Polar Bear Paws (See’s Candy Copycat)
Updated
Updated
These no-bake Polar Bear Paws Recipe are the perfect sweet and salty treat, filled with roasted nuts and caramel, then coated in silky white chocolate. Perfect for the holidays and gift giving or the summer months when you don’t want to turn on the oven!
Another See’s Candy favorite is our Homemade Turtles, a fast, easy, irresistible 3-ingredient treat!
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See’s Candy Polar Bear Paws Recipe
For as long as I can remember, my sister always got my Dad a big box of See’s candy for his birthday. Although I think in recent years it’s been replaced with jams and jellies.
Have you ever had Polar Bear Paws? They’re traditionally made by See’s with peanuts, but due to family allergies, we can’t do that. Cashews are a perfectly acceptable substitution, however. When I handed them out at school, nobody even questioned it. They were too busy drowning in the bliss that is caramel and white chocolate!
I know See’s stores aren’t available everywhere, so now you can make your own…and for cheaper. Homemade gifts are always the best, anyway!
Ingredients Needed
You only need 5 ingredients to make see’s candy polar bear paws.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Caramel Bits (or caramel squares, unwrapped)
- Heavy cream
- Unsalted butter
- Cashew halves (or peanuts)
- Vanilla almond bark (or candy melts)
Make Grizzly Bear Paws
Video: How to Make Polar Bear Paws
Polar Bear Paws are super easy to make! Scroll down to the printable recipe card for details and measurements, and don’t miss the video below.
Recipe Tips
- Form only a few at a time. The caramel softens to room temperature pretty easily, so I recommend taking only a few out of the refrigerator at a time when dipping them in the chocolate, otherwise they can get gooey and not hold their shape.
- Candy melts are preferred over white chocolate chips. You can use white chocolate chips (as seen in the video) instead of Candy Melts or CandiQuik Almond Bark, BUT you’ll need to mix the melted chocolate with a bit of coconut oil to ensure it hardens and sets properly.
Proper Storage
Polar Bear Paws will keep for around 10 days in a tightly sealed container, stored in a cool, dry place or the refrigerator. But make sure they’re room temperature before serving or someone could lose a tooth!
More Candy Recipes:
- Popcorn Balls
- Peanut Brittle
- Candied Pecans
- Cream Cheese Mints
- Old Fashioned Potato Candy
- Homemade Caramels
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Polar Bear Paws (See’s Candies Copycat)
Ingredients
- 11 ounce bag Kraft Caramel Bits
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup roasted peanuts, (or cashew halves)
- 12 ounces CandiQuik vanilla almond bark or Ghirardelli white chocolate melting wafers, (see note)
Instructions
- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place caramels, cream, and butter in a microwave safe bowl; microwave in 30 second increments, stirring, and repeating until smooth.
- Mix in the peanuts and then let it sit in the bowl to cool for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Spoon onto the parchment in tablespoon size mounds. Place in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes until set.
- Place vanilla almond bark and melt according to package directions, stirring until melted and smooth.
- Dip a caramel cluster in the chocolate and use a fork to remove it. Holding it over the bowl, tap the fork on the edge to let any excess chocolate drip back down. Place clusters back on the parchment lined pan and repeat with remaining clusters.
- Put the pan back in the fridge for 30-60 minutes until chocolate is set. Remove and enjoy or package up for a gift!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
I’ve been looking for quick & easy candy to make! Easy for my church gifts!
Do you have to use heavy cream for these cookies? Can we use half and half or milk?
Made two batches of these – one with brown candy melts (brown bear paws) and one with vanilla/white candy melts. They are incredible! Definitely follow the tip about only working with one or two at a time out of the fridge, makes it so much easier.
Made these with my grandson – so fun! We used peanuts since cashews are a bit too pricey but no other changes. Turned out great!
Can these be frozen? Making them more than 10 days out for Christmas. Thanks
Had fun making these with the kids!
I was wanting to know if using wax paper instead of parchment would work? If not would maybe foil do?
These are absolutely delicious; however, I find them a bit time-consuming to make – you need to keep returning the caramel clusters to the fridge to keep them semi-solid for ease in dipping in the chocolate. A great Christmas gift!
Love these,need to work on my execution,some difficulty with caramels and candy melts,seems you have to be quick or it starts to thicken
These are awesome. Great recipe, thank you!
Im having a hard time finding the Kraft caramel bits. Can the Kraft caramel squares…used to make caramel apples….be used? If so, how many would be equivalent to the bits.
Thanks!!
Yep, those are basically the same thing, but a little more work because you need to unwrap each one. Just use 11 ounces worth.
Love these! I made them with regular chocolate and called them Grizzly Bear Paws. Super fun and delicious treat.
Would these taste good with milk chocolate instead of white chocolate?
I think you would call it a brown bear instead of a polar bear.
Do they have to be stored in the fridge??? Thanks so much for the post!!
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 5 days. If you do refrigerate them, let them come to room temperature before serving.
Do you use salted or unsalted cashew halves?
You can use either – they’re both delish. Depends how salty/sweet you want them to be.
Outstanding, delicious candy. I will be making this on a regular basis. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I made some of these with almonds and some with peanuts and they came out amazing! I’m going to make them for Christmas gifts this year!
Did a test run of these for Thanksgiving – big hit! Will make them again.