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Halloween is right around the corner, and while costume-laced, sugar-infused smiles are everywhere, the post-festivity health dance can be real. Say hello to these insanely delicious, lightened-up leftover candy cookies.
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These super-soft, scrumptious little cookies will stretch the Halloween magic a few days longer. Your kiddos can help transform their loot into a whole new treat without adding to the sugar guilt.
These chocolate cookies get their insane flavor and texture from a couple of tablespoons of instant chocolate pudding. If you've never tried instant pudding in a cookie recipe, you're in for a serious treat. It keeps your cookies perfectly soft on the inside but lends the most magical little crunch to the outside.
If you don't have instant pudding mix on hand, no worries. Swap for extra cocoa powder. The texture won't be quite the same, but the flavor will 100% be there.
Looking for more recipes for delicious baked treats? Check out our healthy but out-of-this-world pumpkin spice donuts, my all-time favorite blueberry scones, or these wholesome sugared plum bars!
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Leftover Candy Cookie Ingredients
If you want to keep these cookies lighter, opt for avocado oil and Stevia.
No oat flour on hand? No worries -
Chocolate Candy Cookie Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ยบ F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.
- Chop up a handful of your favorite leftover chocolate-based candy.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oat flour, cocoa powder, chocolate instant pudding mix, cornstarch, and a sprinkle of salt.
- In another bowl, introduce softened butter (or the superhero, avocado oil) to coconut sugar and a touch of white sugar or stevia. Cream them together until thoroughly combined. Add an egg and some vanilla, mix everything up thoroughly.
- Blend your wet and dry ingredients together until they're just coming together, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get any loose flour. Fold in your chopped candy and oats.
- If you have the time, pop the dough into the fridge for about 30 minutes. Otherwise, use a cookie scoop to portion big spoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheets, giving the cookies a couple inches of space to spread in between. Lightly press the dough down with your fingertips of the back of a spatula, and top with extra candy if desired.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, the cookies should still look shiny when you pull them out of the oven. Let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking will give you the best texture, but it's not necessary.
Substitutions
- Candy - Play around with your chocolate-based favorites, the more variety the merrier.
- Oat Flour - Whole wheat or all-purpose flour can be used if you're not aiming for gluten-free.
- Butter - Replace with avocado oil or melted coconut oil.
Store & Reheat
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temp for up to five days.
- Leftover cookies can be frozen for up to two months. Let them thaw at room temp for a few hours before eating.
- Cookie dough can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to three months. Just make sure it's tightly wrapped and in a freezer-safe container or bag, and don't forget to date it!
FAQ
These lightened-up leftover candy cookies are your ticket to extending the Halloween happiness. Share your thoughts and fav candy combos in the comments below!
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Recipe
Leftover Chocolate Candy Cookies
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon chocolate instant pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- ยผ teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee
- ยฝ cup coconut sugar
- ยผ cup white sugar or stevia
- ยฝ cup butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยฝ cup old-fashioned oats
- 3 kit-kat bars chopped
- 3 peanut butter cups chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยบF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift together oat flour, cocoa powder, instant pudding, cornstarch, salt, and espresso powder in a large mixing bowl.
- In another bowl, cream the softened butter and sugars (or stevia if used). Add the egg and vanilla, and continue mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they're just combined, making sure to scrape the edges of the bowl for any loose flour. The batter will be thick, and there should still be some clumps and streaks of flour throughout.
- Fold in the oats and chopped candy, making sure not to overmix. Scoop the cookie dough into 1.5 tablespoon portions onto the lined baking sheets and press the dough down slightly with your fingertips or the back of a spatula.
- Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should still shine slightly on the tops, and the sides should look set. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Feel free to get creative with candy choices.
- Avocado oil or melted coconut oil can be used in place of butter.
- Stevia can be substituted for the white sugar.
- Opt for extra cocoa powder if you don't have instant pudding mix on hand.
Nutrition
kitchenverve.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes on our site. This information is provided as a courtesy from online calculators and should be used only as an estimate. Although we attempt to provide the most accurate nutritional information possible, these figures will vary based on your chosen ingredients and cooking methods.
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