We are back with another edition of GIANT COOKIES in the kitchen! This time we have my candy bar cookies, packed with all the leftover holiday candy and sprinkled with a touch of sea salt. These cookies are everything we all know and love from my giant cookie series, but this time we’re using up any candy around the house in one scrumptious candy bar cookie.

Truth be told, this recipe was supposed to go live a few weeks ago when we all had buckets of Halloween candy lying around. However, if you’re like us, you probably have a little bit leftover (maybe not the chocolate variety, but hey, the good stuff goes fast!). With the holiday season coming up, I’m sure the candy bucket will fill up once again and you’ll be looking for different ways to use up the candy quickly.

These cookies follow the same rules as my other giant cookies (they’re becoming a thing in our kitchen, and I’m sure yours, too!).

Yes, they’re giant. Yes, they’re gooey in the center. Yes, they’re toasted and baked perfectly on the outside. Yes, you can make them smaller if you’d like… but why when you can make 8 giant cookies and call it good? 🙂

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

Here’s a few tips for making sure these cookies come out perfectly every time (which isn’t that hard because these are basically fool proof!)

  • Yes, 410 degrees on traditional (not convection bake) oven setting is perfect. Seems high, but trust me, it’s essential to nailing the toasted outside & gooey inside texture.
  • No need to mix together your dry ingredients beforehand. Just toss them right in and mix them together.
  • Eggs need to be cold, and same with your butter.
  • Make sure to completely cream together the butter and sugar before adding in the eggs and vanilla.
  • Press the add-ins below the cookie dough line. That way they don’t burn in the oven.
  • Reserve a few off the add-ins (chips, candy, cups) to press onto the outside of the cookie for a better cookie-look. Although, they will taste exactly the same either way 
  • I make mine the size of a baseball. They should flatten out slightly. If they flatten out all the way, your baking soda isn’t fresh enough. I’ve also noticed they flatten slightly as they cool, too. If you notice your first batch doesn’t flatten enough, then slightly press down on the next batch that’s headed into the oven.
  • If you decide to make these cookies smaller, just make sure to bake them a little less time and keep a close eye on them in the oven. They should still have the gooey center and golden outside texture.
  • No need to chill the cookies! That’s the best part!

I used a variety of candy for these cookies – Mini and large M&Ms, chopped Twix and snickers, and then I added in a bit of mini chocolate chips for good measure. I suggest leaving the fruity/sugar/gummy candies out of these. The chocolate variety kept the flavor profile cohesive with the rest of the cookie. I imagine gummy candies melting into a puddle of syrup by the end of the baking time, so maybe save those for school lunches or snacking. 🙂

I noticed the M&Ms liked to crack in the oven (at least the regular-sized ones). The oven is at 410 for about 10 minutes, so I don’t blame them. However, if you don’t want that look, you can either leave them our or use ALL mini M&Ms.

That’s it! I have LOVED seeing all your giant cookie creations inspired by my recipes here on Baking with Blondie. If you make one and share it on Instagram, I’d love to see it! Make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie so we can join in on all the fun.

As always, happy baking!

Get the Recipe: Candy Bar Cookies

5 from 1 vote
Thick, soft, giant cookies packed with chopped candies on the inside and outside!
Servings: 8 giant cookies
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, cold
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour , you can use half cake flour here if you'd prefer
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups M&M candy, chopped candy bars (I used Snickers & Twix)
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 sprinkle sea salt on top of the cookie after baking

Instructions
 

  • Prep two large aluminum cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 410 degrees F (yep, that's right!)
  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter for 1 minute until it's light and fluffy, then add in the sugars to cream together with the butter for 3 minutes on high speed.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add in the vanilla and eggs one at a time, whipping up well between each addition.
  • Add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt (no the sea salt yet – that's for sprinkling on at the end!) and slowly mix together by hand or on the very lowest mixer speed until just combined (don't overmix!)
  • Reserve 1/8 cup of add-ins, then hand-stir or lowest-speed-mix the add-ins into the batter. Split the dough into 8 balls (baseball-sized) and place 4 on each cookie sheet. Hand-press on the chocolate chips, M&M's, and chopped candy bars.
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes. They should be slightly golden, slightly mounded in the middle, thick/tall, and gooey in the center. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, sprinkle with sea salt, then carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!