These candy corn stuffed cookies will knock your socks off

candy-corn-stuffed-cookies

Whether you like the trick of these cookies, or you enjoy having something sweet for a treat, these candy corn stuffed cookies are perfect for Halloween.

The treat is pretty self-explanatory, but what’s the trick all about? Well, when you put out a plate of these cookies, no one will be able to guess what’s waiting for them inside. Why inside? Well, first, because it’s different and it adds a layer of mystery. But also, from a technical standpoint, inside is best if you don’t want a mess.

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For this candy corn stuffed cookie recipe, you’ll need:

  • Salted butter, softened
  • Brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla
  • Baking soda
  • Cornstarch
  • Cream of tartar
  • Flour
  • Three 11-ounce bags of candy corn

candy-corn-stuffed-cookies-ingredients

First, a few notes on the ingredients. I know most culinary schools and baking shows will tell you to only use unsalted butter. But, my friend, they are wrong. Salt enhances flavor, so I actually use salted butter in all my baking. But for this recipe, in particular, I felt the need to share this trick. Candy corn is probably 99 percent sugar, so since I didn’t want to risk an overly sweet dough, I’m encouraging you to try salted butter like I did. Now, as for the sugar, this isn’t your normal all-white sugar kind of sugar cookie. Again, because candy corn is already so sweet, I wanted to add more depth to the dough by adding some brown sugar as well.

Candy corn stuffed cookie dough

Starting with the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the first five ingredients together. And no need to worry, a hand mixer or whisk will still work, too. Once you get to adding the flour, I’d switch to a wooden spoon.

After creaming the first five ingredients, add the next five ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Cover and chill dough for at least 6-24 hours, allowing the flavors time to marry.

cookie dough with divet

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When you’re ready to bake, line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Then scoop dough, roughly the size of a heaping tablespoon, and flatten. (Note: You may need to let the dough come back to room temperature before scooping it.)

Top one half of the dough with candy corn pieces — roughly about 6-7 pieces. Next, top with another flattened piece of dough and seal the edges. You don’t want any exposed candy corn hitting the baking sheet directly or it will make a mess of your cookies — the melting and burning kind of mess. The parchment lining helps to keep any candy corn that may have peaked through underneath from sticking to the pan.

Candy-corn-stuffed-cookie-recipe

Bake for 9 minutes and then let cool on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish.

Candy corn stuffed cookies

Yield 3 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups salted butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 6 cups flour
  • Three 11-ounce bags candy corn

Instructions

  1. Cream the first five ingredients together until light and fluffy, no more than 5 minutes.
  2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  3. Add next five ingredients, incorporating on low until just mixed.
  4. Cover and chill dough for 6-24 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  7. Scoop dough in heaping tablespoons, placing onto clean counter or parchment paper.
  8. Flatten dough, adding roughly 6-7 pieces of candy corn on top.
  9. Top with a second, flattened dough and seal together, making sure no parts of the candy corn are exposed.
  10. Place on lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
  11. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-10 minutes.
  12. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

After chilling the dough, you may need to let it soften to room temperature. Allow it to sit for 30-45 minutes before scooping. 

Looking for other Fall treats? We taste-tested all the pumpkin spice offerings from Sprouts — here’s what you should buy.

Show off your Halloween cookies. Tag us on Instagram @makeitgrateful and #makeitgrateful!


  1. saw this recipe in my local newspaper,but it did not say how many of cookies the candy corn cookie recipe makes. so went to the website and STILL no idea of quantity!! cant make it until i know!
    any reason this was left out of the receipt?

  2. Hi Andrea, thanks for catching! This recipe will yield about 3 dozen cookies. We’ve updated the card as well.

  3. Hi, made the dough for the Candy Corn-Stuffed Cookies placed covered in the refrigerator for 20 hours. When I removed from refrigerator, the dough was very stiff and almost hard; impossible to scoop out🙀. My husband who is a baker (I made them to surprise him) looked @ the dough and said something is missing, dough is too stiff and I will not be able to scoop it out. He seems to think if needs more liquid. What is the problem with the dough?, I followed recipe to the letter? Also yield was not mentioned but saw above answer. This was it the Pensacola, FL News Journal on 25 September 25, 2019. I would appreciate a quick response as I would like to use the dough I already made. Thank you.

  4. Hi Mary! Thanks for your comment. It doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong at all with this recipe. The dough will solidify when chilled because the butter in the recipe will firm up. If you leave it at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes it should come to room temperature and be the perfect consistency. We also recommend you start working the dough from the sides — just like with ice cream — since the sides will come to room temperature more quickly. Also, the yield is 3 dozen!

  5. Hi Julie, thanks for your comment! It’s a large batch of dough, so it’s definitely not too much by the end. Some recipes mix vanilla and cream or Greek yogurt. We just stuck to vanilla because of the depth of the dough to suit the sweetness of the candy corn.

    If you’re using a pure vanilla extract, you can cut it to 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt if you’d prefer. We used a Mexican vanilla extract when we made this recipe and, with something like that, we’d still recommend 3 tablespoons. Hope this helps!

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