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.

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.

Christmas Baking

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.

Of course, you don’t have to reserve these cookies for Christmas, they are perfect for so many occasions.

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.

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!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I Store 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.

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.

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.

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.

If you tried this recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ???? star rating and let me know how it went in the comments. Hungry for more?  Be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of the latest updates.