Description
Delight in these homemade Polar Bear Paws Candy, featuring chewy caramel and crunchy roasted peanuts coated in smooth white almond bark. Perfectly sweet and crunchy, these clusters make for a festive treat that’s easy to prepare and great for sharing during the holidays.
Ingredients
Scale
Caramel Cluster
- 11 ounce bag caramel squares, unwrapped
- 3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup roasted salted peanuts
Coating
- 1 pound white almond bark
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside to ensure easy removal and prevent sticking.
- Melt Caramel Mixture: In a medium pot over medium heat, combine caramels, heavy whipping cream, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir continuously until the mixture is melted completely smooth.
- Mix in Peanuts: Add the roasted salted peanuts to the melted caramel mixture and stir thoroughly to coat all peanuts evenly.
- Form Clusters: Drop tablespoon-sized mounds of the caramel peanut mixture onto the prepared parchment paper, spacing them to allow for spreading.
- Chill Clusters: Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill for about 1 hour or until the clusters are firm and set.
- Melt White Almond Bark: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white almond bark in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth and fully melted.
- Dip Clusters: Quickly dip each caramel peanut cluster into the melted white almond bark, letting excess coating drip off. Place the dipped candies back onto the parchment paper. If desired, decorate immediately with sprinkles while the coating is still wet.
- Final Chill: Return the coated candies to the refrigerator and chill for an additional 30 to 60 minutes, or until the white chocolate coating is fully hardened and set.
Notes
- Work quickly when dipping candies into the almond bark to prevent the melted coating from hardening and the clusters from softening.
- Remove the candies from the fridge in small batches to avoid them sitting out too long and losing firmness.
- Store candies at room temperature up to 7-10 days, layering with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cluster (approx. 1 oz)
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
