Leftover Halloween Candy Cookie Bars (Thick & Chewy!)

Halloween has come and gone and most of us are totally drowning in candy! At this point, my kids are so jacked up on sugar that if I hear them ask for that Halloween bucket from on top of the fridge again, I might lose it. These Leftover Halloween Candy Cookie Bars were such a great way to use up some of those leftover candy bars! And while I’m not the biggest candy person, I found myself reaching for these delicious treats more than once. They were thick, chewy, nutty, chocolatey – everything you’d want from a cookie bar. The kids still got their sugar fix, but in a new and exciting way. These definitely gave me “monster cookie” vibes!

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So, where does the idea come from? Using Halloween candy in baking? Why not just eat it?

Trick-or-treating as we know it is actually a pretty modern invention. Before the 1940s and 50s, candy was more of an occasional treat, and people certainly didn’t have a surplus amount of it!

After WWII, Halloween exploded in popularity and manufacturers began selling fun-sized candy bars in huge quantities! Every November, families found themselves with bowls of leftover candy, and instead of letting it go to waste – home bakers decided to put it to good use. Brownies, cookies, bars, all sorts of interesting creations appeared which showcased just how versatile these fun-sized treats could be!

Did you know?

The “big three” candy times of the year are the winter holidays, Halloween, and Easter – with Americans buying over 600 million pounds of candy per year around Halloween alone. And actually, 60% of the annual chocolate and candy sales are thanks to these times.

Now that’s a lot of leftover candy!

What ingredients do I need to make these?

For the cookie bar dough:

Butter
Brown Sugar
Granulated Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla
Flour
Cornstarch
Baking Soda
Salt

For the candy filling:

Assorted Leftover Halloween Candy Bars

For the topping:

Additional Candy Bars
Flaky Salt

What equipment do I need?

• 8×8 Baking Pan
• Mixing Bowls
• Rubber Spatula
• Whisk
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Parchment Paper
• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife
• Baking Rack
• Small Dish

How do I make it?

To prep:

To get started on this recipe, first preheat the oven to 350°F, then lightly grease and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.

Pro Tip: Leave some length on the edges so you can easily lift the bars out when they’re done baking!

Sort through your leftover Halloween candy and decide what you want to use. The best type of candy to use for a recipe like this are the fun-sized chocolate bars such as Hershey’s, Snickers, Reese’s, Crunch, Kit Kat, Milky Way and other similar types. I used a mixture of them all!

Once you’ve determined which kinds you want, unwrap them and set aside until ready to use.

To make the candy cookie bar dough:

Melt the butter in a small dish, then set it aside to cool off a bit. Add the sugars to a large mixing bowl, then pour the melted butter in, whisking to combine.

Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then set aside until ready to use.

In a separate large bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk to combine.

Gradually fold the dry into the wet ingredients, using a rubber spatula to mix until combined.

Don’t overmix!

Pro Tip: Overmixing cookie bar dough develops too much gluten, which can lead to tough, dense bars. The excess air can also lead to uneven baking.

Chop the candy bars into small pieces.

Then carefully fold them into the dough, again, not overmixing.

To bake the leftover Halloween candy cookie bars:

Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Top with additional chopped candy bars, gently pushing them into the top and allowing them to poke through however you’d like.

Pro Tip: I thought it was cool to see the colorful pieces on top! You could even see some of the candy bar logos poking through, which was also fun. No need to worry about color bleeding here either.

Bake for a while, until the edges are golden brown and everything has set. Once a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with hardly any bits left on it, it’s ready!

Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky salt.

Set aside to cool in the pan for a while. After this, you can remove from the pan by lifting the sides of the parchment paper and moving to a baking rack to cool completely before slicing.

Pro Tip: Pop the pan into the fridge for a while to speed up this process if you want! Just let the bars sit on the counter for a little bit before moving to the fridge. You’ll also want to let the bars sit at room temp for several minutes before slicing, otherwise they could crack from being chilled.

To serve:

Slice into 9 large bars and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Tips:

• These leftover Halloween candy cookie bars will keep for 4 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will also keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
• If you want to freeze them, just wrap each bar individually then freeze for up to 2 months! Thaw on the counter at room temperature and you’re ready to eat!
• I always use salted butter in my recipes. If you have unsalted butter, I recommend adding another 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dough.
• These ended up being super thick and chewy – it was great! If you want your bars to go a little further though, consider using a 9×13 pan and slicing into 16 bars instead of 9. You’ll only need to decrease the bake time by 5-10 minutes. You could also just cut them into smaller squares vs bars.

Big candy lover? Check these recipes out!

• Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
• Coconut Crunch Chocolate Squares

Looking to bake more yummy bars like these?

• Salted Carrot Cake Crunch Bars
• Pumpkin Brownies