- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 4.1 × 3.7 in (10.4 × 9.4 cm)
With golden biscuit texture, chocolate ears and eye patches, happy eyes, and rosy pink cheeks, these panda cookies look fresh out of a kawaii bakery. Grab our free printable cookie paper squishy template to craft your own puffy pillow using just paper, tape, and stuffing. Your PDF download includes 3 versions (full color, coloring page, and blank) formatted for both US Letter and A4 paper. Pair it with our teddy cookies paper squishy for a whole animal biscuit collection!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your panda cookies sheet at 100% scale on plain printer paper, making sure to turn off the “fit to page” setting. Check the scale line in the top corner; it should measure exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color the golden biscuit face, dark brown ears, and rosy cheeks now, then let any marker ink dry completely before moving on.
2Tape the pieces
Cover only the front and back panda cookie pieces with wide clear packing tape, not the whole sheet. Smooth each strip from the center of the biscuit face outward toward the chocolate ears, and don’t stretch the tape so it won’t wrinkle later. This glossy layer makes your paper squishy shiny, strong, and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out both the front and back panda cookies along the solid black outer line. Take your time curving around the two chocolate ears on top and the dips where they meet the round biscuit head, making sure to keep the small white border intact all the way around.
4Add a tape border to the back
Lay the back cookie piece printed side down on strips of regular clear tape with the sticky side facing up. Cut the tape about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge, then snip this sticky border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper, especially around the curved ears. These little flaps will hold your squishy together.
5Join front and back
Put the front piece on the back piece with the white sides together, lining up the brown panda ears and round cheeks. Fold the tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down firmly. Leave a 4 cm (1½ in) gap open along the edge (the pink line in the picture shows where): that is your gap for the stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear your plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small pieces and push them in through the gap. Fill the far corners and the two round chocolate ears first so they puff out nicely, then fill the middle of the cookie face until it feels soft and puffy. Stop before it gets too full, since too much stuffing makes the seams pop.
7Close the gap
Fold the last tape flaps over the edge and tape the gap shut with an extra strip of clear tape. Run your finger firmly along all edges, especially in the little dip between the panda ears and the cheek curves, to press the tape down well.
8Squish!
Done! Give the chubby panda cookie cheeks a good squeeze and watch your squishy puff right back up. Want a slow-rising squishy? Prick one tiny pinhole in the back of the cookie so the air escapes gently when you press it.
Free Panda Cookies Squishy Template
- Color
- Coloring page
- Blank, design your own
- Step-by-step guide
One free PDF: the template in three versions (pages 1–3) and the step-by-step guide (pages 4–5). Print the template at 100% on plain printer paper.
Tips for the perfect squish
- Cookie feels too hard. If the panda face feels stiff instead of soft, it has too much stuffing inside. Open the gap, take some filling out of the biscuit center, and tape it shut again.
- Seam splits near the ears. If an edge splits open along the curved panda cheeks or ear dips, reinforce it right away. Put a new short strip of clear tape across the edge, overlapping the old ones.
- Wrinkles across the face. Wrinkles over the panda’s eyes happen when packing tape is pulled tight as you apply it. Use shorter strips and lay them gently across the cookie without pulling.
- Smudged chocolate patches. Dark brown markers on the coloring page need a moment to set before laminating. Let markers dry fully before taping so the dark ink doesn’t smear, though printer ink is fine right away.
Questions
What paper works best for a cookie paper squishy?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best for this craft. Heavy cardstock makes the rounded panda cookie stiff and it won’t squish as nicely.
Can I use glue instead of tape for a paper squishy cookie?
Not for the edges. Glue doesn’t stick to tape-covered paper, so the cookie seams would open when squeezed; the snipped tape border folded over the edge holds best.
What can I use to stuff my panda cookies squishy?
You can stuff it with plastic grocery bags for a crinkly and light feel, cotton balls or fiberfill for a soft cushion, or small pieces of memory foam for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I print this cookie paper squishy template bigger?
Yes! At 100% scale, the finished panda cookie is about 4.1 × 3.7 in (10.4 × 9.4 cm), or you can print the page at 120% with the front and back together on the same sheet so they match. You can also craft our chocolate chip cookie squishy for a sweet bakery set.
Can I make these panda cookies with a class or group?
Yes! Print one sheet per person and cut the clear tape strips in advance; kids can color the panda coloring page while you help with taping, and you should plan about 30 minutes.
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