Soft baked candy bar cookies are made with chunks of candy bars. The perfect recipe for using any extra Halloween candy.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love handing out candy to children and seeing all the fun costumes. And now being a mom of two young children, I especially love taking our kids trick or treating in their costumes and seeing the joy that it brings them. I mean, as a kid who wouldn’t want to collect a bucket full of candy?

Every year after Halloween we are left with lots of candy whether it is from handing it out to children or from our kids trick-or-treating. The leftovers tend to just sit on a shelf as we often usually forget about it (I am not one for snacking on candy, a caramel brownie is my idea of a guilty pleasure). But this year, I decided to use up some of our leftover candy to make candy bar cookies. It’s a simple recipe that can be made with a variety of candy. Both kids and adults will love this recipe.

What you need to make candy bar cookies

Baking Supplies

Baking sheet pans
Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
Medium bowl
Digital scale or measuring cups and measuring spoons
Handheld mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment
Large bowl or stand mixer bowl
Silicone spatula
Cookie dough scooper or spoon

Ingredients

Flour. Use all-purpose flour. It provides the ideal structure for these candy bar cookies.

Baking soda. Helps the cookies spread when they are baked as well as crisp up the edges of the cookies.

Salt. Just a bit will balance the sweetness of the cookies.

Butter. Use unsalted butter. Bring to room temperature and cream in the mixing bowl before adding the sugars.

Granulated sugar. Adds the sweetness to the cookie dough but also is used to mix with the butter to aerate the dough (which causes your cookies to puff up in the oven).

Light Brown Sugar. The acidity of the brown sugar activates the baking soda in the oven. It also helps with the spreading of the cookies.

Eggs. A source of moisture for the cookies as well as a binding agent.

Vanilla Extract. The better the quality the more flavorful. Opt for pure vanilla extract as opposed to imitation.

Candy bars. Any assortment of chocolate candy bars will work. You can also use M&Ms or peanut butter cups. Select the candy that you enjoy most (can be a variety or a single flavor).

How to make candy bar cookies

Mix dry ingredients. Begin by whisking the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt) together.
Cream the butter. First, cream your butter in the mixing bowl until it becomes smooth and creamy. Then add the sugars and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy (this takes about 5 minutes). Do not skip this step as it is important for you to properly aerate your dough.
Mix in remaining ingredients. Mix in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl after each addition. Mix in the vanilla until completely combined. Turn the mixer to low and carefully add in your dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. With the mixer, or mixing by hand, mix in the chopped candy bars. Careful not to over mix your dough.
Bake. Using a scooper, or spoon, scoop dough, approximately 1.5 tablespoons each, and place 2 inches apart from each other. Bake in preheated oven for 11-13 minutes. Remove from the oven when the edges begin to brown. The cookies will still be soft in the center. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheetpan before cooling completely on a wire rack.

Tips and takeaways

Dice candy bars to about 1/4-inch and leave M&Ms as whole pieces. For more candy, increase to 2 1/2 cups (375 g).
If you prefer thicker, chewier cookies, then use 3/4 cup (169 g) of granulated sugar and 3/4 cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar. The more granulated sugar the more the cookies will spread and the more the brown sugar the thicker the cookies will be.

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