Candy bar blondies are everything you know and love about a good blondie—soft, chewy, thick, and buttery—plus, they’re packed with chopped chocolate candy bars. They’re easy to prepare, require minimal baking tools and just 8 simple ingredients, and always disappear. (People flock to these! Candy bars IN blondies is exciting!) Pretty much any chocolate candy bars work here, and my favorites to use are Milky Way, Snickers, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
As much as I enjoy making homemade candies like chocolate truffles and peanut butter Easter eggs (or anything from my candy cookbook!), no one can deny the convenience of the grocery store candy aisle. Whenever I have store-bought chocolate hanging around, it always seems to make its way into a baking recipe. Snickers cheesecake, M&M cookies, peanut butter blossoms, Butterfinger cookies, and today’s candy bar blondies are a few prime destinations for candy!
Everything to Love About Candy Bar Blondies
- Taste: Brown sugar, butter, and chocolate candy. All fantastic in their own right, but when they team up, you get a harmonious medley of flavors. Each blondie is distinctly buttery, but not to the point where the bars taste greasy—an unfortunate outcome for many blondie recipes. I always enjoy using candy bars with caramel in them, and recommend you try the same!
- Texture: These blondies are supremely soft, chewy, and thick—just like my reader-favorite chocolate chip cookies. Depending on the candy you choose to use, expect a variety of texture in each bite.
- Ease: When it comes to beginner baking recipes, this one is at the top of the list. Prep work is a breeze, and because you’re using melted butter, you don’t need an electric mixer. The next time you need a quick treat, whether for a party, get-together, or just because, keep these easy blondies in mind.
And best of all: These blondies cut and stack easily, making them super easy and convenient to transport. (No messy frosting or icing to worry about!)
Best Candies to Use in Candy Bar Blondies
Let your sweet tooth do the talking here. In the pictured blondies, I used a mix of Snickers, Butterfinger, Milky Way Midnight, and Twix candy bars. The blondie batter lends itself well to virtually any chocolate-based candy, so use whatever you have on hand, or take a trip down the candy aisle and pick out a few faves. You need about 1 and 1/2 cups of chopped candy bars.
I first published this recipe in 2013 when I found myself with a cauldron-full of leftover Halloween candy. While these have become a post-Halloween tradition in my home, we still find plenty of excuses to make them year round! The add-ins are customizable, so you can dress up a batch for various holidays throughout the year. A few ideas to get you started:
- Valentine’s Day: Don’t limit yourself to candy bars. You can use pink, red, and white M&Ms. I make these almost every February as a festive treat.
- Easter/Spring: Chopped Cadbury Creme Eggs, pastel M&Ms, and/or chopped Cadbury Mini Eggs (use any leftovers you have from making an Easter cake!)
- Halloween/Fall: Reese’s Pieces, chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Rolos, and/or candy corn candies.
- Christmas: Red and green M&Ms (like these M&M cookie bars), and any other assortment of candies that Santa leaves in your stocking.
I would just steer clear of gummy candies and hard candies.
Best Pan to Use for Blondies
Use an 8-inch-square baking pan. A 9-inch-square pan could work in a pinch, but the bars are pretty thin. If you bake often, an 8-inch-square baking pan will come in handy. It’s one of my must-have baking pans—you can use it for making coffee cake and oatmeal lemon crumble bars, too!
What about a 9×13-inch baking pan? Double all ingredients to yield a 9×13-inch pan of candy bar blondies. The bake time will be similar. Start checking them around the 28-minute mark. Or try my M&M cookie bars, and swap in 1 and 1/2 cups of chopped candy bars for the M&Ms and chocolate chips (or use a mix of M&Ms and chopped candy bars).
PrintCandy Bar Blondies
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 blondies
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite blondie recipe. Use whatever candy bars or goodies you have on hand like chocolate chips or nuts. No mixer required, very little prep work, and unbelievable results. Soft, chewy, buttery perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (5 Tbsp; 70g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped chocolate candy bars (I used Milky Way Midnight, Twix, Snickers, and Butterfinger)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the baked and cooled blondies out to cut. (Or spray generously with nonstick spray.)
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla together until combined. Add egg and mix well. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. Fold in the chopped candy bars. The batter will be very thick. Spread evenly into prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 24–26 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before lifting out and cutting into squares. Blondies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
Keywords: candy bar blondies