Candy Cookie Bars
Posted Oct 17, 2016, Updated Oct 20, 2024
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Candy Cookie Bars! Two layers of gooey chocolate chip cookie dough is stuffed with the candy of your choice. The perfect dessert recipe to use up Halloween candy or adapt them for any holiday.
Do you need a way to use all that extra Halloween candy?
Do you want a dessert and don’t want to decide between cookies or a Reese’s (or Snickers or Twix)? Then today is your lucky day. You’re going to love these leftover halloween candy cookie bars.
In this recipe, two layers of gooey chocolate chip cookie dough is stuffed with the candy of your choice. If you need an easy to make, knock-your-socks-off dessert in 30 minutes, this recipe is it!
Candy Cookie Bars: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour. If you need a gluten-free version…simply substitute Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour for the regular flour and choose gluten-free candy.
- Butter. I use salted butter, but unsalted butter works great too.
- Chocolate Chips. Both mini and regular chocolate chips work well in this recipe!
- Candy. Choose your favorite candy. I recommend sticking with chocolatey varieties, but the sky’s the limit. Here are some candy suggestions:
- Reese’s, Twix, Snickers, Rolos, Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, You favorite chocolate bars!, Reese’s Pieces, Peanut butter Chips, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, etc.
How to Make Candy Cookie Bars
Let’s discuss how to make candy cookie bars step-by-step!
Make the Dough
To make the dough I simply cut my recipe for The Most Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies in half.
Begin by beating the butter and sugars together for 1 minute, then add the vanilla and egg and beat for an additional 1 minute.
Then, add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
Next, stir in the chocolate chips.
Then, when the dough is finished, spread a little less than half of the dough in the prepared baking dish.
Fill with Candy
Then comes the clincher. Take your favorite candy from your kids’ trick or treat bags
(YES, you can eat as much as you want, you are raising them) and make a layer on top of the cookie dough.
I used Reese’s cups this time, but have had delicious success with every flavor of Hershey’s Kisses, Twix, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, etc.
Cover the Candy with Dough
Next, take the rest of the cookie dough and completely cover the candy. If you leave a little crack you can expect to have some gooey chocolatey candy leakage occur.
Another important note, be sure to leave about a half of an inch gap between your dough and the edge/side of your pan. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars puff up and fill the pan as they bake.
Make the Candy Cookie Bars Fun for any Holiday
I topped these with some Halloween sprinkles (although I have left them plain)! The great thing about these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars is you can adapt them for any season.
Try using peppermint hugs stuffed inside of a cookie completely covered in Christmas sprinkles for Christmas. Use chocolate hearts and valentine’s sprinkles for Valentine’s day. The possibilities are endless.
Bake the Candy Cookie Bars
Bake the Candy Cookie Bars for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown (see below). They will be a touch doughy (because that’s the only way to eat a cookie), so you have to let them cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy
Serve these candy cookie bars slightly warm for the best flavor. They will be slightly gooey with crispy edges and little pockets of candy. YUM!
Store
These candy cookie bars keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I suggest slightly reheating them in the microwave for about 5-10 seconds to restore their fresh-from-the-oven gooeyness before enjoying.
Freeze
To freeze, let the bars cool completely. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Candy Cookie Bars Recipe FAQs
You can tell they done when the top is golden-brown and they are only slightly “jiggly.”
Technically yes, you can test many different candies and see which is your favorite. You can use a mixture of different varieties as well (e.g., Reese’s, Rolos and kisses all in one batch). Just be sure to spread it in an even layer.
When the cookie bars come out of the oven they will be softer. As they cool down, they will harden more.
Yes, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13″ pan.
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Candy Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (softened)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 25 Miniature Reese’s Cups (or 9 full size – or any other candy of your choosing)!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a 9×9” baking pan with parchment paper
and lightly grease. Set aside. - In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined.
- Add egg and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until combined.
- Add dry ingredients and beat until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
- Press a little less than half of the dough into the bottom of your prepared baking pan, leaving about a ½ inch gap between the cookie dough and the side of the pan (it expands during baking)
- Place Reese’s cups (or any other candy of your choosing) evenly spaced on top of the first layer of dough.
- Top with the remaining cookie dough, making sure to completely cover the candy on both the top and sides.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Let the bars cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the cookie bars out of the pan, then cut into squares and serve.
Video
Notes
- All-Purpose Flour. If you need a gluten-free version…simply substitute Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour for the regular flour and choose gluten-free candy.
- Butter. I use salted butter, but unsalted butter works great too.
- Chocolate Chips. Both mini and regular chocolate chips work well in this recipe!
- Candy. Choose your favorite candy. I recommend sticking with chocolatey varieties, but the sky’s the limit. Here are some candy suggestions:
- Reese’s, Twix, Snickers, Rolos, Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, You favorite chocolate bars!, Reese’s Pieces, Peanut butter Chips, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, etc.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
WOW!! I can hardly wait to try these and share with everyone!!
OMG!!!! I wish I could rate this Recipe HIGHER THAN 5 STARS!!!!!! Every Chocolate Chip Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cookie bar disappeared when I made these for work & I had TRIPLED the recipe cut them into bite size pieces and put them into cupcake liners! I used a mix of dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and semi-sweet chocolate chunks the cookie dough top & bottom layers when I made them. I purchased snack size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to place in the middle of the cookie dough layers as I thought it would be easier to cut into a perfect size for cupcake liners. Everyone was so excited to try these and they did not disappoint! This recipe is a Keeper! And I will definitely be making these again for work! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS RECIPE!!!
Chocolate mint addict here!
Try adding a tablespoon of cocoa to the flour, and use York peppermint patties, Andes candies or Junior mints (or all three) for the candy. Keep everything else the same. Outstandingggg!
Great…. Wow, it sure looks delicious.!!
This is wonderful, I’ll go on vacation with my kids
You had me at Reese’s cups! I love that they look so colorful and fun. The kids are going to enjoy this. I’ll keep a few for myself though I’ve been trying to cut down on sweets.
My kids LOVE these too!! A little treat every now and then is good for the soul! 😉
Can I use pre-made cookie dough?
In my humble opinion…homemade is always better! 😉 But you ABSOLUTELY can use pre-made cookie dough! 🙂
Much appreciated! Will make this weekend
I hope you love them!
Ohmygoodnesss these look so ridiculously indulgent (and delicious)! Such a great idea for leftover Halloween candy!