Gooey cinnamon bears covered in smooth and creamy chocolate. Better than store-bought!
Okay. This is, well, pretty much the easiest non-recipe recipe ever. It only has two ingredients and you don’t have to make the cinnamon bears yourself (phew) so I feel a little bit bashful about calling it a real recipe. But think of it as a recipe idea. It’s the concept here that really counts.
My oldest brother and I both went to Brigham Young University. The BYU Bookstore is famous for several of its sweet treats (stop tempting me mint chocolate brownies!) and my mother used to have my brother bring a HUGE bag of their freshly made chocolate covered cinnamon bears back from school to send to my Aunt Paula in California twice a year – once for her birthday, and again around this time for Christmas. Eventually my brother graduated and when I went down to school I took over the role of cinna-choco-bear-bearer.
I’ve tried the chocolate covered cinnamon bears sold in packages in our local grocery stores and they’re just not the same as BYU’s. If the chocolate “breaks” when you bite into it, it’s not creamy enough. But using almond bark solves that problem. If you haven’t used almond bark before, you’re missing out big time. You can find it right by the chocolate chips in almost any grocery store, it’s sold in a block. I love it! When it comes to melting chocolate down, I like it better than traditional chips because I think it has a creamier texture and the hint of almond flavoring seems to just go perfectly with anything and everything that I’m making.
Oh and you should know that these are easy, quick, and no-bake so they’re absolutely perfect for neighbor gifts. Put them in a mason jar or cellophane bag tied with ribbon! If you need a cute tag, I’ve got ya covered, just scroll down past the recipe for a printable!
Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bears
Ingredients
- cinnamon bears - (available in many grocery stores in the candy aisle, also found in bulk)
- 1 cup almond bark* - (see note)
- toothpicks
- aluminum foil or parchment paper
Instructions
- Chop almond bark into 1-2 inch pieces. Place in a heat-safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir and return to microwave for 20 seconds at a time, stirring after each, until smooth.
- Stick a toothpick into a cinnamon bear, dip into chocolate, turning to completely cover the cinnamon bear. Shake off excess chocolate. Place bear on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet OR poke the toothpick into a foil-covered floral foam block so that the bear is standing upright. (This is what I like to do so that the bears do not have a flat edge on the back, it is purely for looks and completely optional).
- Allow bears to cool completely (about 15-20 mins). Sore in airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Right click on the image below, then save to your desktop!
This looks great, so easy to make and a lot of fun!
This is so cute. I never thought of making my own! My kids love these and I agree a great gift for a neighbor. I’m also looking for treats for all my kid’s teachers. They have so many now and I need just a little something for a few. This is perfect. I prefer them with regular gummy bears. Thanks for the great idea.
Chocolate covered gummy bears are one of my FAVORITE candies – It was basically the first thing I ate that made me reconsider my emphatic hatred of chocolate as a kid. Chocolate covered CINNAMON bears sound even BETTER. Can I order a box? 🙂
Ahhhhhh!! I NEED a whole box of these! When you send these to your aunt, may I have some too? I mean, we’re both in CA, so I could practically pick them up! Unless she lives in SoCal… 😉 Pinned!
Love the idea of gummy bears covered in chocolate! I haven’t seen cinnamon bears in Mexico, but I will try them with a different flavor.