If you like candy corn and buttercream, then you’re in for a treat! These candy corn cookie bars are packed full of the popular Halloween candy, and they’re topped with a simple and delicious buttercream icing that’ll have you licking the spatula!

Candy corn is probably one of the most polarizing Halloween treats ever… you either love it or you hate it. And my daughters and I are definitely Team Candy Corn! So much so that I even buy it year round and keep a bag stashed in my desk drawer… but, shhhhhh, don’t tell my kids!

So since Halloween is right around the corner, I’ve been trying to come up with easy dessert bar recipes that incorporate one of our favorite fall candies!

And these Candy Corn Cookie Bars are the perfect Halloween treat for my fellow candy corn lovers!

They can be whipped up pretty quickly, and these Halloween cookie bars would be great to gift to neighbors in a “You’ve Been Boo’ed” basket or to set out on the dessert table for your Halloween party with these festive spider web cake mix cookies! Here’s how to make them:

Ingredients for Candy Corn Cookie Bars

To make these sweet Halloween cookie bars, you will need these common baking ingredients that you probably already have on hand:

For the Cookie Bars:

• unsalted butter
• cream cheese
• granulated sugar
• brown sugar
• large egg
• vanilla extract
• all purpose flour
• kosher salt
• white chocolate chips
• candy corn

For the Frosting:

• unsalted butter
• cream cheese
• powdered sugar
• salt
• vanilla extract

How to Make Candy Corn Cookie Bars

These Halloween cookie bars are loaded with white chocolate chips and candy corn, and they’re super easy to make! Just be sure that you follow the directions for cooling so that the candy corn doesn’t stick to the pan after your bars are cooked, and be sure to serve these treats at room temp… If you try to eat them right out of the fridge, the candy corn will be too tough to chew.

Here’s how to make these delicious candy corn cookie bars, which are quite possibly my new favorite Halloween dessert:

Step 1: Make the Halloween cookie bar dough.

Start off by making the cookie bar dough while your oven is preheating to 350 degrees. Just like you would for most homemade cookies, first cream the room temperature butter and cream cheese together, and then add in the sugars. Next, add in the other wet ingredients and mix well before adding in the dry ingredients.

One thing I would suggest… follow the mixing time suggestions in the recipe. It may seem like your ingredients are incorporated well, and you may think that you don’t need to mix in the stand mixer for as long as suggested, but just trust me.

And get ready to get an arm workout also! The batter will be thick, so just be prepared when you fold in the white chocolate chips and candy corn.

Once the batter for your candy corn cookie bars is all done, spread it evenly in the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ baking dish that has been lined on the bottom and sides with parchment paper. The parchment paper helps the candy corn from sticking to the pan… if you’ve ever melted candy corn, you know that they are super sticky! Plus, if you leave enough parchment paper sticking out the sides, then you can use that to help you lift the cookie bar out of the pan when it’s time to transfer it to a cooling rack later.

Here’s what my candy corn cookie batter looked like before going in the oven:

Step 2: Bake the candy corn bars.

Once your candy corn cookie bars are ready to bake, simply put them in the preheated 350 degree oven.

The Halloween cookie bars should take approximately 25-30 minutes to bake, but don’t wait for them to turn golden brown! The bar is done when the top is just barely starting to turn “golden” (without the brown)… in fact, you may not notice that much of a color difference between the uncooked batter and the finished cookie bars.

You can always do the toothpick or knife test to check for doneness also. Then, when the candy corn cookie bars are done, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Remember, you can use the edges of your parchment paper to help you transfer to the wire rack, or turn a plate upside down on top of the bar and flip the whole bar onto the plate (so the bars will then be upside down).

VERY IMPORTANT – Be sure that you remove the parchment paper from the bars immediately after the 10 minute cool down period. If you don’t the melted candy corn will harden back up and stick to the parchment paper. No fun!

Step 3: Make the homemade buttercream icing.

The homemade buttercream icing is super simple to make, but it is probably one of the best homemade frostings I’ve ever had!

Just add the room temperature butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Then, add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and beat on medium speed until the icing is light and fluffy. Again, I recommend that you follow the mixing time suggestions in the recipe.

Here’s what the icing looks like:

Step 4: Frost the candy corn cookie bars and serve!

Once the cookie bar is completely cooled, you can go ahead and frost it. Then, decorate with some extra candy corn if you wish. Or, you can also add some festive Halloween themed sprinkles to the top of the candy corn cookie bars instead.

When you’re done decorating, place the cookie bar in the fridge for an hour or so to allow the frosting to set. If you don’t the icing will be much too soft to cut into nice squares.

When the icing has had a chance to set up, cut the bar into about 16 smaller squares. These candy corn bars are really pretty sweet, so I recommend portions that are more the size of a piece of fudge instead of an actual cookie.

Next, and this is very important, allow the candy corn cookie bars to come back up to room temperature before serving! If you serve them cool or right out of the fridge, the candy corn in the bars will be much too hard to eat and enjoy.

And don’t be surprised if you eat 2 or 3 bars in one sitting. I kept finding myself sneaking back into the kitchen for just another bite!

FAQ’s about Making the Candy Corn Cookie Bars

How many servings does this Halloween cookie bar recipe make?

These cookie bars are pretty sweet (they’re made with sugary candy corn after all!) which is why I have suggested 16 servings as opposed to the 9 servings common for 8×8” pans. Think of the serving size more like the size of a piece of fudge.

Won’t the candy corn melt while baking?

Yes, the candy corn will melt during baking and may stick to the pan… That’s why I suggest using the parchment paper to line the baking pan. Also, be sure to remove the cookie from the pan and parchment paper after 10 minutes of cooling so the candy corn does not harden and stick to the pan and parchment paper.

Can I make these Halloween treats in advance? How long will they stay good?

Yes, you can absolutely make these candy corn cookie bars 1 to 2 days before serving. They actually taste GREAT the second day.

Leftover cookie bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, but you definitely want to serve them at room temperature or the candy corn is a bit harder.

Any tips for making the buttercream frosting?

Make extra! This is definitely my new favorite frosting recipe, and I’ll be recycling it for cakes and cupcakes too. But seriously, do not skip placing the cookie in the fridge to allow the frosting to set before cutting. The frosting will be very soft and will be difficult to cut before it is set.

I hope you guys enjoy these delicious Halloween cookie bars! They seemed to disappear from the kitchen counter pretty quickly in our house… In fact, we had the entire tupperware emptied in about 24 hours, and that was just our family of four! They were kind of like Lay’s potato chips… once you pop, you can’t stop!

If you make them, let me know what you think! And be sure to check out some of my other Halloween treat ideas:

Spider Web Cake Mix Cookies – These delicious and festive spider web cookies are made with cake mix and a super yummy chocolate ganache!

Mummy Rice Krispies Treats – Whip up a batch of these awesome Rice Krispies Treats, and then use white chocolate melts to decorate them like Halloween mummies!

Candy Corn Cookie Bars Recipe

Want to add these yummy sweet cookie bars to your Halloween dessert rotation or your list of candy corn recipes? Use the recipe card below to print the candy corn cookie bars recipe:

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