How to make my ‘melt in the mouth’ vegan polar bear cookies, with white chocolate, coconut and marshmallows. The cookie is crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside filled with white chocolate chunks topped with a vanilla swirl dipped in coconut and finished with marshmallow polar bear details. They’re super fun, cute and perfect for the Holidays. Vegan, No-Egg, No-Dairy and easy to make.
This recipe has been made in collaboration with Vitalite. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. (For more information along with affiliated links, check out my disclosure policy.)
Vegan Polar Bear Cookies
Indulge in these whimsical Vegan Polar Bear Cookies – a wintery delight that’s as adorable as it is delicious! These soft and buttery sugar cookies form the perfect canvas for a luscious swirl of creamy vegan vanilla buttercream, topped with a sprinkle of desiccated coconut. To complete the polar bears, vegan marshmallows add a playful and chewy texture as-well as bringing these treats to life. Whether you’re baking for a festive gathering, a cozy night in, or simply want a fun treat to bake with the kids, these cookies offer a heartwarming blend of sweetness and creativity. Even better, they’re fully plant-based, making them a treat everyone can enjoy!
Looking for more festive recipes, check out my:
- No-Bake Gingerbread Oreos Pops
- Best Vegan Christmas Pudding
- Vegan Peppermint Christmas Cake
- Viral Vegan Pinecone Truffles
- Vegan Candy Cane Cookies
- No-Bake Reindeer Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake Bars
- Easy Vegan Gingerbread Pop Tarts
- How to make Vegan Wreath Cookies
Why you’ll love these cookies:
- Festive: These cookies bring a fun polar bear theme to your dessert table, perfect for the holidays / winter gatherings.
- 100% Vegan: This recipe is 100% vegan friendly made with plant-based ingredients, they’re perfect for everyone to enjoy, including those with dietary restrictions.
- Soft and chewy texture: The cookies have a delightful softness that pairs perfectly with the creamy buttercream and fluffy, chewy marshmallows.
- Kid-friendly: Both making and eating these cookies are a joy for little ones and adults alike!!
- Perfect balance of sweetness: The combination of the buttery cookie, sweet buttercream, coconut, and marshmallow offers a delightful medley of flavours without being overly sweet.
- Great for gifting: Their unique and cute festive design make them an excellent homemade gift for friends and loved ones.
- Easy to make: Despite their fun and fancy appearance, these cookies are straightforward and fun to assemble.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Dairy-free butter – I used Vitalite Dairy-free for this recipe. It makes the cookie and buttercream super buttery, light and creamy! Absolutely delicious and free from any animal products.
- Caster sugar – Use a fine white sugar for this recipe. Granulated sugar may make the cookie slightly grainy in texture.
- Dairy-free milk – You can use any dairy-free milk for this recipe including almond, soy or oat.
- All purpose / plain flour – Use a plain flour for a crumbly texture.
- Baking powder + bicarbonate of soda – Helps to bind and make the cookie super crumbly and light.
- Dairy-free white chocolate chunks / chips – Use any dairy-free white chocolate chunks or chips, which melt easily. My go-to are supermarket own branded dairy-free white chocolate or Ichoc Vanilla and Enjoy Life Mini White Baking Chips.
- Powdered / icing sugar – Sieve the icing sugar to prevent any lumps.
- Vanilla extract – Use a high quality vanilla extract or seeds from a vanilla pod for optimal flavour.
- Desiccated coconut.
- Vegan vanilla marshmallows – Make sure the marshmallows you use are vegan friendly and don’t contain gelatin (made from cows and pigs). The marshmallows i use are Dandies.
- Black food gel – Use vegan friendly black food gel. Do not use a liquid food colour or this will be too watery and not as pigmented altering the consistency.
How to decorate a polar bear cookie (tips and tricks)
- Make sure the cookies are cool before decorating – Ensure the cookies are completely cooled before decorating to prevent the buttercream from melting.
- Chill your buttercream – If your buttercream is too soft, refrigerate it before spreading or piping. This will help it hold its shape better when applying coconut and marshmallows.
- Even coconut coverage – Place your cookie over a bowl or plate while sprinkling the coconut to catch any excess. This keeps your workspace tidy and allows you to reuse leftover coconut. Alternatively, turn the cookie upside down and lightly press the buttercream in the coconut to apply.
- Applying the marshmallows – Use a small dot of buttercream on the back of the marshmallows to secure them in place.
- Adding on the polar bear faces – Experiment with expressions! Adjust the eye placement or angle of the nose to give each polar bear a unique personality.
- Storing – If you’re not serving immediately, store the decorated cookies in an airtight container in a single layer. Refrigerate if your kitchen is warm to keep the buttercream and marshmallows from melting or sliding.
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram, Facebook & TikTok! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking all!
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Vegan Polar Bear Cookies
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to make adorable light, and crumbly Vegan Polar Bear Cookies, with a buttery white chocolate filled cookie, vanilla swirl, coconut and marshmallows. Perfect for Christmas!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cookie
- 115g of dairy-free butter (I use Vitalite)
- 140g of caster sugar
- 30ml of dairy-free milk
- 220g of all purpose / plain flour
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 50g of dairy-free white chocolate chunks / chips
Ingredients for the swirl
- 60g of dairy-free butter (I use Vitalite)
- 210g of powdered / icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 80g of desiccated coconut
+
- Large vegan vanilla marshmallows (I use Dandies)
- Black food gel
Instructions
Method (cookie)
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper.
- Add the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip with a hand mixer or the stand mixer until light and creamy.
- Add the milk. Whip again until combined.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in the white chocolate chunks / chips. You may wish to add in a little more flour if the texture of the dough is a-little too sticky.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls (approximately 35-40g each) using spoons or an ice-cream scoop.
- Optional step – Sprinkle some caster or granulated sugar over the cookies before baking.
- Place the cookies on the lined tray (leave the dough in balls, only press them down slightly), leaving room in between as they will spread when baking.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly golden.
- Once baked, remove the trays from the oven, use a round cookie cutter to help shape the cookies. Use the cookie cutter to scoot the cookies into a circle.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray. While they’re cooling, make the buttercream.
Method (buttercream)
- Add the butter into a bowl and whip until smooth and creamy, either in a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment or using a hand held electric whisk.
- Add in the icing sugar and vanilla, whip until creamy. If it’s too thin, add some more icing sugar until it’s thick and creamy in consistency. The more you whip it, the more air gets incorporated and it’ll become light and creamy. You can also add in a teaspoon of cornstarch / cornflour to help thicken up the buttercream if needed.
- Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle.
- Once the cookies are fully cool, pipe a swirl of the buttercream on top of each cookie.
- Pour the desiccated coconut onto a plate, dip the buttercream on top of the cookies into the coconut to coat. Set aside.
Method (marshmallow decorations)
- Make the polar bears : Cut a large marshmallow in half, then cut one of the halves in half (these are for the ears). Use some buttercream to stick the ‘ears’ to the top of the polar bear head. Cut a large marshmallow in half and stick to the front (this is for the nose).
- Add black food gel to a little but of buttercream, transfer into a piping bag and snip off the tip. Pipe on the eyes and nose. Alternatively: You could pipe the eyes and nose with some black royal icing (aquafaba mixed with icing sugar until its a thick, tooth paste consistency, dyed with some black food gel). Again, transfer this into a piping bag, snip off the tip and pipe on the details.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
To store: You can store un-iced cookies in an air-tight / sealed container at room temperature for up for 3 days. Iced cookies are best stored in the fridge in an air-tight / sealed container. Allow to come to room temperature before enjoying. Best eaten within 4 days of making.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
