Chocolate Bear Paw Cookies

Name: Chocolate Bear Paw Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 15 ounce chocolate fudge cake mix (1 box); 1 tablespoon baking powder; 2 eggs (room temperature); 1/3 cup unsalted butter (melted); ½ cup walnuts (roughly chopped); 10.8 oz Werther’s Originals chewy caramels (1 bag); 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream; 22 milk chocolate candy melts; 66 semi-sweet chocolate chips

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These super cute Chocolate Bear Paw Cookies are rich brownie-like cookies that are just as delicious as they are adorable! They’re whimsical, chewy and chocolaty caramel treats that are a whole lot of fun for kids of all ages.

How can a delicious cookie get any cuter than these precious chocolate bear paws? It’s just not possible!

Make these adorable little morsels using a chocolate fudge cake mix for the base, then just add melted caramel candy, and dark chocolate chips to finish the paw design. They are so fun to make and look at but even more fun to eat.

These cookies are tender, like cake, but chewy, like a brownie, and the combination of chocolate and caramel make them a delicious, sweet treat that’s absolutely irresistible! Add them to your Christmas baking line up with these easy Oreo Penguins and these Nutter Butter Reindeer Cookies. Kids will love helping with these super fun activities while they’re out of school for the holidays.

Why We Love This Recipe

Fun kid activity: The little ones will love helping make these cute home-baked cookies.
Easy: These cookies look like they take a lot of work but don’t let that fool you. This is an easy recipe with simple step by step instructions, using basic ingredients from the grocery store.
Great anytime: They’re perfect for Christmas or a cookie exchange, but they’ll be a huge hit any time of year! They’re really cute to make for a camping trip or for a bear-themed birthday party.

Recommended Tools:

Electric mixer
Large mixing bowl
Medium, microwave-safe bowl
Two baking sheets
Cookie dough scoop (1 ½ tablespoon capacity)

Ingredients

For the Cookies

Chocolate fudge cake mix
Baking powder
Eggs, room temperature
Unsalted butter, melted
Walnuts, roughly chopped

For the Paws

Werther’s Originals chewy caramels
Heavy whipping cream
Milk chocolate candy melts
Semisweet chocolate chips

How to Make Chocolate Bear Paws

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line each cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside for later.

To Make the Cookies

Step 1. In a large bowl, add the chocolate cake mix and the baking powder.

Step 2. Add melted butter and eggs.

Step 3. Using an electric mixer, beat on low until a soft dough forms.

Note: You can mix everything with a rubber spatula instead, if you don’t have a mixer.

Step 4. Next, fold in the chopped walnuts.

Step 5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Step 6. Use a small cookie scoop or a spoon to drop 1 ½ tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the lined baking sheet.

Tip: Make sure to space them a few inches apart to leave room for the cookies to spread.

Step 7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are set and the cookies are done.

Step 8. Allow the cookies to cool in the pan for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

To Make the Paw

Step 1. Once the chocolate cookies have cooled, place unwrapped caramels in a microwave safe bowl.

Step 2. Add heavy cream and melt on high in 30 second increments.

Caramels mixed with heavy whipping cream

Step 3. Stir frequently in between microwaving. Continue until the caramel is silky smooth and there are no lumps.

Step 4. Let cool for a few minutes before dropping half a tablespoon on top of each cookie.

Step 5. Add a chocolate wafer for the pad of the paw and 3 semisweet chocolate chips on top of each cookie to make bear claws.

Chocolate wafers and chocolate chips added to caramel topping

Step 6. Continue until all the cookies are decorated.

How Do I Store These Cookies?

These homemade cookies are best eaten the same day you make them. However, they’ll stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days.

Can I Make the Dough in Advance?

You sure can. The cookie dough can be made up to two days ahead of time and stored covered with plastic wrap in the fridge.

Chocolate bear paw cookie up close with concrete background

Why Did My Cookies Spread Out Too Much When Baked?

To prevent a flat cookie, you want to make sure that you give the dough time to chill until it’s nice and firm. Another thing to check is the expiration date on the cake mix and your baking powder. If they’re expired this could cause them not to rise properly.

Variations for these Chocolate Chewy Bear Paws

Polar bear paw cookies: To make these cookies look more like a polar bear paw, you can use a lighter colored cake mix for the base of these cookies. The fudgy cake mix makes a chewy cookie, but a vanilla cake mix, or a white cake mix would work as well.

Cookie base: If you have a favorite homemade recipe to make the soft cookie base you can use it instead. Then you can just add the caramel topping and bear paw decorations.

Butter: This recipe calls for butter but you can use equal parts of canola oil or other vegetable oil.

Nuts: You can use the walnuts or swap them out for pecans if that’s what you have on hand. You can also omit them entirely.

Caramel: We used Werther’s Originals brand caramels, but you can use Kraft caramels or whichever brand you enjoy most.

Chocolate: For the pad of the paw, you can use a small round peppermint patty and mini junior mint candy instead of the chocolate chips and wafer. Another option is to allow the caramel to firm up and use melted chocolate to pipe on the pad and claws.

Want More Cookie Recipes?

5 from 26 votes