or becomes paler. They’ll still taste great though and really pair well with the cookies.
- Cup measurements: Please note that these measurements are approximate. For best results, I’d recommend weighing the ingredients, especially the cornstarch.