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Do you love oatmeal cookies? Do you also love candy bars? If so, you’re in the right place. Combining the wholesome goodness of oats with the indulgent pleasure of candy bars, the Oatmeal Candy Bar Cookie is a creative and delicious way to repurpose leftover holiday candy. These cookies offer a delightful contrast of textures – the chewy, hearty feel of oats mixed with the sweet, unexpected surprises from the candy bar bits. It’s very much a “what’s behind door number one” approach, as you’ll mix all the candy bars together. Each bite will be unique.

What Makes Oatmeal Good for Cookies

Oatmeal lends a chewy, hearty texture to cookies. It also adds a layer of nutritional value, making these cookies slightly more wholesome.

Oatmeal candy bar cookies stacked on a plate with candy bars

Can You Use Any Type of Candy Bar?

Absolutely! The beauty of this recipe is its versatility. Whether you have chocolate bars, nutty candies, or even fruity sweets, they can all be chopped up and added to the mix.

Why Chill the Dough Before Baking?

Chilling the dough solidifies the fat in the butter. This means that the cookies spread less during baking, leading to a thicker, chewier cookie. Another reason to chill cookie dough is because it allows the flavors the blend together, resulting in a more flavorful cookie.

Can These Cookies Be Made Gluten-Free?

Yes, by substituting the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend and ensuring the oats are certified gluten-free, these cookies can easily be adapted for gluten-free diets. My favorite gluten free flour is Bobs Red Mill 1 for 1.

Oatmeal candy bar cookies on a plate with wrapped candy bars

What is in Oatmeal Candy Bar Cookies?

Unsalted butter

It is always important to use unsalted butter when baking. If you use salted butter, you have no way of knowing how much salt you are adding to your dough and it will result in an over salted treat.

Butter adds fats to your dough which helps with moistness, flavor & texture. Butter melts at body temperature, which creates a ‘melt in your mouth’ sensation.

When baking with butter the temperature is important. If the butter is too warm your cookies will melt down too fast and spread too much in the oven leaving you with a greasy, flat cookie. If butter is too cold it will have the opposite problem and not melt down enough, leaving your cookies too thick.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar is granulated sugar with a little molasses mixed in. Molasses is a more bitter natural sweetener which actually makes the sugar a bit sweeter than plain granulated sugar. Brown sugar draws more moister into your treat and is more acidic, that means it will help make baking soda react.

Granulated sugar

Adds sweetness, provides a caramelized flavor and crisp texture. Sugar assists with rising when creamed with butter & sugar. It helps add moisture to your cookie and helps it evenly spread as it melts into a liquid in the heat of the oven. Sugar also helps with naturally preserving your baked treat.

Eggs

Adds both protein (egg whites) and fat (egg yolks). The egg whites help with rising because when foamed, little air pockets get trapped inside the mixture. The water content in egg whites encourages steam while baking which helps with gluten formation, resulting in nice and thick cookies. Egg yolks have emulsifying properties that bring batters together and help your dough from collapsing.

Vanilla extract

When using pure vanilla extract, it will add the deep rich flavor everybody wants in a treat.

All-purpose flour

Flour builds structure as it absorbs liquids and expands. All-purpose flour falls in the middle of bread flour (high in gluten) and cake flour (low in gluten). It is exactly what it is named, all-purpose, the most universal flour that can be used in most baked goods. 

Oats

Provide some fiber, a chewy texture and a slight nuttiness.

Cinnamon

A seasoning that adds a nice spice to your cookies

Baking soda

Elevates the pH level of your batter. It increases the spread in cookies and gives the crispy outside, soft inside texture everyone loves. Baking soda needs both an acid and a liquid to react. Things that will make baking soda react are: vinegar, fruit juice, molasses, brown sugar, tartar, buttermilk, sour cream. Baking soda only reacts once, right when its mixed into your batter it will create little air bubbles all throughout your treat. When the air bubbles get heated up in the oven, they expand.

Fine sea salt

Enhances flavor, adds balance, masks any bitter flavors. Salt is the most powerful and oldest preservative. Always make sure to use fine sea salt so that it melts down at the right speed in the heat of the oven. If you use larger granule salt it will not melt down fully when baked and will leave salt crystals throughout your cookie, making it crunch like you dropped it into sand.

Chopped candy bars

Add bursts of different flavors and textures, making each bite unique.

Oatmeal candy bar cookies with opened candy bars on a plate

Chemistry in the Kitchen

The oats in the cookie absorb moisture from the dough, which helps in creating a chewier texture. The baking soda acts as a leavening agent, allowing the cookies to rise slightly and become tender.

Equipment Essentials

A standing mixer makes the process of creaming butter and sugars together more efficient, but a hand mixer can be used as well. A light metal cookie sheet lined with parchment paper ensures even baking and easy removal of the cookies.

Serving Suggestions and Storage

These cookies are delightful both warm and completely cooled. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, they can be frozen for up to three months.

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oatmeal candy bar cookies

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Oatmeal Candy Bar Cookie

Oatmeal Candy Bar Cookie

Author: Madison Reid
Total Time: 1 hour 27 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Servings: 24 cookies
A perfect baked treat to use up some leftover candy bars. Delicious, soft baked cookies.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup chopped candy bars

Instructions

  • In a standing mixer, combine butter and sugars. Turn mixer on medium high and whip for 2 minutes until lighter in color & texture.
  • Fold in eggs & vanilla until just combined
  • In a separate bowl combine flour, oats, cinnamon, soda & salt
  • Turn standing mixer on low and slowly pour in the dry ingredients
  • Mix until the dough comes together. Be sure to not over mix
  • Fold in candy bar bits
  • Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • Scoop the dough out onto a light metal cookie sheet lined with a parchment paper
  • Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven and let the cookies rest on the pan for 10 minutes before removing to finish cooling
  • Can enjoy warm, but I like them best completely cooled.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal Carbohydrates: 29g Protein: 4g Fat: 12g Saturated Fat: 7g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0.3g Cholesterol: 34mg Sodium: 105mg Potassium: 117mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 13g Vitamin A: 259IU Vitamin C: 0.003mg Calcium: 23mg Iron: 2mg

Have you tried this recipe?

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