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Candy bar blondies are everything you love about a good blondie—sweet, chewy, thick, and buttery—plus, they’re packed with chopped chocolate candy bars. They’re easy to prepare, require minimal baking tools and simple ingredients, and are always a crowd pleaser. Use your favorite chocolate candy bars for a variety of textures; some of my favorites to include are Snickers, Twix, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
I first published this recipe in 2013, and after a little re-testing over the years, my team and I made improvements so the blondies are thicker, chewier, and softer.
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!
Everything to Love About Candy Bar Blondies
- Taste: Brown sugar, butter, and chocolate. 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, nuts, or peanut butter in them, and recommend you try the same!
- Texture: These blondies are supremely soft, chewy, and thick. Depending on the candy you use, expect a variety of textures in every 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. There’s no individual cookie shaping/rolling, either—just press the batter into the pan and bake!
And best of all: These blondies cut and stack easily, making them super convenient to transport. (No messy frosting or icing to worry about!)
7 Simple Ingredients for Blondies
This recipe makes my list of dessert recipes with 8 ingredients or less.
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the structure of these blondies.
- Baking Powder: This leavener puffs the blondies up as they bake.
- Salt: To balance the sweet.
- Butter: Using melted butter makes for extra buttery flavor as well as extra chewy texture.
- Brown Sugar: Using all brown sugar to sweeten these candy bar blondies gives them a butterscotch-like flavor you’ll love.
- Egg + Egg Yolk: To bind the ingredients together and add richness.
- Vanilla: Another key flavor in blondies.
Plus, of course, CHOCOLATE CANDY!
And a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top is optional… but highly recommended! That sweet-and-salty combo is what we all love about salted caramel.
The recipe is as simple as it gets: whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another, then combine them and fold in the chocolate. That’s all it takes to make the batter!
Best Pan to Use for Blondies
Use a 9-inch square baking pan. (Note that the pictured Wilton pan is no longer available for sale! I also love this Nordic Ware pan and this Wilton pan.)
If you only have an 8-inch square pan, you can use that, but the bake time will be longer since the bars will be much thicker. Line the pan with parchment paper so you can easily lift the cooled blondies out and cut into squares.
What about a 9×13-inch baking pan? I recommend using the batter/dough from these 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).
Best Candies to Use in Candy Bar Blondies
In the pictured blondies, I used a mix of Snickers, Twix, Rolo, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Reese’s Pieces. The batter works with almost any chocolate-based candy, so use what you have or grab a few favorites from the candy aisle. You’ll need about 1 and 1/2 cups of chopped candy bars.
These blondies are a post-Halloween tradition in my house, but they’re just as fun year-round. The add-ins are totally customizable, so you can dress up a batch for any holiday. A few ideas to get you started:
- Valentine’s Day: You can use pink, red, and white M&Ms; and press a heart-shaped chocolate into the tops of the blondies (and quickly freeze so the chocolate doesn’t melt), like we do for these sparkle sweetheart cookies.
- Easter/Spring: Chopped Cadbury Creme Eggs or Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs; Mini/Robin Eggs; pastel M&Ms, and/or any leftovers you have from making an Easter cake!
- Christmas: Red and green M&Ms (like these M&M cookie bars), and any other assortment of chocolate candies that Santa leaves in your stocking.
Just steer clear of gummy candies and hard candies. And maybe save any mint-flavored chocolates for treats like Andes chocolate cookies or candy cane kiss cookies.
Description
Chop up a variety of chocolate candy bars so you get a variety of textures in every bite. You can also mix in other goodies like M&Ms, chocolate chips, pretzel pieces, or nuts. Soft, chewy, buttery perfection with very little prep work and no mixer required!
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 14 Tablespoons (196g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled
- 1 and 1/4 cup (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (about 225g) chopped chocolate candy bars
- optional: flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until combined. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. The batter should be thick. Using a spatula, fold in the chopped candy bars. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt, if using.
- Bake until golden brown, about 30–34 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with only a few moist crumbs. Avoid over-baking.
- Cool completely in the pan set on a cooling rack, about 1 hour. Once cool, lift the blondies out of the pan using the parchment overhang on the sides, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover bars at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked cookie bars freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Best Candy Bars To Use: In the pictured blondies, I used a mix of Snickers, Twix, Rolo, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Reese’s Pieces. The batter works with almost any chocolate-based candy, so use what you have or grab a few favorites from the candy aisle. You’ll need about 1 and 1/2 cups of chopped candy bars. See post above for more ideas.
- 9×13-Inch Pan: I recommend using the batter/dough from these 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).
- Updated in 2025: Since first publishing this recipe in 2013, my team and I have made a few tweaks to make the blondies thicker, chewier, and softer—all with the same ingredients. To make the original version, use an 8-inch square baking pan; the blondies will be slightly sweeter and thinner. Use 1 cup (125g) flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (optional, as the updated version omits it), 1/4 teaspoon salt, 6 Tbsp (85g) melted butter, 1 cup (200g) brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 Tbsp vanilla, and 1 and 1/2 cups chopped candy bars. Prepare the batter as directed and bake for 24–26 minutes.
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