Chocolate Molasses Bear Paw Cookies
These bear paw cookies are soft and chewy. They are full of warm and cozy flavours of molasses, chocolate, and spice. These cookies stay soft for days and taste better than any store-bought brand.
The kids have been back to school for a couple of weeks now and so far so good. They are just so happy to be back with their friends even though things are different this year. Packing lunches again has been interesting. After 6 months I kind of forgot what my kids like to have in their lunchboxes, but I’m slowly figuring it out and these bear paw cookies certainly help. They are so much better than the store-bought ones and my kids think they’re the best thing I’ve ever made.
These cookies are soft like a cake yet chewy like a cookie. The addition of molasses not only adds a warm comforting flavour to the cookies, but it cuts down on the amount of refined sugar needed in the recipe. The molasses also helps keep these cookies nice and soft for days.
How to make bear paw cookies:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Then beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Combine the hot water and baking soda in a liquid measuring cup. Stir the mixture into the wet ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, spices, and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag and cut 1” off the tip to make a large opening.
5. Pipe one large dollop for the palm and 4 small dollops for the toes onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Use your finger to lightly press down any tips that form. Space each bear paw 2” apart.
6. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes until puffed up and set. If you don’t want to fuss with piping the cookie dough into bear paw shapes, you can just make them into drop cookies by using a tablespoon or medium cookie scoop.
How to store:
Place the cookies in an airtight container with sheets of wax paper in between each layer to prevent the cookies from sticking. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
How to freeze:
Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour until frozen solid. Transfer the frozen cookies into a large heavy-duty ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You might also like:
- One-Bowl Gingerbread Cake with Molasses Glaze
- Quick Molasses Brown Bread
- Soft & Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
Chocolate Molasses Bear Paw Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) hot water
- 2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- Whisk in the ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- Beat in the egg, then molasses and vanilla until combined.3/4 cup (180ml) Crosby’s Fancy Molasses, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Stir the hot water and baking soda together in a liquid measuring cup. Add to the wet ingredients and mix to incorporate.1/4 cup (60ml) hot water, 2 tsp baking soda
- Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag and cut 1” off the tip to make a large opening. On the prepared cookie sheets, pipe one large dollop for the palm and 4 small dollops for the toes. Use your finger to lightly press down any tips that form. Space each bear paw 2” apart.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes until puffed up and set. Let cool on the cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Crosby’s Molasses.
Looking forward to making these! Would I be able to replace the molasses with applesauce for making apple flavoured ones? Or is there a better way to get that apple flavour?
I’m hopeful I can recreate all the boxed versions, but obviously better since they’re homemade. 😉
That’s a tough one. Using that much applesauce will make the batter too thin and the cookies gummy. I also tried to find an apple bear paw recipe for you, but no such luck. Sorry.
Can you add bananas to make them more of the banana bread kindof flavor?
Thanj you
I haven’t tried it for myself but I don’t see why not. You can replace some or all of the molasses with mashed banana to keep the consistency of the batter the same.
Very good! Great puffed texture. I added half a cup of chocolate chips with delicious success. Didn’t need to pipe the dough; I just formed and patted onto the sheet.
Thank you for your kind words! Glad you liked it and great idea adding the chocolate chips – yum!
Awesome recipe!! My boys love them!
The only thing; I’m usually adding some more water so the dough is easier to work with.
Just made these for my 3.5 year old son (he wants bear paws like the other kids at his preschool) and they are way better than the boxed version. A soft, chewy texture, with warm chocolate and molasses flavors. I’ll make these again!
Thank you, Christine! So happy to hear that you and your son think they are way better than the boxed version:)
just made this and the dough was so thick, I had to do balls instead of piping. I used another brand of molasses , maybe it was thicker than the brand in the recipe, so the dough turned thick.
Hey Bernie,
Thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry to hear that the dough was thicker than expected. Perhaps try a little less flour next time and that should help. I hope they still tasted good.
What diameter should the paw pads and toes be before baking. Can’t tell from the pictures. Bears are in short supply round here so I don’t know how big are bear footprints.
Lol, you’re funny:) I would say about 2″ for the paw pads and 3/4″ for the toes. Enjoy!
These look supercute and yummm!!
Thank you, Shailaja! Make sure you enter the giveaway for a chance to win. Good luck!