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Peanut Butter Paw Print Cookies

Thanks for sharing!

Peanut butter paw print cookies take classic peanut butter blossoms to a new level of cute. They are built on a chewy peanut butter cookie with fun a chocolate paw print design on top.

Hand holding peanut butter bear paw cookie with chocolate pieces making paw shape.

Are peanut butter blossoms always on your list for holiday baking? Make them even more fun this year by turning them into bear paws.

Or call them dog paws or cat paws if you would rather. No matter what animal you choose, be sure to make these sweet treats.

Pile of chocolate and peanut butter bear paw cookies ready to be eaten.

Holiday baking is always so much fun. If you have been here long, you know the chocolate and peanut butter flavor combination is one of our favorites.

So there always has to be several cookies and candies that feature these two flavors. The thing is as much as we love the classics, it is fun to try to put a little bit of a spin on it to keep it fresh.

This year we twisted our favorite Oreo balls and made Oreo truffles with condensed milk instead. Then we made a yummy batch of Nutter Butter balls with extra peanut butter mixed in.

Then instead of making our favorite chewy peanut butter blossoms, we tweaked the recipe and made them these fun bear paws. These little changes allow me to feel a little bit creative while still showing up with everyone’s favorite treats.

For a different flavor profile, try making chocolate covered cherry cookies. They are soft and delicious with a gooey cordial cherry candy in the center.

Making Bear Paw Cookies

The base of these cookies are the same as our favorite blossom cookies. It is a nice soft and chewy cookie.

Because of the high peanut butter to butter ratio, they taste amazing and chilling the dough isn’t necessary. All of the cookies you see here were baked without stopping to chill the dough.

That being said, if you bake the first tray of cookies and they are spreading, go ahead and pop the dough in the refrigerator for a half hour. I have just found that it isn’t necessary when making this recipe.

The dough is soft but not super sticky. It scoops easily with a small cookie scoop.

You can roll the balls of dough in granulated sugar if you want to. Or just scoop them straight onto the cookie sheet if you prefer.

The sugar rolled cookies will have a little extra crunch on the exterior. The dough without the sugar coating has a softer bite, both ways taste great so it is whatever your preference is.

The cookies should look puffy when they come out of the oven without taking on a lot of color. As soon as they come out of the oven push in the chocolate pieces to look like a paw.

We used Ghirardelli milk chocolate melting disks for the center of the paw. The size is perfect and they taste amazing.

Peanut butter bear paw cookies on wire cooling rack.

Three milk chocolate chips complete the paw. Feel free to use dark chocolate if that is your preference.

Pro tip: For size reasons, it is best if you use a different brand of chocolate chips. The Ghirardelli chips tend to be bigger which makes them harder to fit on the cookie and changes the visual effect.

Allow the cookies to cool completely and ensure the chocolate is set before stacking the cookies in an airtight container. That’s all it takes!

Storing Fresh Baked Cookies

Cookies store for up to a week at room temperature. Put them in an airtight container with a slice of sandwich bread to keep them softer for longer.

For longer storage, freeze the cookies in a freezer safe bag for up to 6 months. Just bring them back to room temperature before serving.

Freshly baked peanut butter bear paw cookies with chocolate decorations ready to eat.

When should I make paw print cookies?

These cookies are perfect for so many occasions. We make them as a cute addition to our Christmas cookies, but they would also be perfect for cat or dog themed parties. Or make them for tailgates and game day if your mascot is a cougar, bear, dog, cat, lion, tiger and more.

Can I freeze peanut butter paw print cookies?

Yes, the baked cookies freeze well. Just put them in a freezer safe container and pop them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let them defrost at room temperature to enjoy.

More Fun Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes

If you love peanut butter cookies, you will love my great-grandma’s classic peanut butter cookies. Or make some peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies for another twist on an old favorite.

Triple peanut butter cookies are loaded with chewy peanut butter goodness. And monster cookies are an all time favorite for good reason, you can always use holiday colored candies to make them festive too!

Or if you need to avoid peanut butter, try making vanilla paw print cookies. They are just as cute on a vanilla sugar cookie base.

Love this recipe? Give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review in the recipe card below!

Yield: 48 Cookies

Bear Paw Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Hand holding peanut butter bear paw cookie with chocolate pieces making paw shape.

Bear paw peanut butter blossoms take the classic Christmas cookie to a new level of cute. They are built on a chewy peanut butter cookie with fun a chocolate paw design on top.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 48 melting chocolate disks
  • 144 chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add the eggs and vanilla, stirring to mix.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt.
  5. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and mix until just combined.
  6. Scoop slightly rounded tablespoonsful of dough onto a sheet pan leaving two inches between the balls of dough, a small cookie scoop works well for this. Roll balls of dough in additional granulated sugar if desired, otherwise roll them between your hands until they are a smooth ball.
  7. Bake for 7-9 minutes. The cookies should look puffy and soft, but set.
  8. Press 1 chocolate wafer into the lower center portion of each cookie, then add 3 chocolate chips to make a paw shaped pattern.
  9. Move cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Allow chocolate to reset before stacking for storage.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

48

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 124mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 3g

All nutritional information is estimated and will depend on the exact ingredients you use.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd love to see it! Share a picture on Instagram or Pinterest and tag me @carleecooks to let me know how it went!

Bear paw peanut butter blossoms take the classic Christmas cookie to a new level of cute. They are built on a chewy peanut butter cookie with fun a chocolate paw design on top.

Thanks for sharing!

Dee

Friday 3rd of March 2023

Make sure you don’t put too many cookies on the cookie sheet because they cool fast and the chocolate won’t stick/ stay in each cookie. Other than that so cute! Easy and taste good.

Carlee

Saturday 4th of March 2023

That is a great tip! I am glad you liked them.

Maggie

Tuesday 17th of January 2023

Where did you buy the discs?

Carlee

Wednesday 18th of January 2023

My grocery store carries the Ghirardelli melting wafers. They are in the baking aisle by the chocolate chips. If you can't find those, Wilton has candy melts that would work. You can find those at most craft stores or specialty baking supply stores. Otherwise Amazon has several brands of chocolate disks.

Rachael

Monday 16th of January 2023

To halve the quantity, would it still be successful if you just halve the ingredients listed?

Carlee

Monday 16th of January 2023

Yes, you can cut the recipe in half and still have delicious cookies. Enjoy!

Beth

Monday 9th of January 2023

So I just stuck a Hershey Kiss upside down for the paw pad. Used 4 semi chocolate chips for the dog and if I was making for a bear, I would use 5 plus some nut slivers for claws. Hoping these are a hit for the UG championship game party

Carlee

Monday 9th of January 2023

I love the idea of using nut slivers. I am sure they'll be a hit!

Susan

Thursday 29th of December 2022

Best recipe for peanut butter cookies that I have ever tried. Thank you!

Carlee

Friday 30th of December 2022

That makes me so happy, thank you for letting me know!

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