Polar Bear Cookies

These adorable polar bear cookies are incredibly soft and chewy and are topped with the most delicious homemade buttercream frosting.

How to Make These Polar Bear Cookies

Let’s walk through each step of this recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible!

I’ve also shared a video tutorial on how to make them below.

Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough

The first step is to make the cookie dough! Follow the recipe card at the bottom of this post to make the dough.

Then divide the dough in half and wrap each piece of dough in a piece of plastic wrap.

Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours or in the freezer for 30 minutes. You can also chill the dough overnight.

Step 2: Roll and Cut Out the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C for about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.

Generously dust the surface you plan to roll the cookies out on with additional flour. Take one of the dough rectangles out of the fridge or freezer, leaving the other to continue to chill.

Sprinkle some more flour on top of your dough and your rolling pin.

Roll the chilled dough to be 1/3 inch thick and cut out as many circles as possible with a flour-dusted round cookie cutter. I used a 2 1/2-inch wide cookie cutter.

Use a kitchen brush to gently brush off any excess flour and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Use a 3/4-inch circle cutter to cut out smaller circles from the remaining dough to make the ears of the bears.

If you don’t have a cutter this size, use a small bottle cap that’s similar in size. You will need twice as many small circles as you cut out of the bigger circles so that each bear can have two ears.

Use the same small cookie cutter to cut out a small bit of each little circle to help the ears sit flush against the larger circles.

Place two of these on the side of each big circle cookie and gently press down where the dough meets to help them stick together.

Chill the cut-out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.

Step 3: Bake the Cookies

Bake for 12-14 minutes on the top rack of your oven (time varies based on the size and thickness of the cookies).

Keep a close eye on the cookies and be sure to pull them out before the edges start to brown. Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps and rewrap them in plastic wrap.

Pop them back in the fridge to chill. Pull out your 2nd chilled piece of dough and repeat the steps above. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Step 4: Make the Vanilla Buttercream

While the cookies bake and cool, make the vanilla buttercream frosting.

If the frosting seems too thick, add an extra Tbsp of heavy cream. If it seems too thin, add another 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.

If you’re unsure what consistency the frosting should be, check out my frosting consistency guide.

Once the frosting is made, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula to get it SUPER smooth.

Place frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a medium round piping tip (like a Wilton 12) and seal the top with a large rubber band.

If you don’t have that type of piping tip, you can just cut a 1 cm opening at the base of the piping bag. Set aside.

Step 5: Frost and Decorate the Cookies

Pour about 1 cup of white sanding sugar or granulated sugar into a small bowl. Set aside. Once the cookies have fully cooled, pipe a thin layer of frosting on top of one of the cookies.

Gently press the cookie into the sanding sugar until the entire top is covered. This should even out the frosting.

Pipe a small oval towards the bottom of the cookie to be the bear’s muzzle.

Gently press a large chocolate chip into the top of the muzzle to be the nose, and use black sprinkles to make the polar bear’s eyes and red or pink sprinkles to make the polar bear’s ears.

If you don’t have quite the right sprinkles, feel free to improvise with whatever you have on hand!

I ended up coloring some white, round, flat sprinkles with an edible marker because I didn’t have any round black sprinkles for the eyes. I also used red heart sprinkles for the ears because I didn’t have any round ones.

In a pinch, you can also use fondant to make the facial features.

Repeat with the remaining cookies, then enjoy!

Substitutions and Swaps – Cream Cheese Cookie Base

Now that we’ve covered how to make these cookies, let’s talk about the ingredients!

This recipe uses quite a few ingredients, and I know you might not have them all on hand.

Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered. Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make.

• Granulated Sugar –  I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the spread of these cookies.
• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place (and omit the salt)!
• Cream Cheese – Full-fat cream cheese that comes in a block works best.
• Large Egg – If you have an egg allergy, try using a flaxseed egg or a vegan egg replacer like this one made by Bob’s Red Mill.
• All-Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps give these cookies a soft texture! If you don’t have any on hand, it can be omitted, but your cookies won’t bake up as soft.

Substitutions and Swaps – Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place.
• Heavy Cream – Whipping cream, coconut cream, or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat, coconut) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
• Vanilla Extract – Other extracts can also be used in place of the vanilla extract if needed.

How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe can be used to make 30, 2 1/2-inch cookies. The yield and bake time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookie cutter you use.

Tips for Making the Best Polar Bear Cookies

• Liberally flour your counter before you roll out your cookie dough and move it around while you roll and cut your cookies.
• Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough, which makes fluffy and soft cookies.
• Don’t overwork the cookie dough! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough and dense cookies.
• Roll the cookie dough out to a consistent thickness of 1/3 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over- or under-bake in the oven.
• Chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake.
• Don’t overbake the cookies. Err on the side of underbaking your cookies, and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.
• Feel free to get creative with what you use to make the polar bear’s face and work with what you’ve got! You can also use fondant if needed.

Making These Polar Bear Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips

You can store frosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature, 5 days in the fridge, or in the freezer for a month.

If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend chilling them thoroughly before doing so and adding a layer of parchment paper between them. The buttercream will firm up when it’s chilled, but won’t set hard like royal icing.

This cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. If I do freeze the cookie dough, I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.

Baked, unfrosted cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in an airtight container.

I recommend waiting to frost them until they’ve thawed to room temperature.

Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat them, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before frosting them.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for polar bear cookies, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment.

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