Just like the candy served at the famed See’s Candy shop, these Polar Bear Paws are highly addictive, super delicious, and SO easy to make! Crunchy, salty peanuts enrobed in buttery caramel and coated in white chocolate. A perfect holiday treat!
When I was in high school, the cool place to hang out with my friends was the mall.
Keep in mind, this mall sucked then and it continues to suck to this day. It’s called Sunrise Mall, and it has maybe 20 real stores, and the rest are closed down or like, “Ray’s Shirts” or whatever. But back then, it was a little bit better, with a cool Hot Topic, a Sam Goody, and a cheap movie theater for me to make out with my boyfriends. Hey, don’t judge! You were once 16, too.
I would always go with my BFF, Katrina, and we’d spend hours walking around the perimeter of the mall, like mall walkers but cooler, obvi. We’d get ourselves Orange Julius drinks and get a major sugar high, then when we felt ourselves crashing, we’d always crawl into See’s Candies to get a free square of fudge. However, I always dug around for a couple quarters so I could buy myself a highly coveted Polar Bear Paw.
Once I had a taste of this magical invention, I was hooked. However, I generally try to avoid See’s Candy now only because I’m older and don’t have the same metabolism as I did when I was a teen. Also, the See’s Candy at the new mall in town is ALWAYS packed and your girl ain’t about waiting around for fudge when I could make my own!
So with the holidays creeping up, I figured these would be the perfect treat for me to copycat and recreate so we can all enjoy the deliciousness! Not only are these SO SIMPLE (seriously – a few ingredients!), they can be made start to finish in like 30 minutes. No joke! And of course, they’re no-bake which is a HUGE timesaver during the bustling holidays.
Crunchy, slightly salted peanuts are coated in buttery caramel, then the whole shebang is enrobed in sweet white chocolate. Of course, you could probably make these “black bear paws” and coat them in chocolate if white chocolate ain’t your thang, but I prefer white chocolate + caramel the most!
For the holidays, consider these bad boys for gift-giving… or for hoarding yourself.
The BEST EVER Polar Bear Paws (See’s Candy Copycat)
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel
Recipe type: Candy
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 18-20
These Polar Bear Paws taste just like the candy at See’s Candies but BETTER. Only a few simple ingredients needed to create this EASY candy recipe, perfect for the holiday season!
Ingredients
- One 11-oz bag Kraft caramel bits (or caramel squares, unwrapped if using)
- 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 & ¼ cups unsalted peanuts
- One 16 oz pkg vanilla/white chocolate CandiQuik or similar white candy coating
Instructions
- In a medium microwaveable bowl, combine the caramel bits (or squares if using), the heavy whipping cream, and the butter. Microwave for about 90 seconds, stopping to stir the mixture every 30 seconds. The first two times you stir the mixture, it will be kind of hard to stir, but you just want the mixture to move around some so it doesn’t burn. Mixture will be smooth, glossy and melted around the 90 second mark. Pour in the peanuts and let set for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop heaping Tablespoonful mounds of the caramel peanut mixture scattered about on the baking sheet, keeping them somewhat spaced out so they don’t all seep together. Once the little caramel nut puddles are made, freeze the baking sheet until the caramel mounds are solid, about 5-10 minutes. They should easily peel away from the parchment when solid enough to handle.
- Prepare the vanilla CandiQuik according to package directions or until smooth and melted. Dunk each caramel nut mound into the white candy coating, using a fork to coat all sides. Return the coated polar bear paw to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining paws. Wait until chocolate hardens (should be quick on contact with the cold mixture) before serving.
3.5.3228
Easy, addictive, delicious candy great for the holidays! Hope you enjoy these as much as I did!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
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