Bear Cookies with Pecans and Brown Sugar

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups of flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 165 g butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 68 pecan, walnut, or almond halves (about 1.25 cups)
• 60 g chopped milk chocolate
• Special equipment: 6cm bear shaped cookie cutter; small spatula

Preparation:

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Beat the brown sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla extract until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed until fully combined, about 1 minute. Divide the dough in half, then roll each piece into a 1/4-inch thick circle, placing it between two layers of plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
2. Place 2 racks in the top and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 180°C. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Remove the plastic wrap and transfer the dough to parchment paper, working with each piece of dough separately. Place a second sheet of parchment paper on top and roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 0.3 cm, making sure to smooth out any creases. Cut out 20-22 bear-shaped cookies, pressing the cutter into the dough and lifting the dough under the cutter with a small offset spatula to prevent it from sticking to the paper. Place the bears on one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2.5 cm apart. (If the dough becomes too soft, place it in the freezer to firm up slightly—this will make it easier to work with.) Store the dough scraps, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature.
4. Place a pecan between the paws of each bear and wrap the paws around the pecan, as if the bear were hugging it. (The paws may crack at the shoulder, but that's okay, as they'll be attached to the pecan.) Freeze the baking sheet for 10 minutes to firm up. Repeat with the second piece of dough, adding the scraps to the previously set aside dough for rolling later. After 10 minutes, remove the first baking sheet from the freezer to bake, and place the next baking sheet in the freezer to cool.
5. Bake one baking sheet at a time for 14-16 minutes, rotating them 180 degrees halfway through. The cookies should be golden around the edges but still soft to the touch. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes, until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
6. Knead any reserved dough scraps and roll them out again, chilling if necessary; repeat shaping, chilling, and baking the cookies until all the dough is used up.
7. Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for about 2 minutes, stirring after each 30-second interval. Use a toothpick to draw eyes, noses, ears, and paws on the bears with the chocolate. Alternatively, place the melted chocolate in a resealable bag, snip off a corner, and pipe the chocolate onto the cookies, drawing these details. Allow the chocolate to harden completely before serving, about 30 minutes.