Trick-or-Treat Shortbread Bars

Adapted (barely) from Everyday Food (October 2010)

The biggest Halloween trick of all is being saddled with 8 pounds of leftover mini candy bars. Who needs those laying around for the days leading up to the holiday season? Not I. So rather than eat them one by one for weeks, why not add a few sticks of butter and sugar and get rid of them all at once. Take them to a potluck, a friend’s house or to work and say adios.

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 cups assorted Halloween chocolate leftovers, chopped
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream the sugar, butter and salt together at medium speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to low and add flour a little at a time until all 2 cups are well-blended. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top and bake for another minute, or just until the chips are melted. Smooth the chips evenly over the top of the shortbread with a knife, then sprinkle the chopped leftover Halloween candy and press it down lightly. Allow to cool on a baking rack for about 30 minutes, then set in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes or so. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
  • Quick Tips
  • 1. These bars are very rich (duh). I like to cut them into skinny 2″ x 1″ pieces, though if you want larger bars you can cut them into 16, as the original recipe recommends.
  • 2. I experimented with several kinds of candies – malted milk balls, candy bars with nougat, candy-coated chocolate candies and such. The candy-coated variety gets very hard in the refrigerator, so be sure to cut them before they’ve become too cold otherwise you’ll have a crumbly mess on your hands.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 32 bars (2″ x 1″)

One response to “Trick-or-Treat Shortbread Bars”

  1. Molly Cronenwett says:
    November 1, 2011 at 6:35 pm

    Love this idea! Thanks!

    Reply

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