Candy, cookie chunks, and chocolate chips add a fun flair to these easy Loaded Blonde Brownies.  These cookie bars are the perfect way to use up all that extra candy.

Every year I buy bags of candy to pass out at Halloween, and each year we end up with lots of leftover candy still in our house.  

Our kids had a bunch of friends over for a party, so I had high hopes that the teenagers in our house would help eat the candy. That didn’t happen, so now I need to find creative ways to use it up before I eat it all.  

The Snickers bars keep calling my name, so maybe I should make this Apple Snickers Cake with the rest of them and give it all away.

These loaded blondie bars are so full of delicious goodness like caramel candy bars and Oreo cookie chunks! Oh, and M&M’s! And chocolate chips! And toffee bits!

I used the recipe for these M&M Blonde Brownies and then emptied all the half used bags of baking goodies from the pantry and some candy bars from the leftover Halloween candy into the blonde brownie dough! Best idea ever!!!

My sweet tooth has been getting the best of me lately. And with the holidays happening right around the corner, I need a plan.

I have decided on lots of cardio, some weight lifting, and eating right. The eating right part is what I struggle with the most, but it’s the part that needs to happen the most.

The problem is that I like things like Reese’s Popcorn and Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake a little too much. Doggone sweet tooth gets me every.single.time.

What is a blonde brownie?

A blonde brownie is a brownie made with vanilla and brown sugar. The brown sugar and butter combination creates a thick butterscotch like bar cookie.

Please do not substitute margarine in place of the butter. It doesn’t work well and will not taste good.

A basic blonde brownie recipe is perfect for adding a variety of different of mix-ins. There is no wrong answer here.  Have fun and empty all the bags into the cookie dough.

Blonde brownie mix-ins:

• baking chips – white, chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter
• candy – M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, Peanut Butter Cups, Rolos, any candy bar
• fruit – craisins, chocolate covered raisins, banana chips, coconut
• toffee bits
• cookies – Oreos, Nutter Butters, chocolate chip cookies
• nuts – almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, macadamias
• any combination from above

Blonde brownies are one of our favorite desserts. Usually I under bake them because we prefer them gooey and delicious. If you want yours a little more done and easier to pick up, make sure you bake them the full time.

If you are making chewy blonde brownies for a bake sale make sure to bake the full time too.

How to make Loaded Blonde Brownies:

1. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients and slowly add it to the butter mixture.
3. Stir in all the mix ins you want in your cookie bars. Spread the batter in a pan and bake 22-25 minutes.  (less time for gooey bars or more time for firmer bars)
4. Cool the blonde brownies completely before cutting into bars.

Pro Tip: Be careful not to over bake the bar cookies. They will look undone when you pull them out of the oven. This is normal because they will set up as they cool. Trust me on this.

If you over bake them, they will be hard and crumbly when you cut into them later. 

CLICK HERE TO PIN THE RECIPE FOR LATER!

More easy cookie bars you may like:

• S’mores Swirled Blondies
• Caramel Pretzel Peanut Butter M&M Bars
• Oreo Reese’s Brownies
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Crumb Bars
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

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Loaded Blonde Brownies

Yield: 24 blonde brownies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes

Lots of candy, cookie chunks, and chocolate chips make these Loaded Blonde Brownies such a sweet treat to make. Perfect way to use up extra bags of candy in the pantry!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup Oreo cookie chunks
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toffee bits
• 1/2 cup M&M's candies
• 1/2 cup chopped caramel candy bars

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until creamy and light. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
3. Slowly add the dry ingredients while mixing on low.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips, toffee, M&M's, and candy bars by hand. Reserve a few of the chocolate chips and M&M's to sprinkle on top of the batter in the pan, if desired.
5. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes, depending on if you want gooey or firmer bars. (see note below)
6. Set on a wire rack until cooled completely. (Do not cut until cooled all the way)

Notes

*We always bake these bars for 22-23 minutes which will result in a gooey center. If you want a firmer bar, bake them for 24-25 minutes. Do not over bake them though. They will look under done when they come out of the oven, but they will set up as they cool.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 285Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 231mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 3g

Did you make this recipe?

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(original photo from March 2012)

*The post for Loaded Blonde Brownies was first published on March 19, 2012. The photos were updated July 2016, and the post was republished on November 2, 2019.