Description
Sweet red velvet bear cookies melt hearts with their adorable shape and rich cocoa charm. Homemade baking magic delivers irresistible treats you’ll savor bite by delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
Sweet and Flavor Enhancers:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring (gel preferred)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Stabilizers and Detailed Ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (for eyes and noses)
- ¼ cup melted dark or milk chocolate (optional, for extra details)
Instructions
- Prepare the baking environment by heating the oven to 350F (175C) and lining baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Create the cookie base by thoroughly blending softened butter with granulated and brown sugars until the mixture becomes airy and smooth.
- Incorporate the egg, vanilla extract, and red food coloring into the butter mixture, ensuring complete integration of all components.
- Separately combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, then gradually fold these dry ingredients into the wet mixture to form a cohesive dough.
- Craft bear-shaped cookies by rolling the dough into 1-inch spheres for the main head, then creating smaller 1/4-inch balls for ears.
- Carefully attach the smaller ear balls to the top of each larger ball, gently pressing to secure their position.
- Arrange the shaped cookies on prepared baking sheets, maintaining approximately 2 inches of space between each bear cookie.
- Design bear faces by strategically embedding mini chocolate chips to represent eyes and nose.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, watching for set edges and slightly soft centers.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling.
- Optional: Use melted chocolate to add final decorative details like facial expressions or subtle features to personalize each bear cookie.
Notes
- Customize your bear cookies by experimenting with different food coloring shades for unique, playful looks.
- Ensure butter is at room temperature for smooth, creamy dough that blends effortlessly.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes before shaping to prevent spreading and maintain adorable bear shapes during baking.
- For gluten-free options, swap regular flour with a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking blend to keep the same tender texture.
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg