
Sometimes you overestimate the number of trick-or-treaters that will pay you a visit, sometimes you underestimate the size of your own candy haul, and sometimes you just get a little carried away in the Halloween aisle. Whatever the reason, the holiday is over and you still have a big pile of leftover candy lying around.
Extra candy is never a problem. You can stash it under your bed and have a piece every night for months, or you can get a little creative and turn everything into a brand new dessert. This leftover candy concoction is a baked good that defies all classification, but for simplicity, we’ll just call it cake.
This “cake” has a sugar cookie base, a leftover Halloween candy center, and a Five-Ingredient Brownie top. When baking, the chocolate of the chopped candy bars melts into the surrounding layers of cookie and brownie, forming a gooey, rich layer in the center.

Leftover Halloween Candy Cake
INGREDIENTS
Cookie Dough Layer:
2/3 Cup Salted Butter
1 1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Cups All-Purpose Flours
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 Cup Mix-Ins (We used Crispy M&M’s™)
Candy Bar Layer:
About 2 Cups Crushed Candy Bars (This recipe works best with chocolate-based candies but marshmallows and candy corn are fun too. We used a mix of Snickers™, Butterfingers,™ Crunch Bars™ & Mr. Goodbars™)
Brownie Layer:
½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Sugar
½ Cup Salted Butter, Melted
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Mix-Ins (We used candy corn, cut up marshmallows Peeps™ and 1 Hershey’s Candy Corn Chocolate Bar™)
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch by 9-inch pan with a little butter or oil; line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on two opposite sides.
To prepare the sugar cookie layer, in a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale. Stir in the vanilla. Working one at a time, add the eggs, beating thoroughly after each addition. Using a spatula or spoon, gently fold in the flour and mix-ins until well combined.
Transfer the finished batter to the prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle the crushed candy bars over the top.
To prepare the brownie layer, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter and eggs. Pour the butter mixture over the flour mixture; stir to combine. Using a spoon or spatula, fold in the mix-ins.
Pour the brownie batter over the candy bar layer; carefully spread the batter to the edges without disturbing the candy bar layer.

Bake 60 to 70 minutes, or until the top is crackly and set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (you may pick up some melted chocolate from the candy along the way!) Remove from the oven. Let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour to set the fudge in the brownie. Once completely cool and set, using the edges of the parchment paper, remove the loaf from the pan. Transfer to a serving dish and decorate, if desired. Enjoy!