Cake Mix Polar Bear Cookies
These Polar Bear Face Cookies are made from a cake mix base and topped with rich cream cheese frosting. With sanding sugar fur and candy faces, they are simple to make and perfect for holiday baking with kids.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box of white cake mix
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (1 stick)
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature (½ a block)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Decorations
- ½ cup white sanding sugar
- 84 round white melting wafers
- 56 black nonpareils
- 28 blue or brown M&Ms
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line three large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth and no streaks of flour remain.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon balls of dough onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving at least 1 ½ inches between each ball.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Frosting
- Beat the butter and cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and fluffy.
Assembly
- Place the sanding sugar on a small plate and set aside
- Frost the cooled cookies with a generous layer of frosting.
- Gently press the cookie into the sanding sugar to coat the frosting and create the fur.
- Gently press two melting wafers into the top of the cookie to create the ears.
- Press one melting wafer into the lower third of the cookie to create the muzzle.
- Apply a small amount of frosting to one side of an M&M and attach it to the muzzle melting wafer to create the nose.
- Place two nonpareils above the muzzle to create the eyes.
- Allow the frosting to set for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Wait for the frosting to harden before stacking the cookies. Because the frosting contains cream cheese, the cookies should be refrigerated.
- Some brands of nonpareils may bleed when stored in the refrigerator. If you are not planning to serve your cookies right away, consider waiting to add the nonpareil eyes to avoid any color bleed.
Nutrition
Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 128mgPotassium: 21mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 179IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 0.4mg
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is estimated based on automated calculations and should be considered as an approximation. These estimates are provided as a courtesy. Please use your own brand's nutritional values to verify accuracy.
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