Polar Bear Paw Cookies

5 from 2 votes

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.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 473kcal

Author: Amy Nash

Ingredients

Cookies

⅔ cup salted butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ 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.

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