Leftover Candy Cookie Bars

 

Who doesn't have tons of leftover candy from the holidays or likes to buy holiday candy on clearance? If you don't know what do with the candy, make these cookie bars.

 I don't know about y'all but holiday candy just taste better to me, any holiday candy not just Christmas candy. It might the bright colors of the candy or the wrapper but it just taste better or it maybe that candy companies come out with different flavors.

 For this recipe you can use any candy you would like. The candy that I used is the candy that Santa gave me. What's your favorite holiday candy? Let me know in the comments.

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Leftover Candy Cookie Bars

Time 

Prepping: 15 minutes
Baking: 20 to 25 minutes
Chilling: at least 3 hours or overnight 

Ingredients 

3 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened 
1 1/2 Dark Brown Sugar, packed
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract, I used homemade
2 cups Chocolate Chips
2 cups Candy-Coated Chocolate Candy, I used Holiday M&M's
20 Mini Peanut Butter Cups, quartered

1. In a medium size bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. In a larger bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar for 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract to butter sugar mixture.
2. In three parts, add 1/3 of flour mixture to the butter sugar mixtures then one egg. Starting with flour and ending with flour.  
3. Toss M&M's and chocolate chips into the last 1/2 of flour. Roughly chop peanut butter cups. I would place them in the refrigerator for better chopping. Fold candies into batter.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10 x 15 pan or a jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
5. Press cookie dough into pan evenly. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. The bars will still be soft in the middle and slight crisp on the outside.
6. Let the bars cool in pan for 5 to 10 minutes or until firm. Remove and let cool completely on a wired rack. Once cooled store in an airtight container.
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