Teddy Bear Cookies

Valentine's Day is just one week away! And today I'm in the mood for some love in the form of these adorable Teddy Bear Cookies \(*o*)/

I hardly ever bake cutesy character cookies because I don't eat much cookies in the first place. But I thought the kiddo might appreciate it :)

Baked just a small quantity of twelve pieces in four flavours, original, chocolate, matcha and yam. I thought stamping a heart in the teddy and filling it with some candy makes the teddy look so sweet :)

Wanna join them in a garden tea party?

The trio spreading their love :)

Just one sweet teddy bear is enough for me :)

The cookie is actually easy to make, just a bit tedious as I wanted to have four flavours/colours. If making just one or two flavours, should be quite straightforward.

After combining and sifting cake flour, icing sugar and salt, I divided the mixture into four portions, and added the different flavours accordingly. I bought the matcha and yam powder from a Japanese food fair at Isetan sometime ago; the cocoa powder is Valrhona, my favourite brand of baking/cooking chocolate.

Next add cold unsalted butter to each portion, and rub the butter into the mixture till crumbly. Add egg and bring the mixture together with a spatula till it forms a dough. Do not knead or overwork the dough.

Place the each ball of dough in between 2 layers of plastic sheet, roll into 4-5mm thickness and place in fridge to chill for at least 30 mins.

Using a cookie cutter, stamp the cookie dough and place the dough onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment or mat.

For leftover dough, gather (do not knead), roll into 4-5mm thickness again and place back to the fridge to chill until firm (about 15-30 mins). Stamp using cookie cutter again. For remaining scraps, stamp into tiny hearts and stars till all dough used up.

Notice the crescent-looking bits of dough? Initially I wanted to stick them at the back of the teddy bear so that they can hang on the edge of a mug. I ran out of time to make the holder firm enough so scrapped the idea.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 degree celsius (fan mode) for 10 mins. Remove the tray and add crushed hard candy into the stamped heart, then continue baking for another 5-6 mins.

Let the cookies cool down completely.

Decorate the cookies using deco pen or melted chocolate. Store in airtight container.

Teddy Bear Cookies
(makes 12 pieces)

Ingredients

• 210g cake flour
• 45g icing sugar
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1.5 tsp matcha powder
• 1 tsp yam powder
• 100g cold unsalted butter, divided into 4 portions of 25g each
• 1 large egg, about 56g, divided into 4 portions of 12-13g each

Steps

1. Sift cake flour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl. Divide the mixture (about 256g total) into 4 portions of 63-64g each.
2. Add the cocoa, matcha and yam powders into 3 of the portions respectively (1 portion is original flavour). Mix until well-combined.
3. Add cold butter into the 4 flavour portions respectively. Rub the butter into the mixture till it is crumbly. 
4. Add egg into the 4 flavour portions respectively. Use a spatula to bring the mixture together until it forms a dough. Do not knead or overwork the dough.
5. Place each ball of dough in between 2 layers of plastic sheets. Roll the dough into 4-5mm thickness. Chill the 4-flavour/sheets of dough in fridge for at least 30 mins.
6. Preheat oven (fan mode) at 170 degree celsius.
7. Take out the sheets of dough, use a teddy bear cutter to stamp the dough (2 teddy bears per dough). For remaining dough, gather (do not knead), roll and stamp 1 more teddy bear.
8. Use a mini size heart-shape cutter to stamp the middle of 5 teddy bears. Place the cut-out hearts onto the other 5 teddy bears. For scraps, stamp into mini hearts and stars until all dough used up.
9. Place the teddy bears, hearts and stars onto a baking tray lined with parchment or mat. 
10. Bake at 170 degree celsius (fan mode) for 10 mins. Remove tray and add some crushed hard candy into the stamped heart of the teddy bears.
11. Return tray to oven and bake for another 5-6 mins.
12. Let the cookies cool completely.
13. Decorate the cookies with melted chocolate or deco pen.

So sweet that I can't bear to eat the bear. *pun intended.

But the kiddo just munched and chomped the cookies like nothing. And he already requested to bring four pieces to school for his snack.

Meanwhile, let me indulge in some food porn.

Cuteness overload yet?