Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like all your favorite treats combined into one heavenly bar of goodness.
Texture: Thick, chewy, soft, crunchy, and wonderful. Perfect with a glass of milk.
Ease: Super easy. No electric mixer needed, no waiting for butter to come to room temperature, no dough chilling, and no scooping and rolling balls.
Pros: Super fun, easy, and tasty treat. Perfect for using up leftover Halloween candy or whatever odds and ends you have in your pantry.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Definitely!
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These Loaded Cookie Bars are perfect for when youāre left wondering what to do with leftover Halloween candy.
These cookie bars are super simple. No electric mixer, no chilling, no scooping. Nada.
Just mix it all together, pop it into a pan, and bake!
Who needs artificial refrigerated cookie dough when itās this simple?
These cookie bars are truly the perfect way to use up any leftover Halloween candy that will invariably end up in some dark corner of your pantry.
The idea of super chewy, slightly gooey, and ultra-tasty cookie bars loaded with all my favorite treats ā including Oreos, M&Mās, and Reeseās cups ā is enough to make my mouth water.
The best part about these bars is that theyāre completely customizable. See all of my baking tips in the Sprinkle of Science tip box below.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Easy Loaded Cookie Bars
How Do I Make Cookies Bars Chewy?
- Brown sugar draws in and holds onto moisture better than white sugar. Not to mention itās more flavorful! So that oneās a given.
- An extra egg yolk adds extra fat and protein, for a richer, chewier bite.
- The most effective way to add a chewier texture is to use bread flour. The higher protein content will create stronger strands of gluten that yield a beautiful sturdy texture. If you donāt have bread flour, use all AP flour instead. It wonāt be as chewy, but itāll still be delish.
- Lastly, this recipe calls for melted butter. Thereās no creaming butter + sugar together, which is why we donāt need an electric mixer. The creaming process also incorporates more air into the dough, which we donāt want. Instead, we want bars that are more dense and chewy, hence the melted butter!
- Bonus tip: Donāt overmeasure your flour! I recommend weighing your flour, but if you donāt have a digital kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method, so you donāt accidentally add too much flour. Too much flour can make your bars tough and hard.
How to Tell When Cookie Bars Are Done BakingĀ
Be sure not to overbake this recipe. You want a little gooey softness to remain. Even if the bars look slightly underdone around the 25 minute mark, you may still pull them out of the oven and allow the residual heat to finish them. The only exception is if youāre using a glass or ceramic pan, which tend to cook more slowly. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Pans here.
How to Customize Loaded Cookie Bars
You can add in whatever candy, cookies, and treats your heart desires. Some ideas include:
- Snickers
- Hersheyās bars
- Graham crackers
- Rolo candies
- Milk duds
- Peanut butter chips
- Chocolate covered pretzels
- Whatever is left in your kidās Halloween bucket
- Whatever your heart desires! Take a look in your pantry before you buy anything else.
How to Store Leftover Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Add a tortilla on the top of the cookie bars to keep them softer for longer. You can also freeze the bars in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature and refresh in a 300Ā°F oven until warmed through, if desired.
More Cookie Bar Recipes Youāll LOVE:
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Ingredients
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (159 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (127 grams) bread flour (use all-purpose if you don't have bread flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 20 Oreo cookies, chopped
- 1 cup M&M candies
- 1 cup chopped Reeseās (or other chocolate candy)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°Line a 9 by 13-inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, vigorously stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until very well combined. Add in the vanilla, eggs, and egg yolk and stir until well combined. Gradually add in the flours, baking soda, and salt and stir until just combined. Fold in the Oreos, M&Mās, and Reeseās, reserving some to sprinkle on top.
- Remove the dough to the prepared pan, pressing evenly. Sprinkle with the reserved candy, pressing down lightly with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown but not overcooked. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.
This recipe was originally published in 2014 and recently updated with recipe improvements and additional recipe tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I MAKE THESE WAYYYYY TOO MUCH š«£šššš
I’ve made this recipe for years and it’s always a big hit! Very easy and customizable. I’ve made them at the Ronald McDonald House and the families seemed to love them!
Thanks!
I made this recipe the day after Halloween and it came out delicious! I love that it gave me a different way to bring leftover candy into work and every person loved it!
I did make one substitution, I have celiac so I used GF flour instead of regular flour. Usually GF flour absorbs more moisture in recipes so bakes can be dry. In this case, the recipe needed to bake for longer (not sure why). So my first try, the loaded bars came out completely raw in the middle. For my second try, I put 9 extra minutes on the timer and they came out perfect! I made sure to tent with foil about 30 minutes into the baking process so it would not brown too much on top.
Iāve made these several times. I substituted the cookies and candies with one cup each of chocolate chips, craisins and chopped pecans. I just use all-purpose flour. I follow all cooking directions accordingly. Theyāre scrumptious.
Hi Tessa.
Can I use light brown sugar instead of dark?
Hi there! We prefer the dark brown sugar as it contributes extra chewy texture and additional flavor to these bars, but you’re welcome to try light brown sugar š Let us know how it goes!
Hi! Love all of your recipes and can’t wait to make this with all of the leftover Halloween candy! I was just wondering, if I half the recipe, do I need to half the egg yolk too? Or is it okay to just add 1 whole egg and 1 whole yolk. Thanks!
1 large egg and 1 egg yolk should work! Your bars will be chewy and delicious š
All I can say is they are the best blondie bar! The best! Perfect! Thank you so much! Now I can use up all the leftover chocolate candy!