Halloween candy, we love you, we cherish you, but we need you to disappear. Whether you picked up a reasonable five bags for your 10 trick-or-treaters or went too hard on the November 1 markdowns, these Monster Cookie Party Bars from Jenna Barnard (aka Butternut Bakery) are your exit strategy.
From her new cookbook, Simple Sugar, the one-bowl recipe takes a monster cookie (think: the holy trinity of peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chip), loads it with M&M’s and peanut butter cups, and turns it into soft, chewy bars that are technically shareable.
Even better? Add whatever candy you need to dispose of ASAP, and you won’t have to spend another night pounding fun-sized Kit Kats on the couch. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The Time Commitment: About 45 minutes, plus cooling.
Key Tips: For the most even bake, Barnard recommends a light-colored aluminum pan. No kitchen scale? Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off, which she says might be the key to bars that aren’t dry.
Monster Cookie Party Bars
MAKES 12 OR 16 BARS
A few words from recipe creator, Jenna Barnard:
When I was young, a neighbor dropped off cookies that became an instant obsession. “WHAT are those?” I asked, as my entire childhood changed. I had never had a monster cookie—an oat and peanut butter cookie jam-packed with M&Ms and chocolate chips— and from then on, I requested my mom to make them for any and every event. The only way for me to improve on the perfect cookie was adding more peanut butter in my favorite form: peanut butter cups. Baking them as a bar creates more surface area and thus more peanut butter. It’s not a party without them.
Ingredients:
Nonstick spray, for the pan
½ cup (120g) creamy (not natural) peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy
½ cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) refined coconut oil, melted
1 large egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (100g) old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (115g) spooned and leveled all-purpose flour
¾ (150g) regular M&Ms
½ cup (85g) semisweet chocolate chips
6 peanut butter cups (regular size, or use 12 mini cups)
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the inside of an 8 × 8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and line
the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper.In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, coconut oil, egg,
maple syrup, vanilla, and kosher salt until smooth. Switch to a silicone spatula and mix in the oats
and flour until the flour is just barely visible. Just before it’s fully mixed, add the M&M’s and
chocolate chips and fold to combine.Plop the dough into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Press the peanut butter cups
into the dough just so they stay put, arranged to your heart’s desire. They can be left whole for big
bites or chopped.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the surface no longer appears glossy and wet. Sprinkle with a pinch
of flaky sea salt and as many sprinkles as you like. Let cool at room temperature in the pan for 20
minutes, and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely, about an hour, before slicing into
12 or 16 bars and serving.The cut bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Simple Swaps
GF: Use 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour, certified gluten-free oats, and gluten-free peanut butter cups.
DF: Use dairy-free chocolate chips, candies, and peanut butter cups.
GF & DF: Both work at the same time.
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