Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, breaking up any lumps in the cocoa powder. Set aside. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have them ready near your oven. Measure out the chocolate pieces and have all your decorating tools prepared, as you'll work quickly once cookies cool.

In a mixer or by hand, beat together the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla essence, white vinegar, egg, and red food coloring, mixing until fully combined and the color is even throughout—add more food coloring drop by drop if you want a deeper red hue. Fold in the dry ingredient mixture from Step 1 using a spatula or mixer on low speed until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 20-30 minutes—this makes the dough easier to shape and helps the cookies maintain their bear shape during baking. While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 325°F and ensure your prepared baking sheets from Step 1 are ready to use.

Remove dough from fridge and roll 1½ tablespoons of dough into a ball for each bear's body, placing them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Roll two small teaspoon-sized balls of dough for each bear's ears and gently attach them to the top of each body ball, pressing lightly so they stick but remain distinct shapes.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are set but still soft—they should look slightly underbaked in the center, as they'll continue to cook slightly as they cool. I like to pull them out when the edges just begin to darken slightly, which keeps the centers chewy and prevents the cocoa from becoming too bitter.

Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for 5-10 minutes until they're set enough to handle, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack. While they cool completely, gently melt the white chocolate and dark chocolate in separate small bowls (use a double boiler or microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each), and have a small brush or piping tool ready for detailed work.

Using melted white chocolate, paint snouts (small circles on the front) and inner ear details on each bear. Thin the melted dark chocolate and use it to draw eyes and noses with a small brush or toothpick. For blush, mix a tiny amount of pink or red oil-based food coloring with white chocolate and brush small circles on the cheeks. I recommend working in small batches and letting the white chocolate set between applications so details don't smudge together.