Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies

Baked candy bar cookies set with fun size candy bars that were used in the cookie recipe.

5 from 4 votes

These chewy cookies are loaded with leftover candy for the ultimate treat! With no chill time required for the dough, these cookies are baked and ready to enjoy in 30 minutes! The perfect cookie recipe for after Halloween or Easter when you may have more candy than you know what to do with.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Meredith

Equipment

Ingredients

½ Cup salted butter, softened (a bit melted is ok!)
½ Cup granulated sugar
½ Cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1.5 Cups all-purpose flour
1 - 1.5 Cups chopped up candy bars of choice* (about 14 fun sized candies)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Set baking pans aside (optionally lined with parchment paper) to use once the dough is ready.
Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl. If needed, soften the butter In a microwave-safe mixing bowl in the microwave (this takes about 20-30 seconds from refrigerated). It’s ok if there parts of the butter get melted!
Cream butter and sugars together with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.
Add in the egg and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Slowly stir in the salt, baking soda, and all-purpose flour until a dough is formed.
Reserve a small portion of candy to top your cookies with, and then gently stir in the remaining candy pieces until they are well distributed throughout the dough.
Using a medium cookie scoop (or approximately 2 Tablespoons) scoop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches in between dough balls.
Bake each tray of cookies for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven when the edges look set. For super chewy cookies, do not overbake (they will set up more once pulled from the oven).
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*The best candies for this recipe include: Kit Kats, Milky Way, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Hershey Bars, Crunch Bars, Butterfinger Bars, and m&m's.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

Add in chocolate chips! If you only have a little candy left over, or just want to have a little fun, substitute half of the candy with chocolate chips! You can use milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips... have fun with it!
Use unsalted butter. Some purists would say you should always bake with unsalted butter… but I admit I personally love baking with salted butter, especially in cookie recipes. If you’d prefer to use unsalted butter (or that’s what you have in your fridge), swap the butter 1-for-1 and increase the amount of salt to ½ teaspoon.

Storage

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (if they last that long!). Leftover Halloween candy cookies can also be frozen either before or after baking.

How to Freeze Before Baking

Make the cookie dough as directed in the recipe card. Scoop dough into balls onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper and chill them in the freezer for 1 hour. Once the cookie dough balls are cold and solid, place them into a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can bake these from frozen by placing frozen cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet, and adding 2-3 minutes to the normal baking time noted on the recipe card.

How to Freeze After Baking

Ensure cookies are completely cool prior to freezing. Store baked cookies in large freezer bags or an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Separate layers of cookies with parchment paper (this helps prevent them from sticking together). When ready to enjoy, thaw cookies in the refrigerator or on the counter at room temperature.

Nutrition