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Candy Bar Blondies

posted by Liz Berg on October 31, 2019 (updated 2/8/24)

Candy Bar Blondies are a sweet bar cookie, perfect to make when you have way too much leftover Halloween candy in your house!

Make this easy Blondies Recipe for a post-Halloween Treat! Add your favorite holiday candies for an out-of-this-world dessert!

2 Candy Bar Blondies stacked on a small white plate.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Ingredient Notes

3 Recipe Tips

4 Frequently Asked Questions

5 You May Also Like:

6 Candy Bar Blondies Recipe

Why You Must Make

Around the holidays, there is an influx of sweet treats to our house. On Halloween, depending on the weather, we could have 60-100 trick-or-treaters. I like to buy full-size candy bars, but having 40 left over makes for a big dilemma. Thank goodness I have an easy solution. Sampling a few of your favorites is always required, but there’s only so much your pants will stretch! Not like these treats are particularly kind to your waistline, but consider the mixing, spreading, and cutting to be a form of exercise. A batch of blondies is the perfect solution!

Chopping leftover candy bars and adding them to blondies makes a yummy treat!
Plus, it’s the perfect way to use up leftover Halloween candy bars.
They’re wonderful for afternoon snacks!

Make a batch of blondies and load them up with your favorite candies! Voila, Candy Bar Blondies! I’ve taken my favorite blondie recipe and stirred in some frozen chocolate candy bar chunks along with M&M’s. My girlfriends were dying for the recipe when I shared these. They would not lead you astray.

Ingredient Notes

Kitchen Staples – Flour, Salt, Light or Dark Brown Sugar, Large Eggs
Baking Powder – Make sure it hasn’t expired. It’s not used as frequently as baking soda and has a much shorter shelf life. To check its potency, put a spoonful in a cup of very hot water. If it’s still active, it will bubble vigorously. If it doesn’t, buy a new can before proceeding.
Butter – I used salted butter. Melt and cool before using.
Vanilla Extract – Use real vanilla, never imitation. I like the Nielsen-Massey brand.
Chocolate-based candy bars, chopped (Milky Way, Reese’s, 3 Musketeers, Hershey Bars, M&M’s, etc.) – Chop and Freeze before adding to the dough.
Chocolate Chips and M&M’s to garnish, optional – Carefully press into the surface of the warm blondies, then let cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.

Recipe Tips

Use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar when making blondies. I’ve made this recipe with both, but prefer dark brown sugar as it gives a richer, more caramel-like flavor and extra moisture.
Melting the butter makes it easier to mix the dough, plus gives a chewy texture.
This basic recipe can be tweaked with different add-ins. Add 1 ½ cups of your favorites, like white or dark chocolate chips or even a combo, nuts, coconut, toffee bits, or all M & M’s.
Do not use a mixer to combine the ingredients. Using a mixer will over-activate the gluten and make your blondies less tender and will also add air into the batter. Use a wooden spoon instead.
PRO-Tip: Slightly under-baking will make your blondies moist and chewy.
PRO-Tip: Reserve some M&M’s and chocolate chips to carefully press onto the surface of the blondies when they come out of the oven. This will give a more finished, bakery-like appearance! But remember both the pan and the bars will be very hot so use a hot pad or oven mitt to stablize the pan.

2 Candy Bar Blondies on a square white plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Blondies?

Blondies are a dessert baked in a square or rectangular baking pan just like brownies, but without any cocoa or chocolate which gives brownies their distinctive look and flavor. The name came about because blondies resemble brownies in shape when cut but are flavored with vanilla instead of chocolate. They are also called a blonde brownie. It’s interesting to note that blondie recipes appeared in cookbooks before brownie recipes.

How Do You Cut Nice Blondie Slices?

If you chill your pan of blondies first, they will slice more neatly. Make sure to line your pan with non-stick foil so you can lift the uncut blondies from the pan and onto a cutting board. Then slice them into squares using a large, sharp knife. If your knife gets covered with blondie residue while slicing, make sure to clean it frequently. Use a ruler to mark off where you’ll make each slice to provide some guidance.

What Candies Work Best in Blondies?

Go with a chocolate theme and leave the Skittles, Starburst, and gummy candies out. Chopped candy bars like Snickers, Milky Ways, 3 Musketeers, plus M&Ms can go in whole.

Why Do You Freeze The Candy Before Adding to the Dough?

Since the Bars will go right into the oven after mixing and spreading, having the chopped candy frozen minimizes the chance of them melting right into the batter.