These wintery fresh Polar Bear Paw Cookies are a delightfully fun addition to your holiday cookie trays! The mint chocolate combination with chewy coconut is perfection and you don't even need fancy decorating skills.
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These fun paw print cookies are minty fresh and delicious, with a wonderful coconutty chew. But you can also make them with chocolate chips and chocolate melting wafers, Oreos for the paw pads, and other options.
I have always loved the combination of dark chocolate and peppermint (I have even made homemade peppermint patties!) and thought using Junior Mints and York peppermint patties would be a fun and seasonally appropriate choice from a flavor perspective.
Pro tip: If you love the fresh mint taste of York Peppermint Patties, try stuffing a bunch of them into a batch of brownies before baking next time!
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Chocolate cookies - I recommend using my brownie cookies recipe (included below) and omitting the walnuts, but my chocolate cut out cookies or chocolate Lofthouse cookies also work great.
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Milk or heavy cream
- Shredded coconut - This gives a "furry" look to the cookies, but you could also use white sprinkles or sanding sugar instead.
- Junior Mints
- Peppermint Patties - I like the texture and ease of using storebought peppermint patties, but you could use my homemade peppermint patties instead if you really want to take these to the next level.
- Clear sparkling sugar or sanding sugar
How to Make Polar Bear Paw Print Cookies
Start by making a batch of your favorite chocolate cookies. I'm sharing one of my favorite easy chocolate cookie recipes below, but honestly any good chocolate cookie will do. You could even cheat and pick up a box of chocolate cookies from the store for a semi-homemade approach if you're in a bind but want a homemade look.
Once the cookies have cooled completely, make the frosting by beating the butter in a mixing bowl until creamy and light. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add vanilla extract and just enough milk to get a smooth, spreadable frosting.
Frost each of the cooled chocolate cookies with a generous amount of frosting, then press them into the shredded coconut for a furry look.
Top each cookie with one unwrapped York peppermint patty and three Junior Mints to look like a paw print, then enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to frost the cookies with a layer of frosting that is thick enough so the peppermint patties can “stick” into it. You will need to push them into the frosting a bit so they stay in place.
- You can get away with store bought cookies and icing if you are in a pinch. Pepperidge Farms makes a good soft-baked chocolate cookie, or you can also check the bakery aisle at your local supermarket. Costco sometimes has them in their bakery aisle as well.
Variations
- You can use brown M&Ms or chocolate chips and Oreos or chocolate melting wafers in place of the peppermint candies if you aren't a peppermint fan.
- Feel free to use another cookie base like chocolate chip or sugar cookie.
- Make mini polar bear cub cookies by using a Junior Mint for the paw pad and mini chocolate chips for the toe pads.
How to Store
Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter for a few hours before serving.
More Mint Chocolate Recipes
- Mint Brownies
- Mint Chocolate Magic Shell
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Polar Bear Paw Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- â…” cup salted butter
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- â…“ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Frosting
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assembly
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 24 York peppermint patties
- 72 Junior Mints candies
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugar until light, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.
- Combine the flour, cocoa, salt and soda and whisk, then add to the creamed butter, sugar and eggs. Stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Drop onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets using a scoop for evenly sized cookies. Bake for 9-11 minutes until mostly set in the center, but be careful not to overbake. The cookies will set up more as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.
- In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of the milk or cream. Mix until creamy and light, adding more milk or cream as needed to get a nice spreadable consistency.
- Apply a generous layer of frosting to each chocolate cookie, leaving a bit of cookie showing around the edges.
- Sprinkle coconut onto each cookie. Press a peppermint patty into the bottom center of the frosting, then press three junior mints in above the peppermint patties to form the paw prints.
Notes
- Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter for a few hours before serving.
- Variations: You can use brown M&Ms or chocolate chips and Oreos or chocolate melting wafers in place of the peppermint candies if you aren't a peppermint fan.
I am trying to make your cookies, but there is an error in the recipe. Under ingredients you do not include eggs and how many, but in the description it says to add eggs. Ooops
It's 2 eggs. I edited the ingredient list to make sure it's included!