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gluten-free cookie bars with candy

Gluten-Free Candy Cookie Bars

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5 from 1 review

  • Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 16-18 cookie bars 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

These gluten-free candy cookie bars are a fun spin on classic monster cookie bars. They’re the perfect way to use up leftover holiday candy! 

Ingredients

Scale

For The Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 Tablespoons) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup (40 grams) sugar
  • 1/2 cup (125 grams) creamy peanut butter*
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk, room temperature (save the extra white for another use)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For The Dry Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup (90 grams) gluten-free flour
  • 3/4 cup (68 grams) gluten-free quick oats
  • 1 Tablespoon (8 grams) cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I like a heaping 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 1 cup gluten-free candies (see below for ideas), cut into small pieces as needed

For The Top Of The Bars:

  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or semisweet chocolate chips)
  • 1–2 cups gluten-free candies (to top the bars at the end)
  • Optional: flaky sea salt (like Maldon)

Options For Candy To Top The Bars:

Mix and match from the following options:

  • Gluten-Free Candy Bars: Snickers, Reese’s peanut butter cups, Three Musketeers, Butterfinger, Heath Bars, Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, Almond Joy, Mounds, Pay Day, Skor, Baby Ruth, UnREAL, Enjoy Life
  • Other gluten-free candy: M&Ms, M&M minis, Reese’s Pieces, Rolos, Milk Duds
  • Avoid fruity candy (like Skittles & Starburst) and mint candy (like York Peppermint Patties) as the flavors won’t work here.

Instructions

  1. Prep The Candy. Start by preparing 1-2 cups of candy for the top of the cookie bars and 1 cup of candy for inside the cookie bars. Cut fun-size candy bars into bite-sized pieces or thin slices if desired, and cut any larger candies in half (like Reese’s cups). You can leave smaller candy (like M&Ms or Rolos) whole. Freeze 1-2 cups candy pieces for the top of the bars on a baking sheet or plate while you make the cookie bars. (You don’t need to freeze the 1 cup of candy for inside the bars.) 
  2. Preheat The Oven & Prep The Pan. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 metal pan with parchment paper and set aside. 
  3. Cream Butter & Sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer), combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Cream on medium speed 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
  4. Mix In the peanut butter until fully combined, then add egg and egg yolk 1 at a time, until fully blended. Mix in the vanilla. 
  5. Add Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the edges of the bowl again, then add gluten-free flour, gluten-free quick oats, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Stir on low until almost blended with just a few powdery patches left. 
  6. Add 1 cup Candy. Then, add 1 cup of candy–chop up any candy bars into small pieces, then mix into the cookie dough just until evenly blended. 
  7. Bake. Pat the cookie dough out into your prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. (An offset spatula makes this easy!) Bake cookie bars at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, or until no longer wiggly in the center. They may seem slightly underdone–don’t over-bake! They’ll continue to set as they cool. 
  8. Quickly Top The Bars. Right after removing the cookie bars from the oven, sprinkle the top of the bars with chocolate chips. Let the chocolate melt slightly–I put the pan back in the (now off) oven for 30-60 seconds to help) then spread a bit with your spatula. The melted chocolate will act as “glue” for the rest of the candy. Top with the chilled candy from the freezer and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.
  9. Cool until completely set. Let the bars cool completely before cutting into squares or rectangles. You can chill the bars in the fridge to help speed this process along. I like to cut the bars into 9 large squares, then cut each square in half, for 18 rectangles. You can also cut them into 16 squares. 
  10. Store leftover halloween candy cookie bars in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I like to keep mine in the fridge so they last longer. You can also freeze them up to 2 months. 

Notes

CHILL The Cookie Bars Before Slicing. For best results, cut the bars COLD for the cleanest cuts. Otherwise, it’s easy to end up pushing the candy down into the cookie bars. I chill mine for about 1 hour in the fridge.  

Double-Check Your Candy! To keep these cookie bars gluten-free, be sure to double-check your candy. Avoid candy with gluten ingredients, such as Twix, Kit-Kat, Crunch Bars, 100 Grand, etc. which are NOT gluten-free. 

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

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Find it online: https://sweetsandthankyou.com/gluten-free-candy-cookie-bars/

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