Bear Paws Recipes

BEAR CLAWS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Stir in sugar, salt and egg; mix well. Add the flour all at once, stirring until mixed. Set aside., For butter mixture, sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; place butter on surface and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Press and roll out with a rolling pin. Scrape butter from rolling pin and continue to work the butter until it forms a smooth mass without any hard lumps. Knead in remaining flour, working quickly to keep butter cold. , Place butter mixture on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a small rectangle. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap; roll into a 9x6-in. rectangle. Set aside., Turn dough onto a floured work surface; roll into a 14x10-in. rectangle, with a 10-in. side toward the bottom. Unwrap butter mixture; place on dough 1 in. above bottom edge and 1/2 in. from each side edge. Fold top half of dough over butter and pinch edges to seal., Turn dough a quarter turn to the right; sprinkle lightly with additional flour. Lightly roll into a 16x8-in. rectangle. Fold bottom third of rectangle up and top third down, as when folding a business letter, making a 5-1/2x8-in. rectangle (this is called one turn). Rotate dough a quarter turn to the right. Lightly roll into a 16x8-in. rectangle and again fold into thirds, finishing the second turn. Repeat rotating, rolling and folding two more times for a total of four times. Wrap loosely in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes., Roll dough into a 12-in. square; cut square into three 12x4-in. strips. Spread 2 tablespoons filling down the center of each strip to within 1 in. of long edge. Fold lengthwise over filling and pinch seam to seal. Cut each strip into three pieces. With scissors, cut each piece four times from pinched seam to about 1/2 in. from folded side. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Curve folded side slightly to separate strips and allow filling to show. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 400°. Brush bear clasws with egg. Bake 10-14 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients; brush over warm rolls. Cool.

BEAR PAWS

Steps:

• Mix together all dry ingredients together except vanilla and sugar.
• Cut in butter.
• Work into dough.
• Break off small pieces and put in bear paw mold.
• Bake in preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes.
• Roll in vanilla sugar while still hot.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED BEAR PAWS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour, spices, salt, and almonds and beat well on low speed until dough starts to come together, about 1 minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush 2 madeleine pans with softened butter. Press 2 packed tablespoons of dough into each mold (dough should be level with top of mold).
• Bake until edges are brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack. Turn pans upside down over rack and tap to release cookies from mold. Let cool completely on rack.
• Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, or in a double boiler. Dip each cookie on the diagonal into chocolate, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

BEAR PAW COOKIES

Steps:

• cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Blend in chocolate syrup.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
• Blend in vanilla.
• Combine flour, powder and salt.
• Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to chocolate mixture, beating well.
• Cover and chill one hour.
• Drop batter by heaping teaspoonsful onto a greased baking sheet.
• Press 4 peanut halves or cashews into each cookie, to resemble a bear's paw.
• Bake at 375* for 10 to 12 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched.
• Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.