Halloween Brownies (Leftover Candy Brownies) are chewy fudgy brownies with candy bar pieces and sprinkles. An easy festive and fun dessert!
Halloween is the perfect excuse to make assorted candies into delicious and fun treats! From Candy Corn Brownies to Halloween Bark to these leftover candy bar brownies, I’ve plenty of spooktacular Desserts for you to make this October!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Halloween Brownies Recipe
If your kids are anything like mine, then every year, they want to get as much Halloween candy as possible. Who can blame them?! Trick or treating plus leftovers from what was handed out usually means a big surplus of fun-sized chocolate. Of course you can eat the candy all year round, but it doesn’t feel quite as special after a week or so. This fun, super chocolaty Brownie Recipe keeps the Halloween magic alive for a bit longer!
Ingredients
- Butter: Leave 1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature for 20 minutes before starting the recipe. Softened butter will cream with the sugar easier and add more air for fluffier brownies.
- Wet Ingredients: Along with the butter, you’ll need 2 cups of granulated sugar, 4 eggs, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Bring the eggs to room temperature with the butter.
- Cocoa powder: To give the brownie batter its chocolate flavor, you’ll need 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Flour Mixture: You’ll need 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt the dry ingredient mix.
- Candy Bars: You can use whatever candy bars, totaling up to 1 cup. You don’t want to add more than a cup total for the best candy to brownie ratio.
- Sprinkles: I also added Halloween-colored sprinkles to use up my extra Halloween baking supplies while I was at it. They aren’t necessary, but they give the chocolaty brownies a festive look.
How to Make
Time needed: 45 minutes.
- Prep Time
To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Break the candy bars that you’re planning to use into pieces.
- Brownie Batter
Add the softened butter and granulated sugar to your stand mixer. Then cream the butter mixture for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, letting the first one blend into the batter before adding the next. Then, add the vanilla extract. Sift the cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Then, add the flour mixture to the brownie batter with the mixer at its lowest speed setting.
- Assemble
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Add Toppings
Top the batter with leftover Halloween candy bar pieces, spreading them evenly and lightly pressing some into the batter. Add the sprinkles evenly too.
- Bake the Brownies
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without batter.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup leftover candy bars and candies , roughly chopped*
- 1 tablespoon orange sprinkles
- 1 tablespoon purple sprinkles
- 1 tablespoon black sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13″ baking pan with baking spray.
- To your stand mixer add together butter and sugar and cream for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs one at a time until well mixed
- Add in the vanilla extract.
- Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.
- On the lowest speed setting add in the flour mixture until just combined
- Spread batter evenly into baking pan.
- Top with the leftover Halloween candies and sprinkles.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, do not overbake.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: Why I love this recipe!
I love creative recipes, like this one, that allow you to rework leftovers rather than throwing them out. By adding leftover Halloween candy to fudgy chocolate brownies, you get a new take on a classic dessert and use up the candy bars.
These Leftover Candy Brownies are the perfect dessert to bring to a potluck or share with your family. They make an excellent after-dinner dessert or treat for a cozy fall movie night. It’s hard to go wrong with gooey candy bar brownies!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, making Halloween Brownies ahead of time is a convenient way to handle the holiday rush. I wouldn’t make them more than a day ahead of your party though, they are best in the first 24 hours where they are soft and moist.
Nutritional Facts
Baking Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Be sure to sift the cocoa powder with the other dry ingredients before adding them to the recipe. This removes the lumps, so you don’t have to mix the batter as much and aren’t at risk of overmixing.
- This works best with chocolate candies or softer candies that you can bite into, such as soft caramels, mini candy bars, and malted milk balls. I wouldn’t use candy like smarties or jolly ranchers.
- If you’re storing brownies for more than a couple days, adding a slice of bread to the container can help keep them moist.
How to Store
- Store: To keep the recipe fresh, you can cover the brownies with foil or put them in an airtight container. Kept sealed, the brownies can stay good at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freeze: To freeze the brownies, wait for the recipe to cool, then slice them into squares. Layer the chocolate squares in a single layer in a freezer-safe container. Then, place parchment paper over the layer of brownies before adding more. Continue until all the brownies are placed in the container. You can keep the recipe frozen for up to 3 months. Then, when you’re ready to eat the recipe, take the brownies out of the airtight container and let them sit at room temperature while they come to room temperature.
Frequent Questions
I use leftover candy bars of all types like Kit-Kats, Snickers, Milk Ways, and any other chocolate bars I have on hand. You could add M&M’s, candy corn, caramels or other small softer candy pieces. I would avoid adding gummy candies since you can’t bake them or hard candies since they can be hard to bite into.
It can be hard to judge when chocolate desserts are done baking because you can’t tell if they’re browning. Brownies are even trickier because you want to take them out of the oven while they’re still fudgy and a little gooey. Check if the brownies are done after 25 minutes to ensure you don’t overbake this recipe. The easiest way to check is by sticking a toothpick in the center of the pan. The toothpick will come out with some moist crumbs if the brownies are done. If they’re underbaked, you’ll see raw batter on the toothpick, and you should continue cooking longer.
It depends on the kind of topping you’re adding. In this recipe, you’ll add the candy pieces to the brownie batter before baking. That way, the candy pieces will sink down slightly into the batter, baking into the recipe. For other toppings like frosting or a dusting of powdered sugar, you’ll wait until the brownies are baked and cooled.
Variations
- Peanut Butter Cup Brownies: Instead of using all different varieties of leftover candy, you can make this brownie recipe with just one or two specific candies. Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic flavor combo for a reason, and this brownie base tastes amazing with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on top. You can cut full-size peanut butter cups into quarters, sprinkle on mini peanut butter cups, or mix the two. You could also incorporate Reese’s Pieces with this version to add to the peanut butter candy theme.
- More Candy Ideas: Colorful candies like M&Ms and candy corn look great. You could add caramel, chocolate-covered pretzels, almond joys, malted milk balls, or chocolate mint candies etc.
- Salty Add-ons: You can balance out the sweet candy bars and fudgy chocolate with salty mix-ins like chopped nuts, potato chips, or pretzels.
- Box Mix: You can use a brownie mix and still top off the batter with leftover candy bars. To upgrade your brownie mix, you can swap out the oil in the recipe for melted butter and exchange the water for freshly brewed coffee. This makes rich, gooey, chocolatey brownies that taste like you made them from scratch.
More Fun Treats for Halloween!
This recipe looks like such a fun and delicious way to use up leftover Halloween candy! I love the idea of mixing in different candies to give the brownies a unique twist. The recipe is easy to follow, and I appreciate the tips for storing and freezing them. Perfect for a festive treat!