Peanuts and candy corn combined in one delicious Halloween cookie recipe! These peanut butter candy corn cookies are super easy to make and are the perfect sweet surprise for your little trick or treaters!
Bite into these delightful cookies flecked with crunchy peanut butter bits and soft, melty candy corn. If ever there was a treat more appropriate to welcome fall and the upcoming spooky holiday, it would be these candy corn cookies!
Candy Corn Halloween Treats
I admit that I am not the biggest fan of candies. I don’t eat them as they are, and that includes candy corn. However, when mixed with salty treats like my Candy Corn Crunch and Candy Bar Popcorn, I instantly become obsessed with them! And these Peanut Butter Candy Corn Cookies are no exception. I love the mix of nutty and sweet with a hint of vanilla on them.
Making the Perfect Peanut Butter Candy Corn Cookies
It actually took me three tries before perfecting these cookies. Don’t get me wrong, they are simple and straightforward to make, and I laid out the recipe below for you to follow so you can get them perfect right away. The first time I made them, I used butter and did not refrigerate the dough, so the cookies spread very thin, and the candy corn melted and oozed all over--- not pretty!
So on my next batch, I used shortening thinking this would help keep the cookies thick without refrigerating the dough. This kept the cookies somewhat thicker, but the candy corn still oozed, and the cookies did not taste as good as they were with butter.
On my final try, I went back to using butter but refrigerated the dough for an hour. I also made sure that all the candy corn pieces were covered with dough. And voila! They came out perfectly textured with no (or little) oozing!
Why We Love this Recipe
- Aside from the chilling time, this recipe comes together quickly. You can make the dough in no time and bake them in just 10 minutes!
- The chewiness of the cookies have the perfect balance of salty and sweet!
- You can make the dough and mold the cookies ahead of time. The dough can even be frozen for a month or two before baking, so you can easily bring it out of the freezer straight into the oven when you want to bake some.
- They are the perfect addition to your Halloween treats collection, together with some cute Monster Sugar Cookies and festive Boo Bites!
- Kids love them!
Ingredients
All you need are the usual baking essentials, peanut butter, and corn candies. The ingredients are easy to find and budget-friendly, so making a big batch for the upcoming festivities will not be a problem!
Here's what you need:
- Flour -- I used all-purpose for this recipe. You can make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour brand.
- Candy corn -- You can choose any brand you like. I used one cup for this recipe, so you can keep the rest to snack on, add to your Halloween baggies or make Candy Corn Fudge.
- Peanut butter -- Use crunchy peanut butter to resemble the candy corn and peanuts combination we all love.
- Pure vanilla extract -- This will give the cookies a nice flavor and aroma.
- Unsalted butter -- Adds a rich flavor and makes the cookies moist for days!
- Baking soda -- Allows the dough to rise a bit and gives the cookies their soft texture.
- Granulated sugar + brown sugar -- Aside from the added sweetness they bring, sugars are important to make the cookies spread as they bake.
- Egg -- Binds the ingredients together.
- Milk -- Hydrates the dry ingredients while giving the cookies a creamier taste.
- Salt
Equipment Needed
All you need to make these Halloween cookies are mixing bowls, a baking sheet, parchment paper or silicone mat, and a cookie scoop. If you do not have a cookie scoop, use a measuring spoon instead.
Instructions
Mix, chill, and bake! This recipe is as easy as can be! Scroll to the end of this post for a full detailed recipe card instructions. The general steps are as follows:
Preparations:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Steps:
- Whisk the Dry ingredients. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl, then set aside.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients. Using a mixer in a large bowl, beat butter with the sugars and peanut butter on medium speed until light and creamy. Then mix in the egg, vanilla, and milk.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Then, fold in the candy corn.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Shape the cookies. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop 1 ½ -inch dough balls.
- Bake. Place the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Do the same with the remaining dough.
- Let them cool. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Best Tips
- Make sure the dough covers all candy corn pieces in each dough ball, or the candy will ooze out and melt on the cookie sheet.
- Refrigerating the dough is important so the candy corn pieces do not melt and ooze.
- Do not over-mix the dough. Traces of flour in the dough is fine before adding the candy corn pieces.
- When removing cookies from the pan, you may need to frequently wipe the spatula clean – the candy corn can tend to stick and may break the cookie if you are not careful.
More Cookie Recipes for Fall
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Halloween Sprinkles Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- No-bake Cookies
Eat It, Rate It, Share It!
Made it and liked it? Leave a star rating, take a photo and tag me on social media @seededtable so I can share it!
Recipe Card
Peanut Butter Candy Corn Cookies
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 level cup candy corn
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugars and peanut butter at medium speed until creamy. Mix in the egg, vanilla and milk.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir on low until just combined. Fold in the candy corn.
- Cover bowl and place in fridge for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner.
- Drop 1 ½ tablespoon sized cookie balls onto baking sheet, placing 2 inches apart. (I use my medium sized cookie scoop.) Ensure dough is covering all pieces of candy corn to prevent oozing. Bake 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven, let cookies cool on baking sheet 8 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- Keep dough refrigerated in between batches.
- If making dough a day ahead, remove from fridge about 30 minutes prior so it softens enough to scoop.
- Do not over mix cookie dough.
- To prevent candy corn from oozing, ensure dough covers all pieces in each dough ball.
- When removing cookies from baking sheet, frequently wipe clean spatula to prevent sticking.
- You can use creamy peanut butter, but the crunchy peanut butter resembles the favorite peanuts and candy corn combo.
- Nutrition information is an estimate only.
