Salted Candy Bar Blondies

While the Halloween candy has already been on the shelves since July 5th, it’s officially October tomorrow which means it’s socially acceptable to pre-game every meal with a few mini kit-kats. This recipe for Salted Candy Bar Blondies is not only the perfect recipe for all of your leftover Halloween candy post trick-or-treating, but these are so delicious I think they are the absolute perfect treat to bring to any Halloween party. For me, I just bring them to work as leverage to bribe my coworkers. Whatever it takes right? 

I’ve partnered up with my good friends at OXO again to bake a difference to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer , the national non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for safer, more effective treatments for pediatric cancer, the #1 disease killer of children in the U.S. OXO is partnering with chef-supporters of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer who are providing recipes we hope will inspire people to host their own Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sales. This recipe for Salted Candy Blondie Bars is from Kristen Tomlan of DO. OXO is not only a brand that I admire for their support of great charities, but my kitchen is 90% stocked with all kinds of OXO cooking and baking tools and gadgets. And if you’ve been following my Insta lately, you know I just moved into a new condo with double the cabinet space I used to have. Which means more OXO pop containers to achieve my #PantryGoals

I don’t think there’s a great way to get a solid photo of my pantry that shows the full spectrum of my OXO Pop container obsession, but I have at least 20 of all different shapes and sizes. Combined with a label maker, these make me unstoppable. The clear containers make it easy to see how much I have left, as well as keep the food items fresh for a lot longer. Whenever I take food out of a package, I make a label with the expiration month/date and stick it on the bottom of the container. Though with baking ingredients, I rarely ever get close to an expiration before using them all. 

I’ve made blondies a few times before, but I think this is the best base blondie bar recipe I’ve ever tried. Also baking these only for 25-30 minutes meant they were super chewy/gooey in the middle and not too dry. I picked up a mixed pack of mini Halloween candy with Reese’s Cups, Kit Kats, Almond Joy + Hershey Bars, along with a single serve pack of M&Ms. I added a lot more on top than the recipe called for to make it extra photogenic and delicious. At first I had cut these into really large bars, but cut them in half before bringing them to work as I needed extra leverage with my coworkers last Monday. 

So whether you’re just getting ready for Halloween, or have a lot of leftover candy to use, make sure to whip up a batch of these Salted Candy Blondie Bars, and don’t forget to check out Cookies for Kids Cancer to support a great cause with OXO. 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of OXO.

Salted Candy Blondie Bars
Yield: 15 Bars

Salted Candy Blondie Bars

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

These blondies are filled with rich notes of molasses and vanilla – what’s not to fall in love with? The all-brown sugar and the addition of an extra egg yolk in this recipe make these blondies extra soft and chewy. Throw in the crunch of your favorite candy, plus a hint of sea salt, and you’ve got a match-made in heaven.

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/8 sticks (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups your favorite candy bar, chopped (think M&Ms, twix, Kit-Kat, Butterfinger, or a mix!)
  • Flaky sea salt, like Maldon, for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13”x9” pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
  4. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low just until the powdery texture of the flour disappears. Immediately add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and mix a final 15 seconds.
  5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in 1 3/4 cups of your favorite chopped candy.
  6. Use a rubber spatula to spread the dough in the lined pan in an even layer. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and top with the reserved 1/4 cup candy.
  7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the center is lightly golden brown.
  8. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Slice into squares and serve!