If you’re wondering what to do with all your Halloween candy, these Halloween candy cookies have to be at the top of your list. They’re chewy, crispy on the edges, and will do some serious damage on your stash of leftover Halloween candy.
Is there anything better than the vast amounts of candy during Halloween season?? I find myself always eating it before Halloween, the day of, and of course after Halloween. Even now that I’m in my twenties, I have a ton of leftover candy, whether it’s after giving it out on my Brooklyn stoop or from scooping up a big bag to celebrate the certified Holiday of Sweets.
I can’t think of a better use for Halloween candy than these Halloween candy cookies. They’re chewy, crispy on the edges, and have different candy in each bite. They’re quick and easy to pull together and put Halloween candy on the pedestal it deserves.
Whether you’re looking for what to do with leftover Halloween candy, or want a perfect celebratory Halloween cookie, these Halloween candy cookies more than fit the bill.
Get ready for Halloween candy cookies.
Halloween Candy Cookies
What ingredients do I need for these cookies?
These Halloween cookies use mostly pantry ingredients plus all your good good Halloween candy.
You’ll need:
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt or another coarse salt
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Halloween candy!!! I stick with chocolate candy, but feel free to experiment!
Tips for the best Halloween candy cookies
- Make sure your melted butter is close to room temperature before you mix it with the brown sugar. If it’s too hot, it’ll melt the sugar.
- Chill your dough. We don’t need a ton of chill time here — a minimum of 30 minutes, though preferably an hour or more, will work. Chilling the dough is important for enhancing the flavor of the cookies and keeping them from spreading out too much in the oven.
- Underbake your cookies slightly. When you take them out of the oven, they should be brown on the edges and ever so slightly brown on top, but you’ll think they’re underdone. As cookies keep baking from residual heat when you pull them from the oven, slightly underbaking ensures your cookie will be nice and moist.
Halloween candy cookie FAQs
- Can I make these gluten free? Yes! Sub the flour 1:1 for a gluten free flour. Make sure that you use a gluten free flour that has xanthum gum as an ingredient, as this is what really helps give structure to gluten free baked goods. My favorite gluten free flour is Cup4Cup.
- What do I do if I don’t have brown sugar? If you don’t have brown sugar and don’t want to take a trip to the store, you can make your own at home! The brown sugar really helps make these cookies tender and flavorful, so I would try not to substitute it with granulated sugar. To make light brown sugar at home, just mix 1 cup of brown sugar with 1 TBS unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap) until it resembles brown sugar. Check out this TikTok for a full rundown.
- How do I get these cookies looking as stunning as possible? If you want your cookies looking like absolute babes, there are two extra things you can do. First, before baking, press a few extra pieces of candy on top of each ball of cookie dough. This will help the candy really pop when they’re fully baked. Second, immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, take a big circular cookie cutter (a wide cup or round deli container work, too) and run a circle around the cookie. You don’t need to be gentle – use the force of your circle to form the cookie into its own perfect circle.
Looking for more recipes?
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If you make these Halloween candy cookies, please leave a rating and review below and tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @loaves.and.such!
Halloween Candy Cookies
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Ingredients
2 1/2 cup (300 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt or another coarse salt
2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups (266 grams) brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 TBS. vanilla
As much Halloween candy as you want! I recommend sticking with chocolate candy.
Flaky sea salt to top (optional)
Directions
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk thoroughly, scraping the bottom of the bowl so all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- In a large bowl, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar and melted and slightly cooled butter. Mix with a whisk until fully combined. Add the vanilla and eggs and whisk well.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients in until there are only a few streaks of flour left. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to get all the flour.
- Chop up as much Halloween candy as you’d like. Pour most of it into the bowl, reserving some to press into the tops of the cookies.
- Scoop the dough into balls using a 3-tablespoon scoop and place next to each other on a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally 1-2 hours. You can also leave these in the fridge for up to 48 hours and bake when you’re ready.
- Toward the end of the chill time, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the dough balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 3 inches a part. Bake for 10-12 minutes (less if you have smaller cookies), until the edges of the cookies are brown and the tops look just slightly underbaked. They’ll continue to cook when they’re out of the oven.
Enjoy!