Candy Bar Cookies
These Candy Bar Cookies use my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, adapted for your favorite candy bars. Glam up your leftover Halloween candy by making these drop cookies with candy bar pieces inside!
So read on for tips and tricks to avoid the common mistakes I made when developing this candy bar cookie recipe. Or just sneak your favorite candy bars from your kiddo’s bag of Halloween candy, hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make cookies with candy bars!
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Ingredients
There aren’t any surprising ingredients in these candy bar cookies. They’re made with softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, and leaveners.
This cooked recipe is designed for your favorite candy bars that have a chocolate base. I haven’t tested it with licorice, candy corn, sour patch kids, Starbursts, or other chewy, fruit candies. Feel free to use just one type of candy bar in this cookie recipe or a combination.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Make this candy bar cookie recipe as bar cookies with candy bars, like my marshmallow cookie bars. Instead of scooping out balls of cookie dough, spread the cookie dough in a greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Bake at the same temperature for a few minutes longer until the cookie dough just starts to feel firm to touch.
Recipe tips and tricks
The biggest problem I had in early recipe tests was that my candy bar cookies spread too thin, and every candy bar with caramel got too oozy. That made candy bars like Twix, one of my absolute favorite candy bars, a no-no for Twix bar cookies.
Eventually I learned that the secret to making drop cookies with candy bars is to freeze the candy bars solid before incorporating them into the cookie dough. It’s easiest to cut mini candy bars into chunks and then freeze the chopped candy bars, but I also chopped candy bars right from the freezer. The frozen Halloween candy shattered some, but that gave me little bits of chocolate throughout my cookies, which isn’t exactly a bad thing.
If you’re only using M&Ms, I’d recommend you follow this chocolate chip M&M cookie recipe instead of this one. Because of their candy shell, M&Ms seem to hold up better in baking than other chocolate candies, and the brown butter cookie base really adds flavor.
Step 1: Chop your favorite Halloween candy bars into pieces. In recipe tests, I found that the ideal size was about one-sixth to one-eighth of a mini candy bar to still be able to get the crunch or taste the nougat. Any smaller and you can’t tell you’re eating a Twix bar cookie!
Freeze your chopped candy bars in an airtight freezer bag overnight.
In a stand mixer fitted with your paddle attachment or a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat together your room temperature butter with the two sugars.
Beat in the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla extract. Then add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated.
Mix in the frozen pieces of chopped candy bars using a spatula. Then use a #30 cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop dough balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. The cookie dough balls should be about two inches apart.
Chill the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 15 to 30 minutes. Then bake your candy bar cookies, in this photo Snickers bar cookies, in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown.
Leave your candy bar cookies on the baking sheet until completely cool. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. I recommend freezing the cookie dough balls before baking. Simply scoop the dough onto a lined baking sheet and freeze overnight. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer bag for three to six months. Bake from frozen at 375 degrees, adding a few minutes to the bake time.
I’d consider adding them to these lemon shortbread cookies!
Related cookie recipes
Check out other cookies, brownies, and brownie cookies from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Candy Bar Cookies
Equipment
- #30 cookie scoop optional
- 2 or 3 baking sheets
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 grams or 1.8 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (192 grams or 6.8 ounces) dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups about (340 grams) chocolate-based candy bars chopped and frozen
Instructions
- Before starting this recipe, make sure you have frozen the candy bars or chopped candy bar pieces at least overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F if baking immediately. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. (See notes for suggestions if you do not own three.)
- Sift or whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium sized bowl.2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and softened butter to a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer beat together well.¼ cup (50 grams or 1.8 ounces) granulated sugar, 1 cup (192 grams or 6.8 ounces) dark brown sugar, 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter
- Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, beating about one minute between each addition.2 eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients and mix only until just combined.
- Chop the frozen candy bar pieces if you have not done it before freezing, then add the frozen candy bar pieces, reserving a tablespoon or so in case your last cookies are light or you want to add extra to the top, and mix by hand.2 cups about (340 grams) chocolate-based candy bars
- Use a #30 cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop two tablespoons of batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat. If baking immediately, leave at least two inches between cookies. If scooping to freeze, they can be placed adjacent to each other but not touching. Freeze overnight before putting into a freezer bag and squeeze out all of the air.
- Freeze the scooped cookie dough on the cookie sheet for 15 to 30 minutes. This reduces the cookie spread.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time at 375℉ for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. The centers will still be soft.
- Leave the baked candy bar cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes until completely cool, then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- bake a batch and freeze the rest, since you can place cookie balls for the freezer spaced more closely than if you were baking, or
- bake a batch and put the remaining batter in the refrigerator. Let the first batch bake and let the pan cool completely before baking your next batch.
Nutrition
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