Mix your favourite leftover candy into a cookie dough and bake into these delicious cookie bars! It's that easy. They've got a brown butter dark sugar cookie bar base, and come together in under 25 minutes!
Halloween has come and gone and that means we all likely have candy sitting around our house. Instead of eating them individually, make these bars!
The best part about this recipe is how flexible it is. You can add in any extra chocolate candy you have. I used Kit Kat's, M&M's, Reese's cups, and Turtle's! Chop it all up, add to your blondie batter, and voila!
I used my Brown Butter Nutella Bars base for this recipe. It's the best! You'll see the steps and ingredients are nearly identical to that recipe.
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Why this recipe works
Kids-friendly: These cookie bars a great treat to bake with the kids' after Halloween. They can pick out what candy they want in the bars and then add it in!
Easy to make: The bars have a simple brown butter cookie base that comes together in one bowl with no electric mixer required.
Giant customized cookie - It tastes like a giant cookie and is the perfect recipe to make when you don’t want to roll out a dozen individual ones.
Flexible: Add whatever chocolate candy the heart desires! I'm a huge peanut butter fan, so I made sure to add in a lot of Reese's cups!
Ingredients Notes
Scroll to view a few ingredients notes. Full recipe and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Butter – I always use unsalted butter. This will be melted and browned.
Dark brown sugar – This sugar carries more molasses than golden brown or light yellow sugar, which deepens the brown butter flavours. You may use any type of brown sugar.
Egg - Remove two hours before baking.
Halloween Candy - You can add in any extra chocolate candy you have! I used Kit Kat's, M&M's, Reese's cups, and Turtle's!
Step by step instructions
Here is how to make and bake these Leftover Halloween Candy Bars. You will need an 8×8 square pan lined with parchment paper, a large mixing bowl, a spatula, and a whisk.
Step One: Prep the pan. Line two sides of a 8x8 pan with parchment paper and grease the other sides. Set aside.
Step Two: Brown the butter. Check out the recipe card for browning butter details. Once browned and slightly cooled, whisk with brown sugar. Whisk in eggs and vanilla.
Step Three: Mix the dry and wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Step Four: Add in the Halloween candy. Chop up whatever candy you'd like and mix it into the dough.
Step Five: Press the batter into the pan and bake. Evenly press the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are a light brown and the middle is still soft and puffy. The bars will continue to bake as they cool.
Step Six: Cool and slice. While the bars are still warm, add more chocolate bars on top if desired. Cool, slice, and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
Here's a few expert baking tips from my kitchen to yours
- Don't over-mix the batter. This will lead to a dry and tough cookie bar.
- Use a variety of candy: It’s fun to use all different kinds of chocolate bars and it brings different textures!
- Don’t over bake: You’ll want to take these out when they’re still gooey in the center. They continue baking as they cool.
- Brown the butter! If you're melting it, you may as well brown it! It's a baking game changer.
FAQ
Do I have to brown the butter?
No! Although if you’re already melting it you may as well brown it. The nutty aroma and flavour it gives is a game changer for this recipe.
How do I know it’s ready?
The edges will be slightly golden brown, but the middle will still be light in colour and slightly puffy. It will continue to bake in the pan as it sets.
Can I add any chocolate bars?
Yes! I always love adding in caramel-type bars (Mars, Twix, Turtle's, etc) for that delicious warm chocolate caramel pull.
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Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter melted and browned
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped up candy
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a square 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium sized pan over medium heat. Once it melts, it will crackle, then become foamy – continue mixing the butter while this happens to prevent burning. The butter will go from melted to golden brown quickly, and you'll know it's almost done when the aroma of browned butter arrives. The whole process should take about 5 minutes! Once golden, remove from heat and transfer to a glass bowl. Let the butter cool for 30 minutes while you prep on the rest of the recipe.1/2 cup butter
- Whisk together the slightly cooled browned butter and brown sugar. Add in egg and vanilla and continue whisking.1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 tbsp vanilla
- Using a spatula, fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt. The dough will be soft, don't over-mix!1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt
- Add in the chopped up candy. Use whatever combination you'd like! I added in M&M's, Reese's, Turtle's, and Kit Kat. Press into your prepared pan.1 1/2 cups chopped up candy
- Bake for 15-17 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the edges are a light brown. The middle may still look underbaked, but it'll continue to bake as it cools.
- Cool the bars, slice and enjoy!
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