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 Sandford

Updated Sep 22, 2026

5 from 6 votes

46 Comments

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These candy cookie bars are made with two layers of gooey chocolate chip cookie dough stuffed with your favorite candy. An easy and delicious way to use up leftover Halloween candy or adapt them for any holiday.

Front view of a stack of 3 Candy Cookie Bars the gooey centers filled with melty chocolate candy are visible and they have halloween sprinkles on top

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 you’re going to love this leftover halloween candy cookie bars recipe!

Two layers of gooey chocolate chip cookie dough is stuffed with your favorite candy. If you need an easy to make, knock-your-socks-off dessert in 30 minutes, this recipe is it! Plus, you can change up the candy and sprinkles for any holiday!

Why You’ll Love These Candy Cookie Bars

Perfect texture. They have crispy edges, soft and gooey centers and melted candy in every bite.
Make them your own. Choose your favorite candy like Reese’s, Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Rolos, etc.
Perfect for leftover Halloween candy. I have 6 kids, we get a ton of candy, this is a fun way to use it!
Easy to make. These candy cookie bars come together in 5 minutes then bake for 25 for an easy 30 minute dessert.
Great for any holiday. Change the candy and sprinkles to make them for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, etc.

two candy cookie bars on a wood surface, the gooey centers filled with melty chocolate candy are visible and they have halloween sprinkles on top

Let’s chat about the ingredients in this recipe as well as possible substitutions.

overhead photo of the ingredients in this Halloween Candy Cookie Bars recipe in bowls and labeled like flour, sugar, butter, egg, salt, candy, etc.

All-Purpose Flour. If you need a gluten-free version…simply substitute gluten-free baking 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. This recipe works well with almost any chocolate candy. Peanut Butter Cups are my favorite, but we’ve also made these candy cookie bars with Snickers, Twix, Rolos, Hershey’s Kisses, M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way and chopped chocolate bars. You can use one type of candy or mix a few of your favorites together.

overhead photo of all sorts of chocolate candy to use in these candy cookie bars like snickers, twix, milky way and M&Ms

Best Candy for Candy Cookie Bars

One of the best things about this recipe is that you can use just about any chocolate candy you have on hand. Here are some of our favorites:

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – my personal favorite and the candy pictured in this recipe.
Snickers – adds chocolate, caramel and peanuts.
Twix – delicious if you love chocolate and caramel.
Rolos – create gooey pockets of chocolate and caramel.
M&M’s – use regular, peanut or your favorite seasonal variety.
Hershey’s Kisses – any flavor works well.
Reese’s Pieces – perfect for peanut butter lovers.
Milky Way or 3 Musketeers – both melt beautifully inside the cookie bars.
Chocolate bars – chop your favorite chocolate bars into pieces and use them as the filling.

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 (they have enough to share, trust me) 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.

If you love bar recipes because they’re easy to make, try these recipes:

Chocolate chip cookie bars are my go-to for a crowd.
Double chocolate cookie bars taste like a cookie and brownie had a baby in the best possible way.
Caramel cookie bars are elevated with a layer of caramel.
Peanut butter cookie bars don’t require any chilling or rolling!
Lemon Bars a classic and the best recipe you’ll make!
Pumpkin blondies are next level delicious!
Sugar cookie bars can be dressed up for any holiday, same with M&M cookie bars!
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars.

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

Serve

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!

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.

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 leftover Halloween candy?

Absolutely! This recipe was created as a delicious way to use leftover Halloween candy – use one type of go crazy and try a ton!

What is the best candy in cookie bars?

Chocolate candy works best in these candy cookie bars. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are my favorite, but Snickers, Twix, Rolos, M&M’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s Pieces, Milky Way and 3 Musketeers are all delicious choices.

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.

a stack of 2 Candy Cookie Bars the gooey centers filled with melty chocolate candy are visible and they have halloween sprinkles on top

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