HALLOWEEN CANDY COOKIES
It’s that time of year, we’ve all got too much candy that we don’t know what to do with. We’ve eaten it and we’re over it.
BUT what we’re not over is using that candy in cookies!
Let me introduce you to the best ever HALLOWEEN CANDY COOKIES.
These are inspired by a version from Baked By Melissa and while they’re very very similar, there is one important distinctive difference…
We’ve made so many different types of Halloween candy baked goods before, and let me tell you one thing; there is nothing worse than making a baked good with different types of candy and they all taste exactly the same.
No, thank you!!
Especially if the candy is old and the batter is overmixed; every little bit tastes exactly the same and we are not about that at all.
These Halloween Candy Cookies are made with the MOST delicious base- a stick of browned butter AND a stick of softened butter that’s not browned. You get all the flavoring and brown bits but you also get the texture and flavor from a softened stick of butter that just elevates your chocolate chip cookie dough. Chocolate chips AND plain m n m’s are used in the cookie dough batter to give it a chocolate candy crunch! I absolutely love the combination together.
The difference in these cookies is the way the halloween candy is added. Instead of tossing all the chopped halloween candy together and mixing it in the batch, each cookie dough ball is stuffed with a single chunk of chopped chocolate candy and then topped with the exact same type of chopped chocolate candy. That way you know exactly what the flavors are by seeing which candy is on top!
I LOVE this idea!
You can then place m n m’s on top as well, and use peanut butter m n m’s if the chopped chocolate candy inside is peanut butter!
This was super important to me as peanut butter is such a strong overwhelming flavor, and I wanted the cookies with peanut butter to be the only ones that tasted like peanut butter.
If you prefer, you can totally just add the chopped chocolate candy into the batch and mix it in, but this way is much more fun and worth the extra effort!
This batch of Halloween Candy Cookies makes quite a lot of cookies, so feel free to freeze the dough in balls and then bake whenever you want these yummy cookies. I do this everytime I make cookie dough and that way we have fresh cookies regularly instead of baking them all together at once. I bake them from frozen and add an extra minute or two to the time to make sure they’re perfect!!
This dough also needs to be refrigerated and frozen slightly after making to insure the cookies keep their shape and don’t spread too far from all the butter. Also, it’s important because the brown butter should not be warm!
HALLOWEEN CANDY COOKIES
Ingredients
- 1 STICK UNSALTED BUTTER SOFTENED TO ROOM TEMP
- 1 STICK UNSALTED BUTTER BROWNED
- 3/4 CUP BROWN SUGAR PACKED
- 3/4 CUP GRANULATED WHITE SUGAR
- 2 LARGE EGGS
- 2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT OR VANILLA PASTE
- 2 1/4 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
- 1 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
- 1 TEASPOON SALT
- 1/2 CUP M N M'S
- 1/2 CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS
- 1 CUP CHOPPED HALLOWEEN CANDY FOR STUFFING AND TOPPING
- 1/2 CUP M N M'S FOR TOPPING
- PRETZELS FOR TOPPING
- FLAKY SEA SALT FOR SPRINKLING
Instructions
- MELT ONE STICK OF BUTTER IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN OVER MEDIUM HEAT UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN, SMELLING NUTTY, AND BROWN BITS APPEAR. MAKING SURE TO STIR, THIS SHOULD TAKE ABOUT 5-7 MINUTES. SET ASIDE AND LET COOL.
- ADD BROWNED BUTTER STICK, SOFTENED BUTTER STICK, AND BOTH SUGARS TO A STAND MIXER BOWL. USING THE PADDLE ATTACHMENT, COMBINE FOR ABOUT 3-5 MINUTES ON MEDIUM HIGH UNTIL IT'S LIGHT IN COLOR AND FLUFFY.
- ADD EACH EGG, ONE AT A TIME AND MIX IN BETWEEN. THEN ADD IN THE VANILLA AND MIX AGAIN.
- POUR IN FLOUR, BAKING SODA, AND SALT AND MIX UNTIL A DOUGH IS FORMED WITH LOW MEDIUM SPEED.
- ADD IN 1/2 CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND 1/2 CUP M N M'S, USING A SPATULA LIGHTLY MIX TOGETHER BUT DON'T OVER MIX HERE.
- CHILL DOUGH IN FRIDGE FOR 30 MINUTES IN BOWL.
- PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES F, LINE A COOKIE SHEET WITH PARCHMENT PAPER.
- REMOVE COOKIE DOUGH FROM THE FRIDGE AND LET SIT ABOUT 5 MINUTES SO IT'S EASIER TO WORK WITH.
- USING A COOKIE SCOOP, SCOOP DOUGH BALLS ONE AT A TIME. STUFF A PIECE OF CHOPPED CANDY INSIDE, COVER WITH THE TOP OF THE DOUGH BALL AND PLACE ON PARCHMENT PAPER.
- REPEAT WITH ALL COOKIE DOUGH.
- TOP EACH COOKIE DOUGH BALL WITH THE MATCHING CHOCOLATE CANDY PIECE, M N M'S, AND PRETZELS BY PUSHING INTO THE TOP. FREEZE DOUGH BALLS FOR 10 MINUTES AFTER STUFFING / DECORATING WITH CANDY. THIS WILL HELP THE COOKIE'S BAKE EVENLY AND NOT SPREAD TOO THIN.
- BAKE AT 350 F FOR 12 MINUTES.
- IF COOKIE SHAPES ARE WEIRD, USE A GLASS TO SHAPE BACK INTO A CIRCLE AFTER TAKING OUT OF THE OVEN.
- SPRINKLE WITH FLAKY SEA SALT AND ENJOY!
Notes
- DO I HAVE TO STUFF EACH COOKIE DOUGH BALL INDIVIDUALLY?!
Not at all, add half the chopped chocolate candy into the dough mixture with the chocolate chips and m n m’s then mix very gently. You can use the other half to place on top of all the cookie dough balls. OR toss all the candy into the dough mixture at the same time.
2. Are the two sticks of butter absolutely necessary?
Yes, absolutely. The browned butter adds so much flavor and nuttiness and the softened butter is used for texture and cookie dough delight. So yes, both are needed as that is what all the ingredients are based off of!
This cutie approves, these are just too good!
Leave a Reply