Winter is the perfect time to break out your favorite fuzzy blanket, curl up on the couch with a hot mug of tea and hide out in your apartment until spring time rolls around. Yep, for some reason, the cold winter months always have a way of making you lose all motivation to make contact with the frigid world that lies outside of your warm, cozy apartment.

In addition to making you feel like it’s socially acceptable to stay in your apartment and be a total introvert (while you catch up on all your favorite Netflix shows, of course), winter also serves as the perfect excuse to ditch your diet and indulge in your favorite treats.

Because let’s be real, no one can judge you for stuffing your face with carb-laden snacks if you’re alone in your apartment. Plus, those chunky, cable knit sweaters do wonders when it comes to hiding the winter gains.

If you’re looking for the perfect desserts to make while hibernating in your cozy cave this winter, you came to the right place. I recently decided to whip up some sweets that are un-bear-ably adorable.

Nothing says winter quite like some tasty treats inspired by one of the most adorable animals in the arctic, am I right? Seriously, these things are guaranteed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

These sweet, polar bear treats start out with my strawberry cupcake recipe. Or as I like to call it, my “straw-beary cupcake” recipe. These cupcakes are soft, fluffy and full of sweet, delicious strawberry flavor. Plus, they make your entire kitchen smell like pure heaven.

No really, your neighbors will be hella jealous when they walk out into the hallway and get a giant whiff of the glorious strawberry-vanilla scent wafting from your apartment. Just make sure your door is locked so you don’t have to deal with any unexpected visitors looking for a cupcake handout.

Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled, it’s time to whip up some buttercream and turn those ordinary baked goods into some downright adorable polar bears. Since polar bears are white, I naturally decided to go with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting for these cupcakes.

To decorate them, I started off by applying a thin layer of buttercream to each cupcake. Then, I used a Wilton 233 piping tip (it’s the one with a bunch of holes), to cover the surface of my cupcakes in a thick layer of frosting squiggles that resembled fur.

Next, I used white fondant to make little bear muzzles and ears. I brought the little polar bear faces to life by placed the fondant pieces onto each cupcake, followed by a few black nonpareils for the eyes and nose. Then, I simply drew a little mouth on each cupcake with black icing and that’s it. All done!

These precious polar bear cupcakes are the perfect cure for the winter blues. Plus, these cupcakes are so easy to make, I can hardly bear it. Check out the full recipe below.

Strawberry Polar Bear Cupcakes

Takes approximately 40 minutes. Yields 12 cupcakes.

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup of fine chopped strawberries
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Vanilla Buttercream Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Decorating Ingredients:

• white fondant
• black icing
• black nonpareils

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper liners.
2. Melt butter in the microwave and set aside to cool.
3. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whisk the melted butter and sugar together.
4. Add in the egg, followed by the almond milk, yogurt and vanilla.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth.
7. Carefully fold in the chopped strawberries.
8. Fill muffin tins ⅔ full with batter. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Take the cupcakes out of the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool.
10. Make the vanilla buttercream by beating the butter and sugar together, using a stand mixer or hand mixer.
11. Stir in the salt, followed by vanilla and almond milk. Beat for 4-5 minutes until frosting becomes light and fluffy.
12. Apply a thin layer of buttercream frosting to each cupcake. Then, cover each cupcake with a layer of squiggly “fur” frosting using a Wilton 233 piping tip. Set cupcakes aside.
13. Use white fondant to create round muzzles and small circular ears for the bears.
14. Add the fondant pieces to the cupcakes.
15. Use black icing to draw a small mouth on each bear’s muzzle.
16. Add black nonpareils for the eyes and nose of each bear.
17. Serve and enjoy!