Halloween Candy Cookie Bark
If you are anything like me, you have been surrounded by Halloween candy for weeks.
If I am being honest, it’s all my husband’s fault (naturally). He’s the one that bought the Costco-sized bag of candy about 3 weeks before Halloween. So, of course we have been snacking on it ever since and there is basically hardly any left for actual trick or treaters.
But, being around all of that Halloween candy did inspire me to make something super fun and easy that anyone can make at home before or after Halloween.
In fact, this Halloween candy cookie bark would be a great thing to bring to a Halloween party, or even to work after Halloween when you want to get rid of your candy but don’t want to just add to the already huge pile of office leftover Halloween candy.
All you need to make this super easy candy cookie bark is some candy, cookie dough (I made shortbread, but you could even use store-bought), and some chocolate.
That’s it!
How to Make It
Start by choosing the base of your cookie bark. Like I mentioned above, I made an easy shortbread cookie dough because 1) it’s easy, and 2) it’s a great cookie to pair with a lot of chocolate since it’s not overly sweet itself!
You could also make a plain old sugar cookie dough or even a chocolate chip cookie dough!
I won’t even pass judgement if you want to go out and buy some store-bough dough and make things even easier on yourself!
Press the cookie dough into the bottom of a small baking pan lined with parchment. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the cookie is completely baked through.
Once the cookie has cooled, top with melted chocolate. I used white chocolate to really make the candy on top stand out, but you can use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate instead if you like.
While the chocolate is still warm and melted, press the candy pieces into the chocolate.
I recommend chopping the bigger candies into small, bite-sized pieces.
Then just let everything cool and harden before cutting into pieces. You can even pop it in the fridge for a few minutes to ensure the chocolate is completely hard.
The only thing left to do is to serve it! A little definitely goes a long way, so make sure to cut it into small pieces.
Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes Bake Time: 25-35 minutes Total Time: 45-55 minutes
Makes about 16 pieces.
Ingredients
Cookie:
1 cup, 2 sticks, unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
Topping:
1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or other favorite chocolate), melted
10-12 pieces of fun-sized candy, cut into pieces
Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a small baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Then mix in the flour and salt until just incorporated.
Turn dough out into the baking pan and press into the bottom and along the sides of the pan. Prick the top of the dough with a fork a few times to ensure no large air bubbles form.
Bake the cookie for 25-35 minutes, or until the entire cookie is completely cooked and golden brown. If the edges are cooking quicker than the center, reduce the heat in your oven by 10 degrees and cover the edges with tin foil.
Let the cookie cool for at least 10 minutes before spreading the melted chocolate over top. Press the candy pieces into the chocolate while still melted. Then top with sprinkles, if desired.
Let the chocolate cool completely before cutting into pieces.
Notes
You can replace the cookie in this recipe with your favorite cookie recipe or store-bought dough.