Description
Delight in festive Candy Corn Cookie Bars featuring a vibrant two-tone cookie base topped with creamy vanilla frosting and candy corn decorations. Perfect for Halloween or any celebration, these bars combine soft, buttery cookies with a sweet, smooth frosting to create a fun and tasty treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies
- ½ cup butter – softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Yellow gel food coloring
- Orange gel food coloring
For the Frosting
- ½ cup butter – softened
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup candy corn
- Yellow & orange sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly butter or spray with oil to prevent sticking.
- Cream butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat together the softened butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, creating a smooth batter base.
- Add wet ingredients. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined with the creamed butter and sugar.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt ensuring even distribution of the leavening agents and seasoning.
- Mix dry into wet ingredients. Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing until the dough is well incorporated and holds together.
- Divide and color dough. Split the dough evenly in half. Knead yellow gel food coloring into one half until evenly mixed, then repeat with orange food coloring for the other half.
- Form cookie layers. Press the yellow dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Roll or press out the orange dough on parchment paper into an 8×8 square and carefully layer it on top of the yellow dough, lightly pressing it to adhere.
- Bake the cookies. Bake the layered dough for 22 minutes or until just set; avoid overbaking to keep the cookies soft and moist.
- Cool the cookie base. Remove from the oven and transfer the pan to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare the frosting. Place softened butter in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add vanilla and continue mixing.
- Add cream and powdered sugar. Gradually add heavy cream and half of the powdered sugar, mixing well. Then add the remaining powdered sugar and salt, beating until smooth and creamy frosting forms.
- Frost the cookie bars. Spread the frosting evenly across the cooled cookie bars using a spatula.
- Decorate and serve. Top with candy corn and optional yellow and orange sprinkles for festive flair. Cut into 9 squares and enjoy.
Notes
- Store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
- Use gel food coloring sparingly for vibrant colors without altering dough consistency.
- Do not overbake the cookie bars to prevent dryness; cookies should be just set when removed from the oven.
- You can substitute heavy cream with full-fat milk if needed, but frosting may be less rich.
- For easier layering, roll out the orange dough between parchment papers to avoid sticking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
