Soft and Chewy Leftover Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
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If there was ever a recipe that’s perfect for Halloween, it’s these soft and chewy Leftover Halloween Candy Cookie Bars. Made with pantry staple ingredients, a handful of leftover Halloween candy, and finished with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. There’s really nothing not to love about these gooey extra chocolatey cookie bars. The secret? The combination of brown sugar, granulated sugar, and an extra splash of vanilla. The combination creates a cookie bar that’s gooey, soft, and oh-so chewy, with perfectly crispy edges, and just the right amount of flavor. So delicious and takes almost no effort to bake!
About The Recipe
Halloween is next week and we have been stocking up on candy!
While we don’t get trick-or-treaters where we live currently, my mom and I DO love coming up with new and fun ways to use candy. Last year, we shared our Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies and SO MANY of you asked if we could turn them into cookie bars.
Naturally, my mom and I knew that’s exactly what we needed to share for this Halloween! So, let me introduce our new and improved Halloween Candy Cookies.
These bars are the perfect thickness, with just the right amount of chewy goodness, a little bit of crunch, and surprisingly delicious treats in each bite. One bite may be chocolate, the next may be caramel!
It’s seriously SO. GOOD. And, in my opinion, the best way to use leftover Halloween candy!
I mean, instead of having to decide between a Twix and a Snickers bar, why not have both in an extra thick and gooey cookie?
It’s a total win-win.
Bake up these delicious bars for Halloween, after Halloween, or any day in-between.
The best part? They’re ready in about 1 hour or less!
Reasons You Will Love These Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
- Extra thick, chewy, gooey, and SO. DELICIOUS.
- The perfect recipe to use up any leftover Halloween candy.
- So much easier to make than you might think!
- Can be cut into shapes, squares, or rectangles.
- Ready in about an hour or less.
Equipment Needed
- Stand Mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- 9×13 Inch Cake Pan
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- All-Purpose Flour – has just the right amount of protein to strengthen the dough and give these cookie bars the perfect structure.
- Baking Soda – provides just the right amount of rise while also promoting chewiness!
- Salt – enhances the flavor.
- Unsalted Butter – adds moisture, richness, and flavor.
- Granulated Sugar – adds sweetness, promotes browning, and makes the edges perfectly crispy.
- Brown Sugar – creates the ultimate soft and chewy cookie bar.
- Large Eggs – act as a binder and helps to make the cookies tender.
- Vanilla Extract – adds the perfect undertone to enhance the flavor of these cookie bars.
- Halloween Candy – Be sure to use chocolate candy in this recipe.
How To Make Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Step 1: Prepare cookie dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in vanilla.
Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
Fold in candy.
Step 2: Bake
Scrape dough into prepared pan. Press down evenly.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until done.
FAQ’s and Troubleshooting
For the best cookie bars, it’s best to use all chocolate candies! For this, we used Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, Hershey’s, Peanut Butter Cups, and Reese’s Pieces.
If the cookie dough is separated, that’s usually caused by one or two of the ingredients being too cold. Either the eggs were too cold or the butter was! It’s always best to use room temperature ingredients.
Either they were over-baked or the flour was over-measured. Both of these can cause the cookie bars to be dry.
If your cookies are tough, this is usually caused by over-mixing the cookie dough!
While you can, keep in mind that this recipe would make a LOT of cookies! Also, the bake time will change if you do not make these as bar cookies.
The best way to tell is if the top of the cookie is firm to the touch in the middle. You can also see if it’s pulling away from the edges! Another good way to test is by using a cake tester or toothpick. Although this way can be hard sometimes because you may hit a piece of caramel or chocolate.
How To Store
Once these cookie bars have been baked and cooled, you can store them in a zip top bag and keep on the counter for 2-3 days. It’s best to try to avoid stacking them if you can because the caramel tends to make the bottom and top very sticky and they will break apart/stick together.
You can also freeze these cookie bars in a freezer safe zip top bag, with layers of parchment in between, for up to 3 months!
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Expert Tips
- Make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature!
- It’s best to use chocolate candies for this recipe. Do not use any fruit flavored, licorice, or hard candies in these cookie bars.
- Be careful to not over mix the cookie dough.
- Let the cookies cool in the pan before turning out. Do NOT try to turn it out while it’s still hot. It will fall apart.
- You can cut the cookies into any shape you would like!
When you make these Soft and Chewy Leftover Halloween Candy Cookie Bars, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Soft and Chewy Leftover Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅞ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3¼ cups all purpose flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⅓ teaspoons salt
- 18 oz leftover halloween candy, chopped
Instructions
-
Heat oven to 350℉.
-
Spray a 9 inch x 13 inch pan with baking spray. Set aside.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
-
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
-
Beat in vanilla.
-
Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
-
Fold in candy.
-
Scrape dough into prepared pan.
-
Press down evenly.
-
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until done.
Notes + Tips!
-
- Make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature!
-
- It’s best to use chocolate candies for this recipe. Do not use any fruit flavored, licorice, or hard candies in these cookie bars.
-
- Be careful to not over mix the cookie dough.
-
- Let the cookies cool in the pan before turning out. Do NOT try to turn it out while it’s still hot. It will fall apart.
-
- You can cut the cookies into any shape you would like!
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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