Czech Bear Paws are completely different from the American bear claws which I used to get at Starbucks sometimes. Our bear paws are part of the cookie selection which one prepares during Christmas time.
The only hurdle to make this delicatessy abroad is the cookie mold. But that hurdle was crossed when one of you guys (thanks Dagmar!) told me to use the Madeleine cookie pan
CZ: Pecete na Vanoce Medvedi tlapky? Jestlize ne, protoze jste na ne v cizine nesehnal formicky, vas problem uz je diky jedne z CMD ctenarek (diky Dagmar!) vyreseny. Muzete totiz pouzit formicky na Madeleine cookies
BEAR PAWS/MEDVEDI TLAPKY
– yields about 24 cooies
Ingredients:
- 12 oz (3 cups; 350 g) of all purpose flour
- 8 oz (2 cups; 200 g) of ground almonds or walnuts
- 8 oz (2 cups; 250 g) of soft unsalted butter
- 8 oz (2 cups; 250 g) of sugar
- ground rind of 1/2 lemon
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of cloves
- 1 egg
- 2,5 Tbs (1 1/4oz; 30 g) of cocoa powder
- powdered sugar for coating
Method:
- Preheat the oven for 350 degrees F.
- Grease the Madeleine molds and sprinkle them lightly with flour.
- Mix all of the above ingredients together and work into a dough.
- Break off small pieces and press into the cookie molds.
- Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
- Coat them with powdered sugar while still hot
- Enjoy!
PS: If you want them to lose their crunchiness and would like to have them on the softer side, let them rest for 2 weeks and it will happen for you. I could not wait that long – my willpower has failed me.
All of the other recipes for Czech Christmas cookies are listed below:
- Rum balls/Rumove koule
- Vanocka
- Walnut Tarts/Orechove dorticky
- Linz Tarts/ Linecka kolecka
- Vanilla crescents/Vanilkove rohlicky
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Oh my goodness!!! I just realized I have already posted this recipe last year! Except this is a different version of it.
Anyhow, about this recipe: my dough kept being dry and crumbly (maybe because I did just 1/2 batch) so I added about 2 Tbs of milk in it and the cookies were great.
PS: Read the “PS” note – it’s really important!
Thank you Tanja. It is the little tricks that help. I never made the bear claws and I will give it a try this year.
Eva P
Vanocka I make non traditional with brown sugar! This recipe was posted 20 years ago in the magazine Family Circle. Some love it and others complain that it is not traditional. As long as it tastes good matters!
PS Memories for this older American Czech!
I remember my mother for Christma would buy a vanilla bean. She would put part of it into the powdered sugar a month before so the Vanilla Crescents would really have the aroma of vanilla and there were delicious.
Evo, that’s a great idea! I don’t think I have ever seen vanilla bean. Is it expensive? And do you get it in a regular store?
Tanja…..I believe you can buy individual madeline molds in William Sonoma or other fancy cooking store.
You can buy whole bean stalks in grocery store or Cost Plus (might be cheaper in Cost Plus) it costs about $7 per small bottle in Vons.
Again, thanks Tanja, that’s awesome. Do you have a recipe for ‘rohlicky’?
Mariko, thanks! I will look for them.
Romano, yes! My all-time favorite recipe. The link is listed at the end of the post together with other necessary recipes 🙂
🙂 duh…thanks!
Cost Plus also sells vanilla sugar:)