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    Home » Holiday Treats and Recipes » Christmas

    Polar Bear Cookies decorated with Modeling Chocolate

    Published: Jan 3, '12 · Modified: Apr 20, '21 · By: Beth · This post may contain affiliate links.

    These polar bear cookies are so darn cute. Each has a 3 dimensional polar bear floating on it's back in a cookie ocean with it's big fluffy paws and head sticking up out of the modeling chocolate water.

    These polar bear cookies are so darn cute. Each has a 3 dimensional polar bear floating on it's back in a cookie ocean with it's big fluffy paws and head sticking up out of the modeling chocolate water.

    Walking through the Columbus Zoo's winter wonderland is always a magical experience for me. One of my first dates with my husband was spent strolling hand in hand through the zoo basking in the glow of twinkling lights while trying to spot animals in the darkness of their habitats. I was particularly excited about our visit  this year because we got to see the new polar bears.

    When I visited the zoo this summer, their exhibit was complete but the bears weren't in it, to my disappointment. This time, they were there - two enormous, billowy creatures. So beautiful. Their habitat is truly spectacular. It's unlike any other I've seen before and we've visited a lot of zoos. There's an underwater viewing area that spans nearly the entire length of the gargantuan exhibit. It was so nice to see how much room these huge animals have to roam, play, and swim.

    During out visit, we also got to witness two other giant bears hibernating. At first we couldn't see a thing in the dark enclosure, but every so often a soft light would flash so we could see the sleeping Grizzlies. At one point one bear rolled over and stretched out his leg pushing his unbelievably large paw up against the window. I was within a few inches of this furry foot and I had this overwhelming urge to reach out and tickle it. Crazy, I know. What sleeping bear would have appreciated that?

    These polar bear cookies are so darn cute. Each has a 3 dimensional polar bear floating on it's back in a cookie ocean with it's big fluffy paws and head sticking up out of the modeling chocolate water.

    My visit to the zoo inspired me to create a winter themed sweet featuring a polar bear. I kept thinking about how cute the giant bear paws were and wanted to create something to showcase them, so I decided to replicate a bear floating around on it's back with it's big floppy paws sticking out of the water.

    Being so many of you said you like decorating frosted sugar cookies, I decided to use that as the base for my design. Each cookie is frosted before some modeling chocolate water is added. More frosting and some white sanding sugar creates an icy effect around each cookie.

    Then modeling chocolate and a black food coloring marker are used to make the polar bear's head and paws.

    These polar bear cookies are so darn cute. Each has a 3 dimensional polar bear floating on it's back in a cookie ocean with it's big fluffy paws and head sticking up out of the modeling chocolate water.

    These cookies are a bit time consuming, but they are so darn cute, that I believe they are worth the effort.

    When I set out to take pictures of my cookies, at first I grabbed some background paper, but it just didn't have the effect I was looking for, so I rolled out a big piece of modeling chocolate water, created some waves, set the cookie on top, and sprinkled on some powdered sugar snow so it looks like my bears are floating around in the big blue sea amidst snow flurries.

    Polar Bear Cookies (makes 12-15 cookies)

    Ingredients:

    Cookies:*
    ½ cup salted butter, softened
    ½ cup powdered sugar
    1 egg yolk
    1 ½ teaspoons almond (or vanilla) extract
    1 ¼ cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

    1 tub vanilla frosting (or use your favorite very white frosting recipe)
    white sanding sugar, optional

    1 recipe of white modeling chocolate (recipe here)
    powdered sugar for dusting
    blue and black food coloring (grocery store variety is fine)
    black food coloring marker

    food handling gloves (wear when coloring modeling chocolate)

    * I've been trying out different cut out cookie recipes and this one was shared by my sister who used to make it when she was a Tupperware consultant. It was a recipe used by Tupperware, but I'm not sure of the actual origination of the recipe.

    Supplies Needed:

    plastic wrap
    rolling pin
    cutting board
    sharp knife
    parchment paper lined baking sheets

    Instructions:

    Make cookies: Cream butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and almond extract and beat to combine. Add flour and beat just until dough comes together.  Roll into a ball, flatten into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

    Dust cutting board with flour. Roll out cookie dough to ¼"-⅓" thick.  Draw a wavy water template that is about 4" long and 2 ¼" wide on a piece of paper. Cut it out. Set the template over the dough and cut out around it. Re-roll dough as needed until you have 12-15 cookies. Save the template.

    Place the cookies on parchment paper lined baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes until they are set but not browned. Allow cookies to cool completely.

    Meanwhile prepare the modeling chocolate decorations:

    Pinch off a small amount of white modeling chocolate and color it black.

    To create a realistic looking polar bear head, pinch off about two teaspoons of white modeling chocolate and roll it in a ball. Shape the ball into a pointed oval.

    Pinch off a small piece of black modeling chocolate and shape it into a rounded triangle for the nose.

    Dab a very small amount of water on the back side of the nose and press it onto the pointed end of the bear's head.

    Pinch off two tiny pieces of modeling chocolate and roll them into balls and attach to the face for the bear's eyes. (I like to use tweezers for such small detail work. You could also just draw on the eyes with the food coloring marker, if you prefer.)

    Pinch off two small pieces of white, roll them into balls, and flatten them into circles.

    Pinch together the bottom of each circle to create a rounded ear. Dab the pinched bottom edge with water and press it onto the head. Make enough heads to go on all of your cookies.

    To create a more cartoon looking polar bear, roll some white into an oval, add the eyes, and ears, and a big oval nose.

    At first this was how I planned to make the bears and took several pictures using these heads, but after creating the more realistic looking head, I decided I liked it better, but both are cute, so you can decide which to make.

    To make the paws pinch off and roll two small balls of white and two that are just slightly larger.

    Flatten the two smaller balls and keep them in a round shape. Flatten the two larger pieces making them more elongated.

    Use a sharp knife to make four slits in each paw for the toes.

    Use a black food coloring marker to draw a spot on each of the five toes on each paw and one pad on each paw. Allow the ink to dry before handling the paws. Make four paws for each bear cookie.

    Add some drops of blue coloring into the remaining white modeling chocolate and knead leaving streaks of white and dark blue throughout.

    Set it aside for about 5 minutes to allow the food coloring to dry.

    Dust your cutting board lightly with powdered sugar.

    Roll out the blue modeling chocolate as thin as you can get it.

    Take the template you used to cut out the cookies and cut off about ⅛"-¼" all around the edge.

    Set the template on the blue modeling chocolate and use it as a guide to cut out the water for each cookie.

    Frost each cookie with a thin layer of vanilla frosting.  Press one piece of modeling chocolate water on top of each cookie.

    Add a border of frosting all around the edge of the cookie. Don't smooth it out, you want it to look like waves. The reason I made the blue water a bit smaller than the cookie was so it wouldn't show through the frosting here. I wanted the edges of the cookie to be white, not blue.

    Sprinkle white sanding sugar all over the frosting.

    Just a note: The cookie pictured above has regular sugar on it. I didn't think it sparkled enough so I found some big crystal sanding sugar and used it for the rest of the cookies which you'll see in the next picture. I liked it better but didn't think to retake the picture above.

    Add some frosting white caps (the top of a wave) to each of the cookies.

    Press a small amount of frosting onto the blue modeling chocolate water and pull up creating peaks. Add as many as you'd like.

    Use frosting to attach the head and paws to the modeling chocolate water. Spread some on the bottom of the head and press it onto the water.

    You want the frosting to look like white caps around the head and paws, not just a blob of frosting, so use a knife to make some peaks out of the frosting.

    Aren't they adorable?

    So, I'm curious, which polar bear do you like better, the more realistic looking one or the more cartoon looking one?

    Adorably cute polar bear cookies are decorated using modeling chocolate. See the step-by-step tutorial at HungryHappenings.com.

    Buy a copy of Candy Clay Creations

    If you'd like to have the ultimate guide to working with Candy Clay (modeling chocolate) be sure to get your printed or e-book copy of Candy Clay Creations. This 102 page book is filled with tips and tricks for making and working with candy clay along with 17 step-by-step tutorials for decorating cupcakes, cookies, and more using candy clay. It's a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to make festively decorated treats.

    If you like these you might also like these other polar bear treats.

    Polar Bear Treats including Nutter Butter Polar Bears, Polar Bear Pretzels, and more. Check them out at HungryHappenings.com.

    Nutter Butter Polar Bears • Ice Cream Cone Polar Bears
    Back Float Bear Cookies
    Ice Cream Cone Polar Bears • Norm of the North Polar Bear Lollipops

    If you make and share these polar bear cookies on your own website be sure to link back to this post and credit Hungry Happenings. Thanks!

    Be sure to check out all my fun Christmas Recipes!

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth
    Beth
    Hi, I'm Beth Jackson Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth
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    1. Susan-The Weekly Sweet Experiment

      January 06, 2012 at 4:47 pm

      I found you at Toys in The Dryers link party. So glad I did. Your cookies are so adorable. Thanks for the tutorial on how to make them. So cute!

      Reply
    2. laura@imnotatrophywife.com

      January 06, 2012 at 4:06 pm

      Darn! These are the cutest ever! Newest follower! We loved the Columbus Zoo when we lived there !

      laura@imnotatrophywife.com

      Reply
    3. Bekah

      January 06, 2012 at 4:03 pm

      Wow! I'm so glad I found your site through Fun Finds Friday!!! These cookies are outstanding - definitely going to try this! Thank you for sharing - new follower of your blog, be back quite often! 🙂

      ~Bekah

      Reply
    4. Jo

      January 06, 2012 at 5:13 am

      You're amazing! Can we have the whole collection please. 🙂

      Reply
    5. Farmhouse Style Living

      January 06, 2012 at 3:10 am

      I swear you come up with the cutest ideas! How cute would this be for a winter table? I dont know how you do it. You are truly a food genius!

      Reply
    6. Suzy - Sudden Lunch

      January 05, 2012 at 5:30 pm

      Wow - you're brilliant!

      Reply
    7. Beth Jackson Klosterboer

      January 05, 2012 at 5:11 pm

      Thanks for the link Meaghan.

      Dorothy, thanks. I linked up at Crazy Sweet Tuesday.

      Reply
    8. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust

      January 05, 2012 at 3:39 pm

      Those are SO adorable! You are so creative. I'd love for you to share these on Crazy Sweet Tuesday!

      Reply
    9. the decorated cookie

      January 05, 2012 at 3:10 pm

      These are incredible! So so genius. Just posted a link on edible crafts :).

      Reply
    10. Sue

      January 05, 2012 at 2:43 pm

      This is "over the top" adorable and CLEVER!

      Reply
    11. melaniemusings2

      January 05, 2012 at 2:19 pm

      I love your polar bears..for me the realistic one is my fave..but they are all cute. I would use them for a center piece too. Love them.

      Reply
    12. The Partiologist

      January 05, 2012 at 2:09 pm

      What a cute idea!!

      Reply
    13. Beth Jackson Klosterboer

      January 05, 2012 at 1:23 pm

      Thanks everyone!

      Pam, how wonderful that you got to meet Jack Hannah. He has been such a great asset to the Columbus Zoo. If you haven't been to the zoo in a while, it has gone through an amazing transformation in the past few years. I wish we lived much closer as I'd go all the time. I really love visiting there. It is now the number one rated zoo in America and I can see why.

      Jo and Sue - super genius - how sweet!

      Dave, yes I agree they are too pretty to eat, but somehow I've managed to snack on two of them. They taste as sweet as they look.

      Reply
    14. Inspired by eRecipeCards

      January 05, 2012 at 2:24 am

      Well first, too pretty to eat, either one. Wonderful work. Me, I like the pointy nosed guy, but love em both

      Dave

      Reply
    15. Jo and Sue

      January 04, 2012 at 11:38 pm

      Oh my goodness! This just goes to prove that you truly are a super genius! So so so cute 🙂

      Reply
    16. Kieli_Heart

      January 04, 2012 at 11:30 pm

      These are just too adorable! And so yummy too. I love Polar bears ♥

      ~ Kieli ~

      Reply
    17. Jill @ KitchenFunWithMy3Sons.com

      January 04, 2012 at 8:50 pm

      Love them...very cute!

      Reply
    18. Pams Party

      January 04, 2012 at 5:58 pm

      I grew up in Ohio and LOVE the Columbus Zoo! Once when we were there we even met Jack Hanna. My now 15 yr old had her picture taken with him when she was 9 months old. =) I love both of the bears, but I think I like the more realistic one a teeny bit better.

      Reply
    19. Trish - Sweetology101

      January 04, 2012 at 5:21 pm

      very very clever!

      Reply
    20. Tiffany Yang

      January 04, 2012 at 4:21 pm

      Aaah, they are both so cute! Can't decide which one I like more. Love how they are sitting in the water! Adorable 😀

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

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    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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