White Chocolate Candy Corn Cookies — These Halloween cookies are PACKED with candy corn and white chocolate chips. They’re easy to make and are always a hit with the kids!
Creating These Candy Corn Cookies
Candy corn. Oh, the memories of a few pieces clanking against the bottom of my trick-or-treating bucket. On Halloween, houses that ran out of fun-sized Snickers, or so-called ‘good’ candy, used to toss out candy corn.
After seeing it recently appear in stores for the season I promptly tossed it into my cart not knowing for sure what I was going to make with it. I baked it into the most soft, tender, buttery cookie dough base in my cookie arsenal. And then I added white chocolate chips.
I used a dough base I haven’t used in about a year. It’s one I used for both my Maraschino Cherry White Chocolate Cookies and my Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies, which are cookies inspired by my Cranberry Bliss Bars. I like this dough base for recipes where I want a softer, lighter, more delicate and tender dough, and when white chocolate is involved.
This dough is slightly sweeter and creamier than my trusty chocolate chip cookie dough base. Candy corn would have been fine in that base too, but it really shines in this dough. The dough is reminiscent of Lofthouse cookie dough, minus the cake flour. It calls for 2 tablespoons of cream or half-and-half which isn’t much, but the milk really tenderizes the dough and it just melt in your mouth.
When I had previously used this base, I hadn’t yet hopped on the cornstarch bandwagon. So this time around I added two teaspoons, like I do with most of my cornstarch cookies. It helps create a softbatch-style cookie that’s so soft and supple, without turning cakey.
I had no idea my 6-year-old loved candy corn as much as she did until she went nuts over it these cookies. Growing up with more sugar in our house than in many bakeries, she’s usually pretty immune to what I make. Like me, it takes quite a bit to get her excited anymore.
After one of these she said, “Mom, I’m going to be thinking about these cookies all day tomorrow at school.”
I said, “Well sweetie if you want another one now, go for it.”
If I had a 6-year-old metabolism, I’d have seconds when fresh cookies were involved.
But she said, “No, I’d rather not so I can dream about them all day tomorrow.”
What’s in These Candy Corn Cookies?
To make this candy corn recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Cream or half-and-half
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Candy corn
- White chocolate chips
How to Make Candy Corn Cookies
To make these Halloween cookies, you’ll first need to cream together the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture and stir until just combined, then gently fold in the candy corn and white chocolate chips.
Then, scoop out the dough. I made 20 mounds of dough, each about 2 heaping tablespoons of dough. Because the candy corn and white chocolate chips are bulky, the raw dough mounds look quite large before being baked, but in the oven and as the dough cooks down around the candy corn and chips, the cookies flatten and turn out to be of average size.
Once you’ve formed the cookie dough balls, they need to chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Once the dough has been chilled, you’re ready to bake the cookies.
I bake these candy corn cookies for just over 9 minutes. They’ll look very pale, glossy, and underdone, but they set up dramatically as they cool. Because this dough base is so buttery, baking longer than about 10 minutes could result in the undersides become overly browned.
Can I Freeze Candy Corn Cookie Dough?
Yes, absolutely! I would freeze the dough itself once rolled into mounds, and from there it will keep for probably 3 to 4 months in the freezer. You can bake the cookie dough balls from frozen (no need to thaw).
Can I Add Other Mix-Ins?
Yes, but I wouldn’t add more than 2ish cups of mix-ins total. Otherwise your cookie dough will be impossible to shape into balls.
Can I Make These Cookies Gluten-Free?
I haven’t tried that myself, so I can’t say for sure. Try making these with a gluten-free flour blend intended for baking and see how they turn out!
Can I Make These as Cookie Bars?
I haven’t tried this exact recipe as candy corn cookie bars, but I do have a recipe for Candy Corn White Chocolate M&M’s Blondies you might like.
Can I Omit the Cornstarch?
Technically, yes. However, I can’t guarantee that your Halloween cookies will turn out exactly like mine did if you omit the cornstarch. If you make these candy corn cookies without the cornstarch, please leave me a comment down below letting me know how they turn out!
Can I Scale Back the Amount of Mix-Ins?
Yes, feel free to add less chocolate chips and candy corn, if desired. I like these cookies as is, but I know everyone has different tastes, so tweak this recipe as desired.
Tips for Making Candy Corn Cookies
This is very, very important. Do NOT allow the candy corn pieces to lay directly on your baking tray and shield the candy with a pinch of dough. Candy corn is prone to burning, melting, and turning into a hot, crispy, lacey mess if baked directly on a hot tray. The candy corn that’s in the interior of the cookies should not melt or run, provided your dough was chilled before baking. After baking, it takes on a slightly chewier texture that’s scrumptious.
To make sure none of the candy corn is touching the baking tray, I simply check the bottom of the chilled cookie dough balls and push any stray candy corn pieces into the center of the dough as needed. Exposed candy corn on top of the cookie dough balls should be fine, but you don’t want any coming in contact with the hot baking tray.
Also note that you can use salted peanuts in place of the white chocolate chips. Peanuts balance out the sweet candy corn perfectly and make these Halloween cookies salty-sweet.
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White Chocolate Candy Corn Cookies
These candy corn cookies are PACKED with candy corn and white chocolate chips. They're easy to make and are always a hit with the kids!Â
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, soften
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cream or half-and-half
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 1/2 cups candy corn (10 to 11 ounces)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (or salted peanuts)
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric hand mixer), cream together the first 5 ingredients (through vanilla) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the next 5 ingredients (through optional salt), and mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute; don’t overmix.
- Add the candy corn, white chocolate chips (or peanuts), and mix until just incorporated.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two-tablespoon mounds (I made 20). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
- Important note – Strategically place candy corn so that it’s not baking directly on cookie sheet because it will melt, burn, or turn runny if it is. The candy corn pieces need to be in the interior of the cookies, shielded and buffered by dough.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not overbake because cookies will firm up as they cool. Baking longer than 10 minutes could result in cookies with overly browned undersides.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooking.
Notes
Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 86mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 0gSugar: 28gProtein: 2g
More Halloween Desserts:
Lofthouse Soft Sugar Sprinkle Cookies — The texture of these cookies is similar to Lofthouse-Style sugar cookies. They’re buttery soft and light, without being airy or cakey.
Candy Corn and White Chocolate Blondies — The blondies are super soft, slightly chewy, and buttery. The candy corn stays chewy after it’s baked and the contrast of the dense, moist, tender bars against the chewy candy corn is great.
Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies — Between the molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin pie spice extract, the cookies beautifully showcase the flavors of fall.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Bars — The bars are no-bake, easy, loaded with bold peanut butter flavor, and plenty of chocolate. There’s both a layer of melted chocolate and assorted candy bar pieces adorn the top.
Chocolate Chip M&M’s Halloween Cookies — Super soft, perfectly chewy, BROWNED BUTTER cookies that are LOADED with M&M’s and chocolate chips!
Loaded Halloween Cream Cheese Brownies – Ultra fudgy, rich brownies topped with a layer of orange cream cheese, sandwich cookies, and chocolate chips!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies – Rich, fudgy brownies topped with pumpkin and chocolate chips!
Originally posted October 6, 2013 and reposted October 30, 2020 with updated text.
What was the big feather ruffler??? Not sure about that spelling🤔 I’m mystified???
Candy corn. It’s a “controversial” ingredient for many…people either love it or hate it! :) Like I have found over the years Cool Whip, cream of mushroom soup, and cake mix even.
i cannot wait to try this recipe. i don’t like white chocolate at all, so i will use the salted peanuts. than i’m going to try the candy corn blondies, again using salted peanuts instead of white chocolate. after that, carrot apple cream cheese tunnel cake because that video popped up on the side while i was here.
That’s great and I am so glad you are going to give these cookies a try! Honestly the cookie dough based is soooo sooo good. I have a cranberry white choc holiday cookie (sorry that they all seem to have white choc in them) that I also use this base in and it’s just so buttery and rich and great. Enjoy these and the blondies with the salted peanuts and the carrot apple tunnel cake!
Can I make these smaller? (1 Tabl.) ??
Yes but make sure you make them big enough to actually stuff the candy corn inside the dough and not let it outside the dough ball or touching the sheet pan based on my advice in the post. That is going to be harder to do with a lesser amount of dough used.
What a fun recipe. I have a candy corn craving (problem) and googled recipes and found this gem. I was happy with the results for my first time trying it out. The key is to carefully follow the directions and tips to avoid any candy corn fail. I took extra time to imbed the candy corn so none were exposed at the bottom. This was challenging and time consuming. Not every cookie was pretty, but they all tasted great. If preparing for a party or special event, I’d suggest a practice batch first. Towards the end, seemed I had extra corn and chips left but no dough remaining. Next time I would use slightly less candy corn.
Thanks for the detailed and thorough review. You’re right on all counts – that if you’re making this for an event or party, make a test batch first; and I can see how you may have a bit of chips/corn leftover but used up the dough so you could scale those back slightly. I must eat them as I go along making the cookies out of the mixing bowl :)
And yes, definitely have to follow the directions and tips to avoid fails which it sounds like you did and glad these turned out well for you!
Very well Explained! Great work!
What an interesting recipe. I think I like this recipe. Nice review. Thanks for sharing wonderful content.
These are the best cookies I have ever made and eaten!! To die for! My sister kept eating the dough so I am shocked they even made it into the fridge to chill. I had 5 right after they were done cooling haha they just looked so beautiful. The cooking time is spot on. I left a tray in for 11 minutes because the tops were so light but the bottoms got golden brown. 9-10 is the perfect time. I used chocolate covered peanuts, doughnut flavored candy corn, sprinkles and white chocolate chips! The candy corn melted a bit around the edges and got caramelized like creme brûlée. It was pure sugary heaven. I am a huge candy corn fan and you made me love them even more. I even sandwiched a few with buttercream because I like my sugar with a side of sugar haha Thank you so much for this recipe! I will be making it for the rest of my life!!! If you are reading this, make them! You wont regret it!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are the best cookies you’ve ever eaten!
I made these yesterday to go with Halloween drinks and my friends ate them in about ten minutes flat. And most claimed that they usually don’t like candy corn! I wish I had doubled the recipe and hid some away for myself because I am still dreaming of them. Two notes: First, I omitted the cornstarch and I could not see anything wrong with the structure or the texture of the cookies. That said, this was my first time making them so I wouldn’t know the difference. Second, I added the candy corn to each individual cookie mound and none of it melted or spilled. Right before I put the trays in the oven, I stuck a few pieces in each cookie mound, making sure to put them all in the middle. Then, right when they came out of the oven, I added a couple more pieces to the top of each cookie. All the candies maintained their shape. A little extra work but definitely worth it for appearance and taste!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they were gone in 10 minutes flat!
Glad to know that without cornstarch they were still great. And I think your technique of adding the candy corn to each cookie is great with no melting or spilling!
I made them with candy corn, peanuts, and chocolate chips, and they were amazing. I did have to let them sit on the pan for more like fifteen minutes, though, or they totally fell apart. Even then I wasn’t sure they’d set up, but they were absolutely perfect when completely cooled.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they were amazing! Yes they a more delicate cookie and allowing them to rest as long as they need on the sheet pan is recommended.
Can I use salted butter?
Yes but just note that they cookies will have a saltier final taste. As long as you’re ok with sweet and salty desserts you’ll be fine.
Thank you for answering! I can’t wait to make these!
I’m rating a 4 because I’m not sure where I went wrong but a lot of the candy corn melted, I think maybe I’ll use less candy corn next time because it was difficult to keep them tucked away. But the taste is AMAZING!!!!
Yes candy corn does melt easily because it’s pure sugar but sounds like you were able to make things work well overall. Glad the taste is amazing!
looks yummy! would love to ty- any alterations at a high altitude?
Since I don’t bake at high altitude I really can’t offer any specific advice. I’d say start by trying what you normally when baking cookies if there are tricks that you know work well.
The POWER of this cookie dough is truly amazing. A few years back, I tried this recipe and failed miserably. This time around, and the few before this one, I’ve utterly fallen in love with this dough. It is everything I want in a cookie – somewhat flat, soft and chewy, moist when out of the oven and simply impeccable! The half and half milk changes EVERYTHING and I don’t think I’ll ever be over it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad to hear you’ve fallen in love with this dough now!
Do you have to use corn starch?
You don’t absolutely have to but I recommend it for optimal results.
If you used the different colored candy corn and put a little orange food coloring in the mix – it would look like vomit. My warped friends would love that…
As always, Averie has given us another excellent recipe. I divided the batter and did 1/2 with white chips and 1/2 with semi-sweet. They are awesome, a definite keeper
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
If I wanted to make these into pumpkin cookies (instead of just a regular flavor cookie), what would be the best way to go about it? Adding pumpkin spice and/or canned pumpkin puree?
I would use this recipe https://www.averiecooks.com/2015/09/soft-and-chewy-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies.html and then add candy corn if you’d like.
Hi, Averie! I LOVE these cookies! Quick question: do you have any idea how the dough, or even the baked cookies themselves, freeze? Scared if I make them, I’ll eat all of them! ;) Thanks!
I would freeze the dough itself once rolled into mounds and from there it will keep for probably 3-4 mos in the freezer.
Found this recipe three years and make them every Fall. They are always a huge hit. I think it’s the delicious dough! I’m not even a candy corn fan!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it’s a falltime favorite!
I love making these cookies in October, they’re definitely a favorite among my friends, but I’ve learned the best way to handle them is with parchment paper (or a silpat, probably) because even when you’re cautious, candy corn can seep out and be a nightmare on your baking sheets.
I love that these are an annual tradition for you, and yes absolutely must use a Silpat or parchment because as you said, even when you’re careful, there’s nothing like molten sugar to wreak havoc on your baking sheets!
I know this recipe is old but some suggestions to improve at.
1. Entirely too many mix ins. Its almost impossible to fully encase all of that candy corn in dough. Cut those volumes in half and CHOP your candy corn.
2. Cream the butter and sugar then add the egg and and vanilla otherwise the butter will stay lumpy and separated.
3. 10 mins means these cookies are basically still dough and dont have much integrity. The only reason for the short back time is the candy corn will liquefy and make a total mess. But if you reduce the amount of candy corn and chop it so it can be mixed properly this is less of an issue and you can bump up the bake to time to 12-14 minutes.
Otherwise the dough recipe is delicious and absolutely amazing for soft chewy cookies. I do 100% recommend following that chilling protocol and to put the dough in oven as cold as possible or else these cookies will migrate into one giant candy corn monster
1. I think you can reduce the amount if desired but if your goal is to use up all that candy corn you may have laying around this time of year, you can still get it all in if you’re determined.
2. I do not have that problem and I wrote this recipe when I had a toddler and every shortcut I could take, I did. And I have tested it both ways and honestly, not an appreciable difference. However, do it with whatever method you prefer.
3. 10 minutes is perfect in my oven for the size of dough I am dealing with in normal cookie sizing – but honestly well protected, even at 12 mins the candy corn is still fine if you tuck it inside dough. But if you are trying to bake a very large cookie, then 10 mins will not be enough to cook them, and so this isn’t the recipe to try to make oversized cookies with.
I do also have a blondie recipe https://www.averiecooks.com/candy-corn-and-white-chocolate-blondies/ that bakes for 22 mins or so, so it’s possible to bake longer and the cc doesn’t liquify if done properly.
Thanks for all your comments and suggestions and I hope you loved the cookies!
I just made these today for National Candy Corn day!! They are so amazing, I’m so excited to share them with my friends! Thanks so much Averie, I absolutely love all of your recipes! :)Â
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
I’m going to try these cookies tonight! I was wondering if I didn’t have an electronic mixer am I completely in trouble? Thanks!!!Â
It’s very hard to cream butter and sugar together by hand to get the same fluffy texture you do with a mixer. Go to Target or the local drugstore and just buy a cheapie to get you by!
Just made these tonight to take to a bake sale at work this week. OMG, they are so good (of COURSE I had to sneak one to test it out!). Â I bet they’ll be some of the first treats to sell! If you follow the instructions, they bake up perfectly! :)Â
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I hope they sell super fast for you :) If I were there, I’d buy the whole lot!
Is there anyway to convert this recipe to gluten-free? I made them last year and loved them but have recently found out I am gluten-intolerant. Â :)Â
You could try with a GF flour blend that’s designed for baking and see how it works!
Next time I would add candy corn last and place on cookies by hand. It was hard keeping them from ending up on bottom.
These look amazing (but so does everything else you make)!
I’m thinking about making them for a Halloween party I have coming up, but I know I won’t have time to do anything other than cook them. How long do you think the dough would last in the freezer?
If you read step 5. of the directions, I outlined my best educated guesses for all forms of storage, raw, baked, etc. Enjoy the cookies!
While these looked SO GOOD, sadly they were a melted candy corn disaster. Â The candy corns melted during the baking. Â I only baked 8-9 minutes at 350. Â I’m not sure how they failed, but I have 10 boys on the way over, so I now do not have cookies to serve. Â Oh well — I am happy to try again if anyone can give me a tip as to how to avoid the candy corns melting. Â Thanks!!
You have to enclose/cover/shield the candy corn from direct contact with the baking sheet. Candy corn does melt when exposed to heat (it’s just sugar and water) but if you shield it with dough it’s more resistant to melting.
Hi. Â Let me start by saying how much I love all your cookie recipes. Â Unfortunately, there is a but in this comments for these particular cookies. Â I followed the instructions perfectly and even left the dough mounds in the refrigerator for a day and a half and baked them on silpat. Â The first 8 cookies I put in looked great after the first 5 minutes. Â At the 10 minute mark, they were spread all over the place and the candy corn was bubbling inside the now flat cookies. Â I still took them out and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Â The cookies were totally raw and I had to mush them off the silpat. Â The second 8 cookies I baked for 12 minutes. Â Again, they were raw, mushy, flat and spread all over the place. Â I have been baking for years and I have no idea what I did wrong. Â I gave up on the third batch because even after 12-13 minutes, the cookies were still raw and flat and did not harden even after cooling on the cookie sheet. Â I made exactly 24 cookie mounds and they all looked pretty even. Â I know this is something I did wrong, but I’m not sure what it is. Â Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Â And I want to say again, that I have made many of your cookie recipes without any problems and they were delicious. Â I’m baffled at this one.
Thanks for trying so many recipes of mine and it sounds like they’ve all been successful with the exception of this one. The fact that they’re spreading so much leads me to believe that possibly the baking soda wasn’t acting properly (replace it) and/or maybe you slightly under-measured the flour. I love King Arthur Flour and swear by it for success and it’s more than worth the extra couple bucks so I would try that flour. This is a softer dough and a more delicate cookie in that you will have to watch them very carefully to find that sweet spot of done but not burnt, but addressing the spreading issue with new flour and baking soda will help a lot. LMK if you re-try!
Hi, I’m wondering if this recipe will still work if I make the cookies smaller and baked them after just a few hours of being in the fridge? Â I would like to make these for my brother in college, and I want to get them to him right away. Â He loves candy corn, but when I saw that these cookies had to be refrigerated for multiple days, I was worried. Â Will what I suggested work, or is there another recipe that includes candy corn that you suggest.
Re-read step 4. You don’t have to chill for multiple days, but you can if you’d like to. You need to chill for at least 3 hours.
I can’t wait to try this. It is so intriguing! I’ll follow and try to do it at the weekend.
Thanks for your guide
I just made your cookie recipe today to take to friendsgiving tonight with my church small group, but they are still almost balls after i cooked them. Do you have any suggestions? I wonder if I just needed to flatten them more before I bake them? I tried to squish the second batch down more, but b/c they were frozen (I didn’t have enough time to let them chill, so I put them in the freezer) they wouldn’t flatten any. Ok, maybe that’s why they cooked different? B/c they were frozen? haha If you have any suggestions I would love to try them again. My husband loovvves candy corn! I was pumped to try these. Thank you!!
I think because they were frozen you probably should have baked them a bit longer and they likely would have flattened out as they baked. However, you maybe would want to flatten them a bit more as well to help encourage them to flatten.
Well, despite their original appearance they turned out delicious! Everyone went on and on about how good they were! They ended up flattening out a little more as they cooled. I did take your advice and bake the second batch a little longer and that worked great! Thanks for the awesome recipe! I’m sure I will be making them every year as candy corn is my husband’s favorite candy! :)
Glad they were a hit and that you’ll make them again next year and that the 2nd batch with slightly longer baking time was even better!
I really want to do this recipe but I have sticks of Parkay and no butter. Can I use that instead? Thanks!
I worry that the cookies will spread with Parkay, but….you can always try it. I would add an extra 1/4 cup or so of flour as insurance against spreading. May or may not help you a little!
My husband loves candy corn so I made these for him tonight. He went nuts over them! I added the candy corn (3 pieces per cookie) as I was flattening the mounds, just squishing them in until they were partially covered with the dough. They came out perfect! Can’t wait to try some of your other cookie recipes. Thanks for sharing. Happy Halloween!
added the candy corn (3 pieces per cookie) as I was flattening the mounds, just squishing them in until they were partially covered with the dough <--- great thinking! Glad they came out great for you and if you try other recipes, LMK!
I made these this week and they have been a huge hit with everyone who has tried them. I love the soft, sugar-cookie like dough with the candy corn. Great idea!
Glad they worked out great for you and that they’ve been a huge hit with everyone!
I made these yesterday and took them to work today. I live in Holland and most people have never heard of candycorn but they LOVED it! Seriously the best cookies ever, I’m going to make every combination possible in the next months. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe :)
So glad you loved these and that they were a hit at your office and that you plan to remake the recipe using every combo possible! I have done it with dried cranberries/white chocolate for Christmas and they’re awesome.
https://www.averiecooks.com/2012/12/cranberry-and-white-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
And this dough base is similar as well https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/09/buttery-pecan-pumpkin-spice-cookies.html with the cream, same ratios, etc.
Found this recipe on pin
I’m so sorry, fat fingers! Found this recipe on Pinterest and had I comment that this recipe is flawless!! Made them for a fall harvest party for teens, along with many other delicious fall treats, but these were by far the biggest hit with everyone. Literally came out perfect, just like the pic. Thank you so much!!
Literally came out perfect, just like the pic. <--- AWESOME! Glad to hear that! And glad to hear that among teens (who can be picky sometimes!) these were the biggest hit! Thanks for the compliments & trying the recipe!
I made this recipe, exactly as written, and while they tasted great, they were a pain to make and an even bigger pain to clean up. I made sure no candy corn was showing, didn’t matter, they spread, melted and burned. They were watery messes, despite chilling for 24 hours. While I appreciate your detailed instructions and “warnings”, following them to a tee did not equal the same results. Too bad, I was really wanting these to work! If I ever try them again, I think I will decrease the candy corn amount. Thanks for sharing!
Lots of people have had great success with the recipe as you can see by reading through the comments and I’m glad you enjoyed the taste.
These cookies are dynamite and you gave some great tips that helped save me from a melted candy corn disaster. I work as a professional pastry chef/pastry cook AND a food writer, and I’ve tried and madecountless cookies — these are stellar! :)
Thanks for your high praise, Tracy! It means a lot knowing that a professional pastry chef/cook and food writer gives these a big stamp of approval!
I’m sure you, as I have, have literally made thousands of cookies in your day and glad these were dynamite for you!
thank you so much for sharing. a certain ‘goth’ IG celeb would never share her candy corn cookie recipe and now i’m so happy i FINALLY can make these successfully.
THANK YOU IT’S A HALLOWEEN MIRACLE!
Happy to help and if you try them, LMK!! Didn’t know there was any famous goth celeb not sharing a recipe, but now you have mine!
Would whole milk work instead of cream or half and half?
Yes that’s fine.
I loved these cookies, but I did make a change….. I used salted peanuts instead of white chocolate. Every harvest party I go to has bowls of that combo sitting around. The salty/ sweet combo was delicious! Thank you for the base, great directions, and inspiration!
salted peanuts + candy corn = GREAT IDEA! Love that. Cuts the sweetness of the candy corn without adding more with the white chocolate…stellar idea! I’m going to make a note of this in the recipe! Glad the directions, base, and everything inspired you!
Sigh, I made these and they completely fell apart. Not one of them would retain their shape. I don’t think I let them sit in the fridge long enough. BUT, that said, they were really delicious and the candy corn is like this yummy, chewy toffee. I just wish I knew what I did wrong.
Silpat, King Arthur flour, chilled dough, and more of my tips for success here https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/02/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad the parts that worked tasted great!
I baked these up today, and while they baked up great, I am sad to say I wasn’t crazy about them :( The cookie dough is amazing, and I liked the candy corn, but I thought the white chocolate overpowered the cookies. We thought the dough to stuff ratio was off too, too much stuff for the amount of dough. I think they would have been perfect for me if I had left out the white chocolate chips.
Thanks for trying them and if you thought the white chocolate was the only thing standing in the way of these being totally perfect, that’s an easy fix to omit next time given your personal preferences…everyone’s different and while I love it as do so many others who’ve tried these, just make that tweak next time and you’re set!
These cookies changed my life.
AWESOME!! Thanks for trying the recipe!
I’m still waiting for my cookies to cool completely, but I had to eat a broken one already (darn). It was delicious! I really thought that I had inspected every cookie to make sure no cc was showing, but almost all had melted cc when I took then out. Do you think that it was because my cookies were in ball form in the refrigerator, and then when they warmed in the oven the cc became exposed or fell to the side? Fortunately, no burning, but the were really tough to get off of the cookie sheet, even with a lot of spray. Any tip you could give for shielding? Maybe a layer of dough sans cc under each cookie?
Maybe a layer of dough sans cc under each cookie? = yes, exactly! That is what I instructed in the recipe. Good luck and enjoy your cookies!
Somehow I didn’t understand that when I read shield with a pinch of dough. I think my pinch was too small. What I really needed was a thicker layer across the entire bottom. Next time for sure. These are more complex than most cookies I make, so I need the extra guidance. Thanks for your reply. I’m sure it must take a lot of your time. Best wishes!
It takes a crazy amount of time to answer all the baking questions I get, yes! :) Hours and hours per day!
What I really needed was a thicker layer across the entire bottom. = YES. No exposed candy corn touching the baking sheets, that’s what I wrote and if you do that, you will be just fine. Enjoy!
I made these cookies, which were not difficult at all because I followed all your directions. These will be a new autumn favorite. I will note one practical tip — some of the candy corns did melt on my PAM-spray infused cookie sheets. I boiled water, filled the sheets with it, and used a scrub-brush. The sheets came out perfectly clean in 1 minute.
Thank you, Leslie, for trying the recipe (as I wrote it..haha!) and glad that it worked out perfectly for you! Great tip and since candy corn is water-soluble (it’s just sugar really) not surprising it came off pretty easily with a little boiling water. I use Silpats and really NOTHING sticks to those, so I don’t even recall what cleanup was like on these other than maybe just wiping with a paper towel? Glad these are a new fall favorite for you!
These candy corn cookies sound really great but I wish there was a printable recipe. My printer keeps balking at printing one page out of 58 so I guess I won’t
There is a print button within the recipe section itself. A small circular icon in the right hand corner. Perhaps you’d like to try that. It should be 1-2 pages, max.
Yum!!! These were the Best cookies I have ever made!! I followed the directions and made sure NO candy corn touched the pan. I doubled the batch and my family devoured them!!! Thank you!!!
Thank you for the glowing review and so happy they’re the BEST cookies you’ve EVER made! Such high praise and thank you for letting me know they were a big hit!
Your Candy Corn Cookies were featured in this blog:
http://friggle-fraggle.blogspot.com/2014/10/thirty-one-days-of-halloween-day-2-for.html
Averie, I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for this cookie post. I made them this week, and they turned out perfectly. I appreciate that you take the time to teach how to do things, and the reason behind why you do them. I have been very frustrated by flat cookies for so long. Your insight was extremely helpful.
What an awesome comment – thank you!!! The minute I opened this comment I was like, oh gosh, where’s the but… And then, there wasn’t any! So thank YOU! Glad my little tips have helped and I also went on, at length, about cookie making tips in this post
https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I recommend reading all of the instructions before starting lol. I skipped right to the ingredients, went out and bought what was required and began. It wasn’t until my first batch failed miserably that I looked over the instructions to see that the dough is to be refrigerated before. Thus, I attempted again later after the dough how been refrigerated. Unfortunately it still did not work for me. The cookies were stuck to the wax paper like crazy, even when I used Pam. I’m not the most skilled baker and I guess I would call myself a beginner so maybe this recipe is for the more slightly advanced. I can’t argue with the taste of the cookies though. The bits I managed to scrape off the pan were delious and I wish they worked out for me!
The cookies were stuck to the wax paper like crazy, even when I used Pam. <--- EEK! WAX PAPER is not what you should ever bake on. Parchment paper, fine. Wax, never. The wax will melt and everything will stick to it. So I surmise that this was a 'beginner baker' (as you called yourself) error and not an error with my recipe. Now you know and probably won't ever do it again. Glad you at least got a few good little bites!
These are very very good cookies! I ran across them while in Pintrest, and just had to try them. I have to play around with how big the cookies are because my first batch was a little under done. This is definitely something I will make again.
Glad you’ll make them again and yes, based on size of dough balls, oven variances, etc 1 to 3 minutes can really impact things and so always tweak as necessary!
These amazing cookies are baking as I type. I just couldn’t wait to share how delicious they are. I used butterscotch chips instead of white chocolate chips and completely omitted the drizzle on top. I will be making these again this weekend. Thanks Averie!!
Oh I’m so happy you love them! Thanks for writing to tell me and that you’re going to make them again! Butterscotch would be great in these I bet! They sound wonderful!
These cookies turned out nothing like the photo. After 2 pans of the candy corn melting all over the place and struggling to get them off the pan despite following the directions, I trashed them. I’m so disappointed :(
Sorry that you didn’t have good luck. Did you read the part where I discussed making sure the candy corn wasn’t touching the baking sheet? That really is key in making sure the candy corn doesn’t melt and to have it shielded with dough. It takes a little bit of time to strategically place the dough and tuck the candy corn inside, but it’s really a big secret to make sure the candy corn doesn’t melt all over.
I am freaking out on these cookies! They look amazing–I need them NOW! :-)
Candy Corn is my favorite vegetable…looking forward to baking these in the fall when the 1st harvest of Candy Corn appears!
It’s my favorite veggie, too! Can’t wait til I see the harvest. Should be any day now, knowing Target and the grocery stores. They’ll have Xmas decorations out any minute, too :)
Hi Averie! I mad these cookies today and needless to say they were a big hit! Although I forgot to put them in the fridge… They still turned out great!!!
Glad to hear that they still turned out great even w/out chilling the dough – excellent :)
I was looking for a great way to use leftover Halloween candy. Thanks–the recipe looks wonderful. But I must say the sweetest thing about this post was your daughter’s “dreamy” response! :)
Awww, that’s so sweet of you to say, Lisa. Thanks! :)
How do you think it would turn out with milk chocolate chips instead of white? I am trying to use 3 bags of milk!
I really do love these cookies with white choc but they won’t be ‘bad’ if you use milk.
Look here https://www.averiecooks.com/category/dessert/cookies
There are umpteen versions you can use your milk choc chips in (just use wherever I call for semi sweet)
LMK what you try!
Love these cookies! My daughter chose these for her Halloween party at school and they were a hit! The white chocolate/candy corn combo is fabulous. My candy corn did melt and run down the sides of some of the cookies but I had no trouble with sticking (just used a greased cookie sheet) and the melted part hardened into its own chewy goodness. The only problem I found was that some of the cookies came apart around the candy corn when I was removing them from the cookie sheet. No worries, though. “I guess Mommy will have to eat that one. It broke.” :) Thank you so much for your great recipies and for feeding my baking obsession!
Thanks for the great comment and praise, Kris! I’m glad the melted part hardened into its own chewy goodness. Sometimes it can turn into burnt ‘lace’ with a moon crater-like surface. lol
And if you try to take them off the baking sheet too early (or just sometimes randomly), the cookie can tear at the fault line, i.e. where the candy corn in, there’s naturally going to be a weaker spot structurally so they can bend or break there but those broken cookies are great for mommy :)
Glad these were a hit! In this post there’s a related recipe for this same dough with cranberries & white choc chips…SO good for the holidays!
Oh I have a work Halloween party tomorrow and I am so making these!
Oh that’s great! Keep me posted and LMK what you and your coworkers think!
This recipe has so many incorrect instructions. First, it takes a long time for prep due to the candy corn is too bulky for using the 2″ cookie scoop. I had to roll by hand & be sure none of the corn was showing through. Second, it takes longer than 9 minutes for baking. I had to guess at extra minutes & ended up baking for 14 minutes which they still did not look baked but took them out anyway. There was not a hint of brown on the bottoms even baking for 14 minutes. My oven bakes close to exact temps so it’s not the oven. It made approximately 2 1/2 dozen compared to 20 cookies. Besides this, the taste was great. That they did get right! Won’t be making them again though due to the prep time. That was the killer!
That they did get right! <---'They' is me. Yes I am a real person. And for me, I used a 2"-inch scoop heaping full, had no issues with needing to hand roll. Therefore my heaping scoops yielded 20 cookies, not 30. I can see if you made them exactly 2 tbsp/2-inches, you'd get 30, give or take. My prep time was not any longer than I indicated nor was my baking time. Everyone's kitchens, skills, abilities, and speed at which they work varies so timelines are always approximate.
What is your technique for getting the candy corn inside the cookie, only? I made these today after chilling overnight. I will admit I didn’t see the part about not having the cc touch the sheet. But, in thinking about this… is is better to add the cc after you make the dough into balls and then put them in the middle? My teenagers ate nearly the whole batch today… that dentist frenimy is coming my way.
My ‘technique’ was just to lift up the bottom of each mound of dough, examine, and make sure no CC’s were bare/exposed or could possibly touch the baking sheet (Silpat) and just reposition or shield with dough on those critical areas if there were some CC’s exposed. Nothing too fancy! Glad your teenagers devoured them!
Averie, these cookies were amazing! this is such a great dough recipe. I followed the directions closely and so glad I did. One thing I did experiment with was with the baking sheets: 1 with a silpat mat, and 1 with just cooking spray (really because I only have 1 silpat). The cookies that baked on the silpat came out better – retained their shape and less/no spread. I noticed that with the candy corn, the ones that ended up touching the sheet/silpat melted and created spreading vs. burned – but they were still good! I also might put let candy corn next time, it was hard making sure the dough covered them. But either way these are great, my office loved them!
I am thrilled to hear that you loved them! Yes baking on a Silpat is ALWAYS preferred to baking without (it gives the cookies traction and something to ‘grip’ so that they’re less prone to spreading) and yes the cc’s that touch the Silpat will melt and turn into ‘lace’ whereas if they touch a cookie sheet bare, likely to burn. So happy your whole office loved them! And yes a little less c.c. is totally fine. I had some extra to use in a bag and rather than holding back a little, I just added it all but you’re right, 1/4 cup less or so may make things easier :)
Hi Averie,
I noticed you do use cornstarch a lot. Could you use potato starch instead, or would it not have the same effect?
Thanks!
Not sure because I’ve never tried. A big container of cornstarch is like 2 bucks (for a lifetime supply…haha!) so that’s what I use. I don’t know how interchangeable the two starches would or wouldn’t be in a cookie recipe. In something like gravy, I’d say go for it. Here, not sure…
Thanks! You’re totally right, I should get over it and invest a couple bucks in buying some cornstarch. I had potato starch sitting around so figured I’d ask.
On a side note, while I’m here, because this reminded me- thank you so much for mentioning using buttermilk powder in your sweet potato bread recipe. I had no idea that existed and often avoid buttermilk recipes. I feel like a whole new world has been opened up to me :)
Oh I’m so glad you found that powder…yes, so helpful! And if you ever just have yogurt laying around and the recipe calls for say 1 c of BM, I would use about 1/4 to 1/3 c yogurt and then just top off with regular milk to hit 1 cup. Works every time :)
I just pulled these out of the oven. They are GREAT! I love the taste of the candy corn with the white chocolate. They are already a hit with the family, but we have to save them for a bake sale tomorrow. Yes, a little tricky to bake since the candy corn cannot touch the baking sheet. I felt like the candy corn ratio to dough was a bit much. What I’ll do next time is not even add the candy corn until they are ready to go into the oven, then just press a few into each cookie. Have you made these into bars? I’m wondering if I can just gently press the dough into a 9×13 and make them into bars? Great fall recipe! THANKS!
I have not made these into bars but I have a recipe on Wed that uses candy corn M&Ms and bars :) So stay tuned. SO GOOD! The recipe is softer and more like a blondie – like melt in your mouth soft – than it is cookie.
I haven’t tried this dough base as a pan of bars. I don’t know how chewy/soft it will get. I love it as cookies; one of my faves, but not sure how it will behave in a pan. I can assure you my Wed. recipe stays soft like these cookies, but it’s in a pan.
As for the candy corn/dough ratio being high, yes it is. You could scale it back to maybe 2/3 cup and then just strategically place the cc’s on the top. But part of the appeal is to have them baked INTO the cookies, so still add some cc’s to the batter, then press-on a few more on tops.
I just had to leave a comment and say thank you for all of your amazingggg cookie recipes. I’ve been baking things for a few years now but I never found a cookie recipe that I was wowed by. But then I found your blog and baked a few batches of your cookies and wow I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks to you, I’ve found a passion for baking!
I love comments like these and I am glad to hear that because of me and my recipes, you’ve found a passion of your own. What a wonderful thing! And so glad you’re wowed by my cookie recipes. I am exceedingly picky when it comes to desserts, especially cookies, and am very selective about what I will post about. So glad you love these and others you’ve tried. Keep me posted and LMK what else you try!
These look incredible :) such a clever delicious way to use candy corn!
SOOOOOOOO GOOOD! These are fabulous cookies. The base itself is delicious, but when you add the chocolate and the candy corn it’s pure hevean!
Thanks, Jaime! I agree the base is heavenly. Every time I make this base I am always reminded why I love it and that I need to make it more! And yes, adding the white choc + candy corns just pushes it over the edge!
I don’t know if you like Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars, and I have a link to them in this post. But if you keep the white choc in, and rather than using candy corn, throw in some dried crans, it’s a Bliss Bar in cookie form and crazy good cookies!
I have an unhealthy addiction to candy corn, and mellowcreme pumpkins. My dentist becomes a frenemy every October…maybe cookie form is more forgivable? ;)
They look delicious!
My dentist becomes a frenemy = you are the queen of great one-liners this morning. Love them! And thanks for all your comments today!
These look so good! We could also try candy corn M&Ms! Have you tried those? Oh my GAWD they are amazing…and in these cookies….HEAVEN,! Thank you for the great ideas! Xoxoxo happy fall season!
yes I have and Target was sold out or I would have bought more last weekend!
I can’t get over how soft and chewy these cookies look. I can almost taste them through the computer screen! And love that you incorporated candy corn into them. Every year, I forget just how much I love it!
I can almost taste them through the computer screen! <-- GOOD! that means I've done my job :)
I wish I had your daughter’s self-control! When it comes to sweets, especially cookies or chocolate, all of my good will and self-restraint goes straight out the window. But I bet she had the best daydreams of her life during spelling and silent reading time! :)
I think growing up with it in ridic abundance has made her immune to it!
That makes a lot of sense! My mom really disliked baking and cooking, so we only got homemade chocolate chip cookies (the Nestle recipe, of course!) once a month. She never put in any other mix-ins, like your creative candy corn! So maybe I have her to blame (or thank) for being such a cookie monster?…
I love candy corn with peanuts! Do you think peanuts are good in cookies? Maybe if they are eaten right away the nuts would still be crunchy. I’m thinking of trying your recipe with peanuts instead of white chocolate…but I know I’d love that too! Or maybe a peanut butter cookie with candy corn. Hmmm. Thanks for sharing your great ideas!
If you like nuts in cookies, try these! https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/07/soft-and-chewy-honey-roasted-peanuts-and-butterscotch-chip-cookies.html
99% of the time I object to nuts in baked good so it’s rare I put them in but they would work just fine here. I’d do same amt of candy corn and maybe 1/2 c each of peanuts and white choc – or just dump stuff in the mixing bowl til the dough is as packed as it can handle!
Could these be more perfect for Halloween?! Love the soft texture too!
insane! I am now MAD AUSTRALIA is so far behind the us on candy! need to ship my self a bag of these candies so I can make these buttery beauties!
I’m so glad it’s candy corn time! Super cute cookies!!!!
Perfection in a cookie…
Wow! I am like Kelly…saw these over at Pinterest (missed this post, busy weekend) and just had to comment. Such a FUN Halloween drop cookie, Averie! I love that you paired the candy corn with white chocolate chips. So colorful and they look incredibly tasty. Thanks for sharing, girl. Pinning (of course)!
Halloween in a cookie ~ Love this Averie :)
Love, love, LOVE! I’m not really a candy person, but I make an exception for candy corn, especially at this time of the year when it’s EVERYWHERE. They’re colorful, cute and frankly irresistible. In a cookie? With white chocolate?? Bang. Averie does it AGAIN. :)
Your comments are the best – thank you!! :)
Spotted these beauties on Pinterest and ran right over! These are absolutely perfect!!!
thanks for running over! :)
I’ve never thought of candy corn cookies before and these look scrumptious! I just drooled over them for a solid 10 minutes. I can’t imagine how delicious they are with that buttery base….they must just melt in your mouth!
Also, I’ve made a ton of recipes from your cookbook and my favorites thus far have been the pb & j bars and the chocolate chip cookie cups with pb cups inside. Both recipes are gems.
The pb & j bars are great – the pan weighs about 8 lbs going into the oven but oh I loved those!
And the chocolate chip cookie cups with pb cups inside – so glad you like those too! Fast and easy, right!
Thanks for telling me what you’ve been making. I love this kind of info!!
that buttery base….they must just melt in your mouth! <--- 100% :)
These cookies look perfect! I love how all the candy corn looks inside the cookies. I haven’t gotten into any candy corn yet this year, buuut I think I know where to start! :)
Tis the season!
Feeding my candy corn cravings here Averie! These cookies look absolutely perfect! I love how your daughter was going to think about these all the next day – so cute :) Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Trish!
Love the texture and oh those candy corns. perfect for this time of year.
Wow. Candy corn in a cookie? Candy corn and white chocolate in a cookie? Candy corn and white chocolate in a SOFT cookie? I’m dying. Any leftovers?? ;)
No leftovers and that’s rare. Normally I donate half or more of everything I make but we hoarded these :)
Too cute!! Both the cookie sand your daughter’s reaction to them :) Candy corn was never my favorite of mine when I was a kid (hello, reeses, skittles and starbursts), but I always end craving a handful during the holidays.
These are perfection, Averie!
cookies *and — good lord, haha.
reeses, skittles and starbursts = some of my fave candies when I was a kid, too! :)
The cookie queen strikes again! :) Most likely the perfect way to include candy corn!!! Loves it!
You are too sweet!! :)
Oh, Averie! I am so excited about these! My mom’s favorite guilty pleasure is Brach’s candy corn, and she will just love these beautiful little cookies! Thanks for the fantastic recipe! :D
If she’s a C.C. fan, then these are perfect for her!
Cannot think of more perfect cookies for October!!
I’m not a huge fan of candy corn but could eat 3 or 4 bars of white chocolate to make up for it :)
I love love love these, Averie! I am obsessed with candy corn. So many people don’t like it and I think they are crazy!!
OK, how adorable is it that your daughter turned down a second cookie so she could dream about them. That girl has great self control for a 6 year old. My kids would not pass up a second cookie, and they would probably even ask for a third. We are huge candy corn addicts in this house. We only eat it once a year and that is in the month of October. We just went through our first bag this week and Eli left me a note on my grocery list to get more candy corn. My kids would be all over these cookies and then some. I wish you lived closer so my kids could have all of your leftovers! xoxo, Jackie
I think it’s bc she’s grown up with it that she’s immune to it – me too. My mom baked a ton when I was growing up. When it’s abundant, it loses it’s mystique and face-stuffing properties I think. That’s too cute Eli put a note for you go get more candy corn!
These are fantastic!! I am newly in love with candy corn. Plus, you totally inspire me to come up with rocking cookie recipes, you know that right? :)
Awww, well that’s sweet of you to say! And I want your meringue. Just that part, I’d be so happy with :) It’s essentially “7-minute buttercream” and I love that stuff!
Thanks for the pin!
Mmmmm candy corn in cookies?!!? Never thought of it, but it looks like a GREAT idea!
It looks (and sounds) like you chose the perfect cookie dough for my favorite little mallowcreme goodies. I love candy corns – no matter how very sweet they are, I can never stop at one little handful! I just bought my first big bag of candy corn this past weekend and I don’t even know if any will make it into a recipe because I’ve been eating them left and right. These cookies look perfect and I can only imagine how important it is to have chilled dough for these, especially with those candy corns!
I can imagine you loving candy corn. Something about it – just seems like you’d love it. I like it but in these cookies, it was REALLY good. Sweet oh yes, but oh so good! And chilled dough and making sure no pieces of corn are touching the baking sheets, critical. I know you know the importance given some of your cookies/recipes or the candy can melt and turn into a hot mess otherwise :)
These cookies look so fun! I would have gone for seconds :)
How cute are these?! I just bought a bag of candy corn (for food photography purposes only) but I could totally use the rest in these colorful cookies!
I commented on your IG post about candy corn earlier today! Great minds think alike!
Oh Av, your comments at my blog, thank you sweetie!
Love you to bits & pieces <3
I have a friend who is OBSESSED with candy corn, so I am posting this to her wall, and then she will beg me to make it. LOL
And thanks for sharing it! I couldn’t figure out how to like or comment back (functions must be disabled) but thanks! And I hope you two have a little cookie baking party :)
If only I thought like Skylar! Honestly, I am not a huge fan of candy corn, but I’ve never baked with it and am SUPER intrigued as to how the texture changes and the flavor it gives things. Cookies are always good in my book and like I said, I’m itching to try candy corn in baked stuff. Your second picture is fabulous, Averie!
thanks for the pic compliment!
These look amazing! I am totally making these with my kids
White chocolate and candy corn sound wonderful…have you tried the white-chocolate candy-corn m&ms? They are really sweet, but SO delicious. I actually expected your recipe to feature them when I saw the title, but your version looks wonderful just as it is! Gorgeous colors.
Tried baking these today. The dough is amazing; but the candy corn melted out and made a huge mess. Then the goo hardened, making removing the cookies intact next to impossible. Its likely that my oven just needs recalibration. Also, I am going to take it down to 5 minutes instead of 9; these really do bake up conveniently fast.
Did you read the part in the recipe where I said to make sure the candy corn was shielded from the baking trays? You cannot have bare candy corn on it or yes, it WILL melt.
And your oven sounds like it’s running extremely hot!!! If you are going to be able to bake cookies in 5 minutes that are 2-3 tbsp of chilled dough, that sounds like it’s supremely hot and you may want to reduce the oven temp til you get it recalibrated.
Also make sure you dough is VERY well chilled before baking. That will prevent the interior candy corn pieces from melting. Mine actually did not melt at all internally – only those in contact with the baking sheet.
See what I mean? All of your cookies look so scrumptious. I don’t even like candy corn and you have me wanting one of these! ;)
Glad I got you wanting one :)
and to realize i just ate my last handful of candy corn two hours ago.. oh well, it’s time to go back to the store!
Restock! Oh yeah!
I am drooling looking at all those cookies!! LOVE
Thanks!
What a fantastic idea!! Love these! :)
I along with your daughter will be dreaming about these cookies today! I LOVE candy corn and am so excited when it makes its yearly appearance. I’ve never tried using corn starch in cookie recipes but will definitely experiment. Thank you for the tip! I hate cakey cookies! Love this blog!
Thanks Liz and hope you get to try these. Please LMK if you do!
Oh my gosh, I LOVE candy corn/pumpkin/all things fall, and these look perfect! I want to bake these ASAP!
I love the candy corn in there!! Such a fun recipe!
I made candy corn cookies a couple years ago and they were some of my favorites ever! I didn’t shield the pieces though, so I had some lacy, crispy, sugary pieces ooze out the side. They weren’t pretty but they were so good.
I love candy corn. LOVE.
I also love that Skylar has such impressive restraint. Maybe from being surrounded by cookies all the time? I never had that kind of willpower as a kid. I made myself sick on candy and cookies more times than I care to admit. :D
lacy, crispy, sugary pieces ooze out the side = LACEY yes!! that is the word I was looking for. And it’s not a real pretty lace :)
Impressive restraint. Yes she does as did I as a kid. My mom was also a baker and we had an inordinate amt of sugar around (for a non-food blogging house..LOL) and my friends would come over and make themselves sick whereas I was unphased. When it’s in such abundance and has no mystique, it loses it’s appeal so to speak.
These are so incredibly fun and soft looking! I can’t believe you use two tablespoons of dough. That seems like so much, but these cookies look so perfect! I am not a candy corn fan, but I gotta say that I wish I was! These cookies are so festive! I love that!
Did you read this post where I talked about dough amounts and what restaurants/bakeries use? https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/09/black-white-cookies-cream-cheese-chocolate-chip-dark-chocolate-dark-brown-sugar.html
2 tbsp is nothing. Most, like a Starbucks or Panera cookie for example, are about 1/3 cup of dough. A good 6 tbsp or more. :)
I love cookies with candy corn in them! I made some last year and they were incredible. These look so full of candy corn and white chips. The cutest story ever about your daughter and these cookies :). Made me smile!
Glad you’re a fan of C.C. + white chocolate too!
First off, these cookies look deeeeelightful! Second, I like the image of you throwing a bag of candy corn into your grocery cart with no specific plan for use – because obviously you HAVE to bake something it, so why wouldn’t you? Aaaaand now I’m wondering what it would be like to walk up the candy aisle with you… (I’m picturing a little happy dance every few feet.)
Oh gosh I spend a ridic amt of time in candy aisles just STARING at the product. To the point store employees or others ask me if I need help. I stare at it like it’s a museum exhibit. I try to stand there until a certain bag of candy and an idea hits me in the face. Sometimes it does! Other times I get close…and then other times I have no idea but I buy it blind like the candy corn. See if I were to buy candy blindly as a blogger without fleshing out a few ideas, I’d have more candy than the store. As it stands, I cannot even tell you how much candy, treats, cookies, addins, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc I have. It’s more than a mini mart :)
I’ve never baked with candy corns, but it seems like it would be a good idea with the leftover candy corns that nobody wants to eat. Do the candy corns soften up? I sometimes think the cookies and candy corn would be too sweet together.
Oh they’re definitely sweet! Too sweet? Nah, never. And yes, they soften slightly but also remain chewy like I wrote. So good!
I don’t know what it is about candy corn (or those little pumpkins)–but it’s addicting. I think its even more addicting when baked into cookies, transformed into butterfinger bars, or eaten with peanuts. I love the photos of the insides of your cookies–they really show the soft/gooey/melty texture. Gets me every time!!!
Glad you like those pics. Those are the money shots :)
I love the color that the candy corn gives these cookies! Now if only I had the willpower and the metabolism of your 6 year old…
I think if we all could go back to our 6 yr old metabolisms it would be pretty fabulous!
I love the bright pop of colour the candy corn brings. Looks yummy!
These look SO soft and tender… I would have never thought to put candy corn in cookies. I may just have to try it out!
Love your daughter’s response.. I’m sure these cookies would have anyone dreaming all day!
They are supremely soft & tender – yes! Love this dough base for those results!
Just came across your blog this week. Although I blog about green, clean food myself, I couldn’t help myself getting caught up in your beautiful pictures and yummy recipes! Thanks Averie!
Hi Daphne! Thanks for finding me and for getting sucked into my pics and site! I have been a lifelong vegetarian or vegan and when I started blogging 5 yrs ago, it was under the name, loveveggiesandyoga
I just couldnt blog about one more kale salad nor could my readers take it..LOL and over time, what you see here is my niche. I am a vegan who bakes with eggs and butter is how I’d describe myself :)
I’m SO happy for candy corn season though I have to be really selective as to the type I buy-lots of them have gelatin which I can’t have as a vegetarian:( I don’t know that I’ve ever had it in cookies before….
Oh that’s good to know. Off the top of your head, do you know of any ‘safe’ brands that are always okay? I honestly just thought it was all HFCS and Yellow #40 in this stuff…LOL
Well the vons and Ralph’s brands, if I recall correctly, are:)
Funny that this is Ralph’s brand! I always buy store brand anything if I think it’s going to be the exact same as the name brand!