Leftover Candy Cookie Recipe (2024)

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Looking for leftover halloween candy recipes? Make these delicious leftover candy cookies. Your little skeletons will thank you!

These leftover halloween candy cookies are perfect for clearing out those extra sweets any time of the year. I’m looking at you Valentines boxes and Easter eggs!

I don’t know about your family but on holidays like Halloween, Valentines, or Easter we always end up with way more candy than we can eat. I’m always either throwing it away or giving handfuls to anyone who crosses my path.

Even though I try to only buy fair trade chocolate now days we still end up with tons of mini candy bars from parties and school treats.

That’s why these amazing leftover candy cookies are just the ticket to get rid of that extra holiday candy. These leftover Halloween candy cookies are a big hit with everyone and I don’t have leftover candy sitting around the house.

What are Leftover Candy Cookies?

Leftover candy cookies are exactly what they sound like, it’s taking your leftover Halloween candy (or candy from any holiday or event) and making cookies with them.

You take the candy and mix it right into the cookie dough batter. It’s like a chocolate chip cookie but instead you are using up your leftover candy!

What We Love About Leftover Candy Cookies

There are so many things to love about this leftover Halloween candy recipe but here are some main reasons to give these cookies a whirl!

• Different and Unique – Leftover candy cookies are not a run of the mill cookie and are sure to be a crowd pleaser. Not only will each cookie have a different taste, each bite will as well.
• Versatile – They can be made with any kind of candy you have left over. And you can customize it to your family’s preferences
• Resourceful – Baking leftover candy cookies will give you an opportunity to use up the Halloween candy that’s been sitting in your candy jar. So while Milky Ways may not be your family’s candy bar of choice to just munch on, you will be surprised at how yummy (and different) they taste inside a cookie!
• Easy – These cookies are really easy to make with simple ingredients you probably have on hand already. It’s a fun recipe to have the kids join in on!
• Salty and Sweet – with the chips and pretzels you get an great slight salty bit with some really awesome texture

More Delicious Cookies to Try

I loooove cookies of all kinds after you try these yummy leftover candy cookies here are some others to check out.

• Gingerbread Cookies
• Halloween Skeleton Cookies
• St. Patrick’s Day Snack Mix
• Mermaid Cake Pops
• Cracker Cookies

Leftover Candy Cookie Ingredients

Here’s what you need to bake leftover candy cookies.

• Butter- 1 cup, softened. It’s easiest to use stick butter but you can use butter from the tube as long as you accurately measure.
• Sugar- ¾ cup. You will want to use granulated sugar for the cookies because it absorbs some of the moisture, giving the cookies a slight crisp edge.
• Brown sugar- ¾ cup. You will want to gently pack the brown sugar into the measuring cup to make sure you get an adequate amount.
• Flour- 2 ½ cups. All purpose flour is the most common but you can use a gluten free option if you’d prefer.
• Baking soda- 1 tsp
• Eggs- 2 large eggs.
• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
• Chopped candy pieces- 2 cups. If the candy is already small, such as M&M’s, you wont need to cut them. Keep the size of an M&M in mind when chopping the candy. That’s about the size you will want.
• Potato Chips – 1 cup plain chips I’ve used both regular and ruffled style both work great
• Pretzels – 1/2 cups broken into small pieces

Candy pieces should be from chocolate, caramel, peanut butter type of candy bars. About two big handfuls of mini sized candy bars should do.

Do You Need the Chips?

Okay I know it sounds crazy right? But trust me it’s delicious! The potato chips add so much and it’s really good. It gives it a Milk Bar compost cookie feel. If you have never had those oh man they are famous and one of my favs.

If the idea of chips sounds too weird for you, just leave it out. But if you have ever liked anything even slightly salty sweet (like caramel corn) give it a try!

Tools Needed to Bake Leftover Candy Cookies

These are some of the tools you will need to make sure you have before starting this leftover Halloween candy recipe.

Baking sheets – If you get a Teflon baking sheet, you won’t need to spray it before placing your cookie mixture on it to bake. You can also use a silicone baking sheet on top of them as well.

A stand mixer or a hand mixer – I use my KitchenAid but if you don’t have one, don’t fret you can use whatever stand mixer you have or simply a hand mixer.

Mixing bowl- If you are using a Kitchenaid type mixer, you can use the bowl that comes with it. If you are using a regular mixing bowl, you will want to make sure it is big enough to not only mix.

Silicon spatula- Silicone spatulas are really nice because they flex to form to the ball so it is a lot easier to get all of the cookie mixture out of the bowl.

How to Make Leftover Candy Cookie

Making these leftover Halloween candy cookies are very quick and simple. what will take you the longest is chopping up the candy to put in the cookies but after that stuff is done, the rest is a breeze!

1. Cream butter and sugar. You will add both the butter and the sugar to the bowl, then you will use a standing mixer or hand mixer to cream them together.
2. Add the flour and baking soda. It’s best to mix the baking soda into the flour before you start adding. Then, slowly added in as the mixer is running so it adds in evenly and doesn’t cause clumps.
3. Mix in eggs and vanilla. You can stop the mixer for this step and add the eggs and vanilla.
4. Add in the mix ins. After those are well combined, add the candy pieces and pretzels. Turn the mixer back on and slowly mix candy in a little at a time. Finally stir in the potato chips
5. Bake at 375 F 10 to 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, if they are still real gooey, put them back in the oven for a couple minutes but keep a close eye on them.

How to Store Leftovers

If you have leftover candy cookies, you can store them in a Ziplock bag or Tupperware. They don’t need to go in the fridge and can hang out on the counter for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze them?

Yes! You can! You can freeze them before or after you bake them. If you want to store them pre-baked – follow the instructions and stop before you bake them. Place the dough on the cookie sheets and allow to flash freeze until hard. Place in a Ziplock bag and bag in the freezer until ready to bake. When you want to bake them, allow to thaw in the fridge. Then follow the baking instructions below and enjoy!

If you want to freeze them after you bake them and they cool, wrap them in parchment or freezer paper and place in a Ziplock bag. They will keep for 3-4 months in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge to enjoy again.

So easy right!?

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