Nan's yum-yums!: Huggy Bear Cookies and Puppy-face Cookies

Baking breads and cakes has become a part of life for me these days. I am happy to have found basic fool-proof recipes for both over which I experiment time and again to create different varieties of bakes. I remember the days (oh, not too long ago!) when I would ogle at blogs that have such gorgeous bakes, and I would wonder when I would join the bandwagon and begin my own baking odyssey.

I am glad that the baking bug didn't take too long to bite me and bite me it did, real hard! I have been on a baking spree since and beware... now am contagious, spreading the baking bug to many more through my Baking Workshops!! J

I have been putting away experimenting baking cookies primarily for the butter that goes in it. But then, a bit of butter makes life better doesn't it?

So, here is a basic egg-less cookie recipe that I loved. The adorable shapes are inspired from Pinterest. Hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together! J

Ever since I saw the Huggy-Bear cookies on Pinterest a few months back I have been scouting around for a teddy-bear cookie cutter. They were too cute not to be tried out! So, the instant I found a little teddy-bear cookie cuter, I made it mine.

Last week, I finally got some time to try my hands at making these cookies. I looked up a basic cookie recipe that was egg-less. I used the recipe for Shortbread cookies from Sharmi's blog page and created these little guys.

I am my biggest critic when it comes to baking and I rarely rarely give a double thumps up to my bakes at first attempt. But this one is an exception! A sure winner! I could not stop feeling proud of this creation, right from the great taste to the perfect shape of these cookies. They were simply yum and cute!

I just couldn't wipe the happy grin off my face that day and I was like a little kid beaming with glee after learning how to paint a perfect picture! Tee hee hee J

I baked these for my friend's 2-yr-old who simply loved the 'Bow-Bow' cookies and demanded for more, after he demolished the first one I gave him. And seeing the delight this brought to the tiny tot, I baked these again for my 4-yr-old niece and it was a hit once again!

They are easy to put together but look oh-so-pretty! Bake these for your little ones, for gifting friends and relatives, for parties that you host at home, or simply to pamper the kid in yourself! J

Makes: 25 cookies (approx.)

Prep Time: 30 mins

Baking Time: 20 mins

Recipe source for cookie dough: Sharmi's Passions

Ingredients:

Maida | All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Cooking Butter (unsalted) – ½ cup OR 100 gms
Powdered Sugar – ¼ cup
Vanilla essence – ½ tsp
Salt – a very small pinch (you may even skip this if you want the cookies to be completely sweet)

For cookie decorations:

Teddy Bear Cookie Cutter
Round Cookie Cutter

Choco chips
Almonds
Tooth Pick
Kitchen Knife

Method

Making the Cookie Dough:

Ensure the butter is at room temperature. Take it in a mixing bowl and add in the powdered or icing sugar and vanilla essence.
Beat the butter-sugar mixture into a creamy consistency. This should take about 5 minutes. Initially the butter may seem lumpy, but keep going, eventually you will be able to beat it well.

Now toss in the flour and salt. Using your hand, bring the mixture together into a firm dough ball. You may add in a few drops of milk if needed to bring the dough together.
Keep this dough ball in the refrigerator for a few minutes to allow it to firm up, as the butter may make it sticky and tricky to roll out!

Shaping the Cookies:

Now, let’s prepare the working table and shape our cute little cookies J

Placing a baking sheet and dust a little flour on in it. Keep ready all your items required for shaping and decorating the cookies and a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Take a small portion of the cookie dough and using a rolling pin roll out into a thin disc, of about ¼ inch in thickness. This process needs patience as the cookie dough may stick to you rolling pin initially. Be gentle and roll the dough small portions at a time, to avoid it from sticking to the rolling pin. Show the dough some love and patience and it will cooperate! J
Using the round and teddy shaped cutters, cut out the cookie dough.
Carefully remove the shaped cookies onto a tray, collect the scraps and bind into a ball and repeat the process of rolling out and cutting until you have used up all the dough.

To shape the Huggy Bear cookies, place an almond in the centre of a teddy-shaped cookie, diagonally as shown in the picture.
Gently fold in the hands to make them hug the almond. Careful with this, as the cookie dough may crack. Just press in to keep it in place and hold shape.
Using a toothpick, make eyes and nose. Repeat this for all the teddy cookies.

To shape the Puppy-face cookies, using a kitchen knife make two diagonal cuts on the sides of a round cookie, as shown in the picture. Gently, spread them apart a little.
Use three choco-chips to make eyes and nose. Repeat this for all the round cookies.

Baking the Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees for 10 mins.
Bake the cookies for 15-20 mins until they turn slightly brown on the sides/top.
Allow them to cool for a few minutes before transferring them, as they would be brittle to touch at this point.