These sweet and salty Candy Corn Magic Bars are great for a last-minute dessert! Each gooey bar is layered with Nutter Butter Cookies, peanut butter, candy corn, peanuts, Reese's Pieces, and caramelized sweetened condensed milk.
After trying my hand at making Halloween Cookies and Cream Magic Bars, I thought I'd try another flavor profile.
I have fallen in love with magic bars. They are seriously easy to make, taste great, and can be made using just about any sweet or salty snacks, cookies, and nuts.
This time around I chose to make some bars that taste similar to a PayDay candy bar. If you have ever eaten a handful of candy corn and peanuts together you know that the combination tastes really similar to a PayDay candy bar.
So, that's what I used to make these candy corn magic bars.
I tossed in some mini Reese's Pieces to make them, even more, peanut buttery.
The only problem with my latest batch of bars was that a bit of the magic was missing. Don't get me wrong, they taste exactly as I had hoped, sweet and salty and full of caramel and peanut flavors. I've had no trouble chowing down on them, but they were a bit goopy.
I didn't give the sweetened condensed milk enough time to caramelize. I pulled the bars out of the oven after 20 minutes, threw on some more candy corn, and put them back in the oven. After three minutes the candy corn began to melt and I was hoping for nicely shaped candy corn on top, so I pulled the bars out. They needed to bake longer.
So follow my directions in the recipe below and make sure you give your bars enough time in the oven.
Halloween Sweet and Salty Candy Corn Magic Bars
(makes 24-30 bars)
Ingredients:
Nutter Butter Cookies
butter
creamy peanut butter
peanuts
candy corn
sweetened condensed milk
Mini Reese's Pieces
Supplies
food processor or zip-top bag and a meat mallet
9x13-inch baking pan lined with tin foil
offset spatula or spoon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Make Nutter Butter Cookie Crust.
Combine Nutter Butter crumbs with melted butter. I used a food processor to crush my cookies into crumbs, then I just added the melted butter and pulse to combine.
If you don't have a food processor, just pour your cookies into a zip-top bag and smash them with a rolling pin or the back of a pan. Then stir them together with the melted butter.
Press the mixture into the bottom of your pan.
Add a layer of peanut butter.
Spread peanut butter over the crust.
Add toppings and the sweetened condensed milk layer.
Reserve a small amount of Nutter Butter cookie pieces, peanuts, and candy corn (about ⅓ cup of each).
Sprinkle the remaining Nutter Butters, peanuts, and candy corn over the peanut butter.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk over top.
Sprinkle toppings over top.
Sprinkle on the reserved Nutter Butter pieces and peanuts.
Sprinkle on the Reese's Pieces.
(Reserve the remaining candy corn for later.)
Bake.
Bake for 25-27 minutes until the sweetened condensed milk turns lightly golden brown.
Remove from oven, sprinkle on the reserved candy corn, then return to oven and bake for 2-3 more minutes until the edges of the bar look set.
The center will still jiggle a bit, but should look golden brown, not pale like mine did! If you underbake them as I did, they still will taste great, just know that they might ooze a bit!
Cut and enjoy!
Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into 24-30 bars.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week or wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before bringing to room temperature.
Related Recipes
Be sure to check out all the Halloween recipes here on Hungry Happenings.
Recipe
Layer Nutter Butter Cookie crumbs with peanut butter, cookie pieces, candy corn, peanuts, Reese's Pieces, and sweetened condensed milk to make these Candy Corn Magic Bars for Halloween.
- 20 Nutter Butter Cookies, crushed into crumbs
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 10 Nutter Butter Cookies, broken into small pieces
- 1 ⅓ cups peanuts
- 1 cup candy corn
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup mini Reese’s Pieces
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Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Line a 9 inch by 13-inch baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper.
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Combine cookie crumbs with melted butter.
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Press the mixture into the bottom of your pan.
-
Spread peanut butter over the crust.
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Sprinkle about 75% of the cookie pieces, peanuts, and candy corn over the peanut butter.
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Pour the sweetened condensed milk over top.
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Sprinkle on the remaining Nutter Butter Cookie pieces and peanuts along with the Reese's Pieces.
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Bake for 25-27 minutes until the sweetened condensed milk turns lightly golden brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle on the remaining candy corn, then return to oven and bake for 2-3 more minutes until the edges of the bar look set.
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Remove from the oven and set the pan on a cooling rack.
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Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan.
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Remove and cut into 24 squares.
Check the bars after 25 minutes. If the edges look brown, place tin foil over the edges, leaving the center uncovered, until baked through.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
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Erin says
Your bars look wonderful and so festive!
Jeni IGOTTHISMARTHA says
Yummy! I love candy corn anything!
Diana - FreeStyleMama says
Fantastic!!!
The Partiologist says
I just made some cake like bars and under baked them, so I guess I'm not the only one who get's excited to pull them
out of the oven! Those bars would be amazing over OR under baked!