Easy leftover candy cookies recipe with cake mix and simple ingredients. Fun to make with kids. Soft, chewy, thick and loaded with chopped Halloween candy bars.
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Got a mountain of leftover Halloween candies from trick or treating? Don’t let those go to waste. Turn them into these delicious loaded cookies! This recipe is not just limited to the spooky season either. It's a fun way to to clear out your candy stash and repurpose candies any time of the year. Some other fun ways to incorporate them in desserts include this Easy Candy Cake {With Leftover Candy} or these Halloween Treat Bags (Candy Goodie Bags).
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Key ingredients
- Eggs- Use large at room temperature for best results.
- Oil- Helps make the cookies soft and chewy.
- Cake mix- You need an entire 15.25 oz. box.
- Chopped candies- Use a variety and don't be afraid to mix things up a bit.
Variations
- Make cookie sandwiches- Fill frosting between two cookies. Try ice cream, Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Easy Maple Frosting, or Chocolate Ganache Frosting {2 Ingredients}.
- Use chocolate cake mix- If you'd like a cookie packed with chocolatey goodness.
- Mix in some sprinkles- To make them even more colorful and fun. Use different sprinkles to bring out different holiday colors or party color themes.
- Surprise center- You can make cake mix cookies with a pocket full of various candies hidden inside or place a small candy, such as a Hershey's Kiss or a caramel, in the center. It makes a fun surprise to find inside.
- Toss in some nuts- Even if the candy you are using has peanut butter or nuts, you can always add a little more for an extra crunch.
- Roll in powdered sugar before baking- This gives it a nice aesthetic touch. You can also roll in granulated sugar.
- Drizzle- Caramel Sauce or Chocolate Fudge Sauce over the top after baked and cooled.
How to make easy leftover Halloween candy cookies?
1. Add eggs and oil in large bowl- These should be at room temperature.
2. Mix- Until bubbly and frothy.
3. Stir in- Yellow cake mix.
4. Add candies- You can use various options.
5. Mix together- Until combined.
6. Roll into balls- And place on cookie sheet.
7. Add a few more candies- Before cookies completely cool.
8. Let cool- And enjoy!
Tips and techniques
- Chill cookie dough- This is not optional because it makes it easier to handle and form balls otherwise the dough is too sticky and messy.
- Please note- Some cake mix boxes have been getting smaller in size. You need to use a 15.25 oz. box in this recipe. The smaller boxes won't work.
- Line baking pans- With parchment paper so that the cookies don't stick to the pan and make it hard to clean up later.
- Leave cookies on the pan after cooking-To cool at room temperature and allow the residual heat to bake them a little more. This creates a better texture.
Storage
- Room temperature- Store leftovers in a cookie jar for 2-3 days.
- Freeze- Store in a sealed freezer bag for up to 1 month.
- Refrigerate- Store in a covered container for 4-5 days. Warm the cookies in the microwave for 10 seconds to make them soft and ooey gooey again.
Recipe FAQs
Be sure to measure ingredients correctly so that you are not adding too much or too little of one ingredient. Too much flour, for example, can lead to dry cookies. This can also happen if they are over-baked, so be sure to watch that timer.
You can use a variety of whatever you have, which makes this cookie so fun and versatile. Just make sure they are roughly chopped. It can be a little different every time. However, some candies should be added after cooking, such as gummies. Otherwise you'll just have a mess.
This can happen if you don't measure ingredients correctly and you end up with too much butter or not enough flour in the mixture. Also, be careful not to over-mix as this can also leading to spreading.
Another idea- Candy corn cookies
I am obsessed with candy corns and the fact they come in so many different colors and shapes now makes me very happy! Do to their unique shape, they make perfect edible petals for flower decorations on top of cookies.
- Bake or buy cookies- Preferably, round shapes. Try my Cut Out Chocolate Sugar Cookies or Cut Out Sugar Cookies (Cake Mix).
- Frost the top- With icing and spatula. I used American Buttercream Frosting but if you want the icing to try hard for stacking them, use Royal Icing or Glace Icing
- Arrange candy corns- Start sticking candy corns. Start from the edges and work your way inwards.
- Stick flower center- Using a gum ball.
More Halloween cookies
- Easy Halloween Cookies (Frankenstein and Vampire)
- Easy Monster Cookies
- Easy Ghost Cookies (No Bake)
- Easy Oreo Spider Cookies
- Easy Reese's Cookies {With Cake Mix}
Recipe
Leftover Candy Cookies (Halloween)
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Add yellow cake mix and mix until combined.
- Stir in 1 cup of the candies until evenly distributed. Reserve the ½ cup for topping later.
- Cover bowl and chill cookie dough in the fridge for 20 minutes to make it easier to handle.
- Scoop out small portions of the dough and make little balls.
- Place them on a cookie tray, lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are firm but center is slightly soft.
- Remove from oven and quickly push a few more candy pieces (that you had reserved earlier) on top of the baked cookies before they cool completely.
- Let them cool in the pan and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Yon can use whatever candies you like. Just make sure they are roughly chopped to allow even distribution in the dough.
- Make sure to use a 15.25 oz. cake mix box. The smaller boxes won't yield the same results.
- Chill dough so that it becomes firmer and easier to roll into balls. They also spread less this way during baking.
- Make sure your baking pans are lined with parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan.
- Allow the freshly baked cookies to cool in the tray at room temperature because the residual heat from the pan continues to bake them a little more, creating the best texture.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a covered box at room temperature for 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
yummychunklet
Oh, so cute!
nancy
You are amazing..... can I be your candy corn friend? I cannot wait to do this for my next activity.....
Marie
These are darling!
Sara Howe
Those are adorable!