Chocolate Bear Paws Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Melt the butter and chocolate in a small heavy saucepan on the stovetop over low heat, stirring continually. Set the melted chocolate aside to cool slightly. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Set the mixture aside for now. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together with an electric mixer at high speed until light and airy, about 3 or so minutes. Blend in the vanilla extract and semi-cooled chocolate. Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture one half at a time. When the dough is evenly mixed (it will be fairly soft), cover the bowl with plastic and set it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. For the first cookie, roll a 1-inch ball of dough for the front of the bear paw and a half-inch ball for the heel. Gently press the two balls together and set them atop the parchment paper-topped baking sheet. Flatten the dough a bit with your thumb. For claws, insert five slivered almonds partway into the dough at the front of the paw. Continue making cookies in this manner, spacing them apart on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool before serving.

Steps:

• Stir 3/4 cup of the peanuts into melted chocolate. Drop level tablespoonfuls of chocolate onto wax paper-covered baking sheet, spreading slightly to form oval shapes. Refrigerate 15 min. or until chocolate is firm.
• Separate remaining peanuts into halves; set aside. Place caramels and water in small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 45 sec. Stir until caramels are completely melted.
• Spoon 1 level teaspoon melted caramel over each candy; immediately place four peanut halves into caramel at one end of each candy to resemble claws. Refrigerate 15 min. or until caramel is firm. Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Mix sugar, corn syrup, butter, and 1 cup whipping cream in a 4 quart pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly.
• Once it comes to a boil, heat the other cup of whipping cream in the microwave for 1 minute until hot. Gradually add the cream to the ingredients cooking in the pan, stirring constantly. (add it slowly so the caramel mixture never stops boiling)
• Continue stirring and it will begin to thicken and darken in color. Cook until it reaches about 242 degrees (soft ball stage). You can do the cold water test by spooning a little of the caramel into cold water, let it sit for a few seconds and then pull it out and if it can hold the shape of a ball then it's done. If not, keep cooking and repeat the test. (This cooking process to get it to the right temperature could take up to 20 - 25 minutes. Just keep stirring over the medium heat).
• When it reaches the soft ball stage or 242 degrees, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Then fold in the peanuts. Pour into a bowl to cool for about 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes to cool quicker.
• Spoon onto parchment paper in tablespoon size mounds. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes until set.
• Melt vanilla candy coating in the microwave on low for 30 second increments. Stir until melted and smooth. Dip the caramel cluster into the white chocolate with a fork allowing the excess chocolate to drip off. (I use a plastic fork with the middle tines broken out.This works great for letting the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl) Place back onto the parchment lined pan to set up. They can be refrigerated to set up faster.