Want to whip up something a little extra this spooky season? These easy Halloween Candy Cookie Bars are chock full of candy-coated pieces, rich notes of brown sugar and butter, and ooey gooey sweet treats in every bite!
So, you bought too much Halloween candy. Or maybe the trick-or-treaters skipped you this year (did you hand out raisins last year?). Maybe the weather was bad. Or it was a school night. Whatever the reason, you’re now staring at a bowl full of candy and no little ghouls and goblins to give it to. Now, I’m not saying you can’t just slam 37 fun-sized candy bars while catching up on your horror movies, but why not take them to the next level and make them into a chewy, buttery, rich and delicious candy-topped cookie bar.
Key Ingredients
Butter – I use Land O’ Lakes salted butter. No, this isn’t sponsored, it’s just what I prefer and what I use when testing. I use melted butter for this recipe, not softened, as it lends to a fudgier texture when making cookies. Melted butter hydrates the flour faster and holds less air, resulting in a denser center and a chewier edge. I tested both softened butter as well, and while it worked just fine, the melted butter won out for those differences in texture.
Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar is, to me, what makes these bars special. It’s essential for producing a chewy, moist texture with a rich caramel note that adds beautiful depth alongside the candy mix-ins and toppings.
Granulated Sugar – There is just a touch of granulated sugar in this recipe. In testing, I found that it produced the slightest crispy edge which balanced the fudgy center perfectly!
Egg + Egg Yolk – Adding an extra yolk to the cookie dough increases the fat content, producing cookie bars that are richer, denser and fudgier in texture. Adding the whole egg, instead of just the yolk, would add more moisture and protein to the mix resulting in a cakier cookie.
Candy-Coated Pieces – Make sure to grab the Reese’s Pieces and/or M&M’s and not the Skittles for this one! I used 1 ½ cups of plain M&M’s. If you don’t have candy pieces, or not enough candy pieces, reach for the baking morsels. Milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips would all work well here.
Candy Toppings – For the candy toppings, I’d stick to chocolate candy. Think Snickers, Reese’s, Kit Kats, Hershey’s, Rolos, Butterfingers, etc… Pressing them into the top of the freshly baked, hot cookie bars gently melts them so they taste “baked in” without destroying them in the oven.
The Process
First thing’s first – preheat the oven. Then gather the ingredients and melt the butter.
In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, cream together melted butter and both types of sugar. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix well.
Next add in the dry ingredients. Add the candy pieces after you blend the dry ingredients halfway, and stir until combined.
Line the baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with a nonstick baking spray.
Once the bars are golden brown on top and around the edges, and look just set in the center, remove them from the oven and top with chopped candy bars while they’re still hot (be careful!). The bars may seem “raw” when you poke candy into them, but trust me, they’ll continue firming up as they cool.
Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving.
Recipe Tips for Easy Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
You may notice that, other than the candy pieces, I do not mix the Halloween candy into the cookie dough mixture. In testing, I found that some candies could handle the heat in the oven, an others melted too much, creating hard pockets of overcooked sugar that were unpleasant to eat and threatening to have me at the dentist soon. To fix this, I add the chopped candy to the top of the bars while they’re still hot. The candy gently melts a bit into the top of the cookie bars, without becoming overly “cooked” and difficult to eat.
A note on pans – I prefer a metal light-colored pan for cookie bars in general. Because they’re better conductors of heat, metal pans produce a slightly crisper edge, and a more even bake. If you only have glass or ceramic pans, you may need to adjust the baking time by a minute or two. The cookie bars are done when the edges are golden brown and center is still soft, but set. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool, and overbaking will result in a dry cookie bar.
Easy Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Wooden Spoon or Electric Mixer
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Parchment Paper or Baking Spray
- 8×8 Metal Pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 3 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 1 ½ cups Candy-Coated Pieces (such as plain M&M's, Reese's Pieces, etc…)
- Chocolate Halloween Candy, cut or broken into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the melted butter and sugars using a wooden spoon, hand mixer or stand mixer. Add the egg and egg yolk, and vanilla, then mix to combine.
- Next add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir to mostly combine. Add the candy-coated pieces (M&M's, Reese's, etc…). Stir combine but do not overmix.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line an 8×8 metal baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with non-stick baking spray.
- Deposit the cookie dough into the prepared baking pan and gently press until it forms an even layer.
- Bake cookie bars for 24-27min or until they are light golden brown around the edges, and the center looks soft, but set.
- While the cookie bars are baking, prep the Halloween candy – unwrap and set aside. Cut or break larger pieces into smaller pieces, if desired.
- Remove the cookie bars from the oven and immediately press the Halloween candy into the top of the cookie bars while still hot.Allow cookie bars to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting,
- Store cooled cookie bars in an airtight container for 3-5 days at room temperature. See Recipe Notes for tips on freezing.
Notes
Let the cookie bars cool completely before storing. Place them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days. To You Freeze Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Place baked, room temperature cookie bars in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 4 months. To enjoy, thaw at room temperature. Note: freezing may affect the texture and/or quality of the candy used as topping, however the cookie bars themselves freeze and thaw beautifully.
Recipe Notes for Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
To Store Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Let the cookie bars cool completely before storing. Place them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
To You Freeze Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Place baked, room temperature cookie bars in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 4 months. To enjoy, thaw at room temperature. Note: freezing may affect the texture and/or quality of the candy used as topping, however the cookie bars themselves freeze and thaw beautifully.
Substitutions and Variations
Don’t have candy pieces? Use chocolate chips instead! Milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips all work well here.
Troubleshooting Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Bars are dry, crumbly, or cakey: The pan was likely left in the oven too long, or too much flour was packed into the measuring cup. Remove the cookie bars from the oven while the center still looks soft, as they will continue to firm up as the cool. Measure the flour by using a spoon to fill the measuring up, and a straight edge (such as a knife) to level it off without packing it down.
Edges are burnt but the center is raw: The oven temperature may be running too hot, or a glass pan did you dirty. If you notice the cookie bars seem to be browning prematurely and suspect the oven is running hot, shield them with a piece of aluminum foil. Also, using a light metal pan will ensure more even heat distribution and an more even bake.
Looking for More?
If you’re looking for more way to use holiday candy pieces in cookies, look no further than these fun and festive Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies. If you’re looking for even more chocolate, these Chocolate M&M Cookies double down with a chocolate cookie dough AND chocolate candy pieces. Feeling like getting out of the box? Why not try these Spicy White Chocolate and Lime Cookies.
And if you’re looking for something for specific dietary needs, these Eggless Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
