Monday, November 4, 2013

Candy Cookie Bars

I decided to make these using some of the huge basket of candy my boys bought for all of our non-existent trick-or-treaters.  They were a good way to winnow down the amount of chocolate available to me for the ruination of my perpetual diet, and the boys liked them, too!

CANDY COOKIE BARS

1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg beaters
1-1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
optional: 1/2 cup salted peanuts
assorted candy: I used 5 mini bags peanut M&Ms, 5 mini hershey bars, quartered and 5 mini Milky Way bars, quartered

Cream the margarine and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in the egg, then add the dry ingredients, vanilla and milk.  Beat until combined, then stir in the candy and, if desired, peanuts.  Spread in a 9x11 baking pan; the mixture will barely fill the pan.  Bake at 350F for 24 to 26 minutes, until done.  During that time, the batter will spread and rise so the pan is nicely filled.  Let cool before cutting.

I made mine without the peanuts, and Ryan commented that they could have used more "crunch".  Dan, on the other hand, thought they were perfect.  Mark had no comment, which is par for the course, and better than him admitting that he didn't like it, because dislikes almost everything.

So, there you are: what to do with the Halloween candy that's taunting you.  Or maybe not, because these are pretty caloric, too.  Durn it!  So many dilemmas!

Happy Monday, everyone!

8 comments:

SissySees said...

Neat idea. I think I'm with Mark on this one...

Pam said...

They look terrific. I love baking with leftover Halloween candy.

grace said...

i think these would be terrific with or without peanuts!

Two French Bulldogs said...

They look fantastic
Lily

STELLA and RORY from Down Under said...

Howdy Marjie, we don't celebrate Halloween in our neck of the woods but I'm tempted to go to the shop and buy sweets just to make this. It looks soooo good. Thanks for the recipe. No worries, and love, Carol (and Stella and Rory)

Diane said...

What a great idea, you have done well there. Have a good day, Diane

Lapdog Creations said...

YUM-O!

Sue said...

Since we don't get any kids coming to the door, I only buy the candy that I like most. This is an excellent idea for those who wind up with a variety.