Candy Cookie Bars

Name: Candy Cookie Bars
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
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)!)

By Laura

Posted Oct 17, 2016, Updated Oct 20, 2024

5 from 6 votes

46 Comments

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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.

Front view of a stack of 3 Candy Cookie Bars.

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!

Overhead side view of two Candy Cookie Bars.

overhead photo of the labeled ingredients in this Halloween Candy Cookie Bars recipe

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.

Front view of a stack of three 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.

Candy Cookie Bars - butter and sugars in a mixer bowl

making Candy Cookie Bars - adding egg and vanilla

Then, add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.

Next, stir in the chocolate chips.

making Candy Cookie Bars - adding dry ingredients

Candy Cookie Bars - adding chocolate chips

Then, when the dough is finished, spread a little less than half of the dough in the prepared baking dish.

Overhead view of a baking dish with the first layer of Candy Cookie Bars dough pressed into the bottom.

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.

Overhead view of a baking dish with Candy Cookie Bars dough with three rows of three Reese's cups on top.

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.

Overhead view of Candy Cookie Bars in a baking dish before baking .

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.

Overhead view of Candy Cookie Bars sprinkled with sprinkles on top before baking.

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.

Overhead view of Candy Cookie Bars sprinkled with sprinkles on top after baking.

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.

front view of a stack of three halloween cookie bars.

How do you know when cookie bars are done?

You can tell they done when the top is golden-brown and they are only slightly “jiggly.”

Can I use any candy in this recipe.

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.

Will cookies harden as they cool?

When the cookie bars come out of the oven they will be softer. As they cool down, they will harden more.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13″ pan.

Front view of a stack of two cookie bars.

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