These Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies are chewy, delicious, and totally versatile. This is a foolproof cookie recipe works with a wide variety of different chocolate candies, combining their flavors into each mouthwatering chocolatey bite.
Plus, they require no chilling time, just one bowl, and only 8 ingredients to whip up. All recipe musts as a busy mom like me who loves to bake but doesn’t have the time or energy for overcomplicated recipes.
Every year my son brings home tons of Halloween candy after trick or treating (half of which he doesn’t even like!). And that’s on top of the bags of extra candy that we didn’t hand out to trick-or-treaters at our house.
Instead of letting it all expire in the back of my pantry, this leftover Halloween candy recipe (along with my Leftover Halloween Candy Brownies!) has become an annual Halloween tradition that all of my neighbors, family, and friends look forward to every year.
Because, let’s face it, nothing says “I love you” like a batch of freshly baked cookies!
Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies Ingredient Highlights
Unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt being added to your cookies. Make sure your butter is softened in order to get the perfect consistency in your dough.
For the best-textured cookies, itโs imperative that your butter is softened! If you’re looking for help with this, check out my article on How to Quickly and Easily Soften Butter.
As for which Halloween candy to use in cookies, any chocolate-based ones will do. My very favorite combo of candies to use is Kit Kats and Reese’s cups, but these cookies work with a wide variety of different Halloween candies!
Cookies with Leftover Halloween Candy Tips and Tricks
How To Use Leftover Halloween Candy in Cookies
Unwrap the Halloween candy, place them on a cutting board, and start roughly chopping them. Aim for some smaller pieces, and some bigger chunks to give a little variety.
Like almost all of my cookie recipes, this one is made in just one bowl. This just means the order in which you add your ingredients matters for the overall success of your cookies.
Start your dough by creaming the softened butter with the brown sugar until itโs airy and smooth. During this process, the sugar cuts into the butter, adding little air bubbles that ultimately make for a chewier cookie.
Next, itโs time to add the vanilla extract and egg. Mix on low, just enough to integrate the egg.
Then, add your flour, salt, and baking soda to the dough. Grab your hand mixer again to combine the dry ingredients into your dough, ensuring there are no lumps left behind.
Use a rubber spatula to push any dry ingredients clinging to the sides of the bowl down into the dough. Finally, fold in your chopped Halloween candy.
I like to conserve just a handful of each to place on top of the cookie dough once itโs shaped into cookies.
Bake them on a lined baking sheet, giving a couple of inches of space in between to allow for minor spreading.
When the cookies are ready, the top and edges are a little bit crispy to touch and may even turn golden brown. Itโs okay if the center is slightly underdone when you take the cookies out, as they will continue to bake as they cool.
If you want your cookies to be perfectly round, grab a round cookie cutter thatโs a little bit larger than your cookies. While theyโre still hot, scoot the cookie cutter around it in a circular motion. These will clean them right up!
How I Store Leftover Candy Bar Cookies
These chewy cookies with chocolate will last for 5-7 days at room temperature or up to three weeks in the refrigerator when covered or stored in an airtight container.
Quick tip: Storing your cookies with a piece of bread will keep them softer and chewier. This is the perfect use for the end piece!
These cookies do tend to firm up within a few days of storing them. If you want to keep them softer and chewier, store them in the container with a piece of bread. Believe it or not, moisture from the bread stops the cookies from drying out and keeps their texture.
You can also freeze the cookies once theyโre baked for up to a year, but I recommend freezing the unbaked dough instead. That way, you can have freshly baked cookies at the drop of the hat! In the freezer, the dough will last up to a year.
Shape the cookie dough into cookies and store them in a freezer safe storage bag. You can bake them on a lined baking sheet directly from the freezer.
Watch them closely when you bake them and add an extra minute or two to your baking time if need be.
If you still have extra leftover Halloween candy, it can be donated! Unopened candy typically lasts for about 6 months, so you can also include it in your Holiday gifts (it makes a great stocking stuffer) and put them out when entertaining over the Holiday season.
25-Minute Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Large Cookie Scoop optional
- Reusable Baking Mat optional
Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ cups leftover Halloween candy, roughly chopped (*see notes)
- ยฝ cup softened unsalted butter (ยฝ cup butter = 1 stick)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 ยพ cup all-purpose flour
- ยผ teaspoon table salt
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375ยฐF and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat. Roughly chop the Halloween candy into small chunks.
- To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer on high to cream together until light and smooth (about 2-3 minutes).ยฝ cup softened unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and use your hand mixer on low to combine.1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix to combine, careful not to overbeat. Use a spatula to scrape any flour off the sides of the bowl and integrate it into your dough.1 ยพ cup all-purpose flour, ยผ teaspoon table salt, ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- Add the chopped candy to your dough and use a rubber spatula to fold to combine. I like to keep a small handful of each out to place on top of the cookie dough once it's formed into cookies.1 ยฝ cups leftover Halloween candy, roughly chopped
- Use a large cookie scoop or 4 tablespoons of dough to form your cookies, adding them to the prepped baking sheets. Leave at least an inch of space in between each cookie for minor spreading. Add the conserved candy on top.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes on the bottom rack. It's okay if they are slightly underdone. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet so they continue to bake as they cool. If you want perfectly round cookies, use a round cookie cutter, scooting it around the cookie while they are still hot. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- *You can make these with one or a combination of any of the following chocolate candy bars: Hershey’s, Kit Kat, Take 5, Mars Bars, Heath, Crunch, Mounds, Baby Ruth, Almond Joy, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, Twix, M&M’s of any flavor, Butterfinger, Snickers, Reeses, Pay Day, and 100 Grand.
- You can freeze excess cookie dough before baking it to give you fresh baked cookies every time when the craving hits! Just bake them as normal straight out of the freezer.
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1 thought on “25-Minute Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies”
Mmmmmm- very tasty!
(Review provided by a family/friend of marleysmenu.com)