Polar Bear Paws Candy
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These polar bear paws are a tasty holiday season treat that everyone will love. A delicious candy with creamy and buttery caramel, salty peanuts, and a sweet white chocolate coating, this decadent dessert will be your new favorite holiday recipe.
These polar bear claws are an irresistible dessert that’s perfect for all your parties and events this time of the year. With their classic crunchy peanuts, soft caramel, and creamy chocolate, they’ll remind you of your favorite candy bar but with an incredible fresh taste that you just can’t get from store-bought candy.
Loved by kids and adults alike, these make an ideal gift or a party treat that will steal the spotlight on your dessert table. And when you see how easy they are to make, you’ll want to keep a batch on hand all winter long!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Polar bear claws are an impressive and delicious homemade candy that’s also easy to make.
- This sweet and salty treat is perfect for holiday gift giving.
- They look great on any holiday party table and are always a crowd-pleasing treat.
- You can change the chocolate coating and sprinkles to suit different themes and occasions.
- These homemade caramel candies taste just like the popular See’s Candy polar bear paws.
Recommended Tools
- Baking sheet
- Medium pot
- Tablespoon or small cookie scoop
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- Caramel squares – the kind that are individually wrapped and come in a bag. Find them in the candy aisle.
- Heavy whipping cream – be sure it’s heavy whipping cream, not half and half
- Butter – unsalted
- Vanilla extract
- Roasted salted peanuts
- White almond bark – this melts better than white chocolate chips
- Sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Polar Bear Claws
Step One: Make the Caramel Peanut Clusters
- Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set it aside.
- Place the caramels, heavy cream, vanilla, and butter in a medium pot and stir over medium heat until melted and smooth.
- Add the peanuts to the melted caramel and stir to combine.
- Spoon the caramel mixture onto the parchment paper in tablespoon-sized mounds.
- Place in the refrigerator for about an hour or until set.
Step Two: Add the White Chocolate Coating
- Melt your white chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.
- Dip each candy piece into the chocolate, then tap off the excess.
- Place the polar bear claws back on the parchment paper and top with sprinkles if desired.
Tips and Suggestions
- If you’re looking to save time, you can skip the stove and melt the caramel in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth
- Use a small cookie scoop to easily portion out the caramel peanut mixture and ensure that your clusters are uniform size.
- The chilled clusters will soften to room temperature pretty quickly (especially during the summer months), so when dipping them in the white chocolate, it’s best to take just a few out of the fridge at a time.
- White melting wafers or almond bark will work better than white chocolate chips for this recipe. If you do use the chips, you may need to mix the chocolate with a little bit of coconut oil to ensure that it holds its shape properly.
Variations
- Make some claws of the brown bear variety by using chocolate almond bark instead of white.
- Use different varieties and colors of sprinkles for different holidays and occasions.
- Use cashews or other nuts in place of the peanuts.
How Do I Store Polar Bear Claws?
- Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You’ll want to remove them from the fridge and let them come to room temperature prior to serving.
Can I Freeze Polar Bear Claws?
Yes, you can keep these in the freezer for 2 months. Store them in an airtight container or zip top bag.
🎄 More Fun Christmas Recipes
- Reindeer Krispies Treats
- Grinch Truffles
- Christmas Tree Meringues
- Santa Nutter Butter Cookies
- Melted Snowman Bark
- Candy Cane Danishes
- Christmas Wreath Cookies
Polar Bear Paws Candy
These polar bear paws are a tasty holiday season treat that everyone will love. A delicious candy with creamy and buttery caramel, salty peanuts, and a sweet white chocolate coating, this decadent dessert will be your new favorite holiday recipe.
Ingredients
- 11 ounces caramel squares 1 bag
- 3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tablespoon butter unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup roasted salted peanuts
- 1 pound white almond bark
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium pot add your caramels, heavy whipping cream, butter and vanilla and stir over medium heat until melted and smooth.11 ounces caramel squares, 3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream, 1 Tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in your peanuts and stir to combine.1 cup roasted salted peanuts
- Spoon onto the parchment in tablespoon size mounds.
- Place in the refrigerator or freezer for an hour until set.
- In a microwave safe bowl melt your white chocolate in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.1 pound white almond bark
- Dip each caramel nut mix into the chocolate tapping off the excess.
- Place them back on the parchment paper and top with sprinkles if desired.sprinkles
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Easy and delicious! I’ll make this a lot.
I’ve made these for the past 5 years. While they are absolutely delicious, they are time consuming and a bit cumbersome to make. I feel this is because the caramel begins to melt when the warm/hot chocolate begins to cover them, and they slide around on the fork and are a bit tricky to get them on the parchment paper to solidify. But! They are really good!
Can these be frozen? How long do they last?
How many does one recipe make?
It makes 18-24 depending on how large you make yours. (You can see this in the recipe card details.)
Yes, they can be frozen for up to 2 months – just put them in an airtight container or zip top bag.
Can I use salted peanuts ir salted cashews instead of roasted peanuts?
You can swap out the nuts.
Why does it say it’s 4 days to make?
Oh my. That’s a mistake that I’ve fixed. A “4” got in the recipe card by mistake. There’s a one hour chill time, so the total time is about an hour and a half.
These are easy to make and are so good!
These are amazing and I’m going to try heath bits in place of the nuts n see how they turn out!
Can you use half & half instead of heavy cream. Ive made them before. They are delicious, just don’t have heavy cream.
Can you use half & half instead of heavy cream. Ive made them before. They are delicious, just don’t have heavy cream.
I would not recommend substituting half and half. It’s just not thick enough and the caramel won’t set up.
Consider waiting to add the vanilla till adding the peanuts. If you heat vanilla the alcohol base in the extract evaporates, taking the delicate flavor compounds with it. Many of the volatile compounds that create the complex flavor of vanilla are sensitive to heat and can dissipate with prolonged exposure to high temperatures