It’s officially November which means it’s time to shift towards Thanksgiving themed foods. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, November is a fall month. I will not be starting anything remotely Holiday themed until December.
And as a person who loves to cook, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I actually really look forward to spending a whole day experimenting and making things I wouldn’t normally make. It’s exhausting, but I still look forward to it every year. I’ve already started planning out my menu and what I’m going to make, so I’m getting very excited.
So you can expect to be getting a lot of Thanksgiving appropriate recipes this month. But let’s start with this one. I’ve seen lots of recipes for Halloween Candy cookies, but what bothers me is that people always suggest you make them in October. If they’re supposed to be candy ‘leftovers’, they should really be made in November right? So if you’re like me and you have a bunch of leftover chocolate Halloween candy that you don’t know what to do with, this recipe is for you.
Describe these Cookies to Me
Taste: Technically the taste of these cookies will vary depending on what candies you use. However, the base cookie dough is always the same, with buttery and sweet vanilla, and the warming flavor of malt to tie it all together.
Texture: The cookie itself is soft on the inside and a little crisp on the outside. The candies add gooey puddles of chocolate and caramel, as well as a little crispiness from the wafers in KitKats or the crispies in Crunch bars.
Ease: These are incredibly easy to throw together. The dough is a quick, no chill, no mixer recipe that comes together with mainly kitchen staples. These cookies can be finished and ready to enjoy in less than an hour.
The Dough
The dough for these cookies is a classic chocolate chip cookie dough with a few twists. First of all, we brown the butter. I almost always brown my butter in my cookies because it adds another level of flavor that really just helps to tie everything together. Secondly, these are malted cookies so there’s half a cup of malted milk powder. This adds a unique flavor that takes these cookies to the next level, without being overwhelming next to the flavor of the candies.
The Candy
Although you can use any chocolate candies you want for this recipe, there is a general guide I follow. I like to use something with texture (like a KitKat or a Crunch), something with caramel (Like Rolos or 100 Grand), something with peanut (like Reese’s Cups or Butterfingers), something with nougat (like Snickers), and something more plain (like Hersheys or M&M’s). Aside from that you can just sort of do whatever you want. I would avoid adding anything mint chocolate however, because that just doesn’t work with the rest of these flavors.
Halloween Candy Leftover Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup malted milk powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup various chocolate halloween candies cut into small pieces
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, continue cooking while stirring frequently and the butter will begin to sizzle and foam. It will then start to brown. Once the butter has turned an amber brown, remove from the heat and pour into a large heat safe mixing bowl. Let the butter cool for 5 minutes before continuing.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with silicon baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- To the slightly cooled brown butter, add the granulated and brown sugar and whisk together. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use a spatula to fold the dough together. Finally, fold in the candy and chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into cookies and place on the baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown. Let the finished cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before enjoying warm or transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.