Kit Kat Cookies

It doesn't matter if it's technically leftover Halloween candy or your personal stash of chocolate candy, we can make a dessert out of it. I chopped up a few bars to make these Kit Kat Cookies, and they are so good! You can use almost any type of bar-type chocolate candy in this dough.

I see you, buying Halloween candy weeks in advance and thinking you won't open it if you hide it in the pantry. Put it on the top shelf, babe, you might forget about it. Except that you won't, because I didn't forget about mine.

I opened my Halloween candy on the second day of October, because I fancy a Kit Kat with my afternoon cup of coffee. I reasoned with myself, saying that the Halloween candy packages technically only contain half of a Kit Kat. If I went to the store for my Kit Kat fix, I would eat an entire one.

So, this is the story of how I open my Halloween candy way before Trick-or-Treat time, but also how I save the day because we're making cookies with the rest of them!

These Kit Kat cookies don't contain chocolate chips! They use lots and lots of chopped Kit Kats. The crispy wafer part of the Kit Kat candy bar gives the cookies a malted flavor (just like my malted chocolate chip cookies), and I love them so much.

The actual cookie part is soft in the center with crisp edges (like every good cookie should be), and it is full of our favorite candy: Kit Kat bars!

How to Make Kit Kat Cookies

The first step of this recipe is to open the bag of Halloween candy that you bought for kids, but will be enjoying by yourself, as an adult. Now that we have that out of the way, we can proceed.

The rest of the ingredients are standard cookie ingredients, however, please note that the dough requires a 30 minute chill time in the fridge. This keeps your cookies from spreading too much, and also 'holds' the Kit Kats in place in the dough as they bake. Use the time to clean your kitchen, trust me.

The Ingredients

Ingredients for baking, including chocolate bars on white counter top.

Flour. Regular, all purpose flour that has been fluffed, scooped into a measuring cup and leveled with a knife. You can also bake this recipe by weight using a scale, I've provided both types of measurements.
Baking Soda. We are only using baking soda today in our cookies, no baking powder. These cookies have no problem puffing up in the oven (because they contain an egg), so we're skipping the baking powder. Baking soda helps the cookies brown in the oven, however.
Salt. Regular fine, sea salt is key to balancing the sweetness of the candy in the cookies.
Butter. The unsalted butter must be softened to room temperature before baking. To accomplish this quickly, slice it into small pieces, and leave it on the counter while you gather the rest of your ingredients. Occasionally, I put it in the microwave for less than 10 seconds to fully soften, but please, do not ever let it melt!
Sugar. We need two types of sugar, granulated sugar and brown sugar for this recipe.
Brown Sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar, either is fine here. Dark brown sugar will create a slightly darker, chewier cookie, thanks to its high molasses content.
Egg. One whole large egg, egg white and egg yolk and all!
Vanilla Extract. One full teaspoon of vanilla gives the Kit Kat cookies plenty of flavor.
Kit Kat Bars. If you're using the Kit Kat singles (the Halloween size), we need 10 of them. A single contains two 'sticks.' However, if you're using full-size Kit Kat bars, just know that you need 90 grams total of Kit Kat for the dough. Chop it and then weigh it out. I also recommend an extra 5 'Kit Kat singles' for garnishing the cookies when they come out of the oven, which is an additional 45 grams of candy.

The Instructions

Flour, baking soda and salt whisked in a white bowl.

Soft butter, brown sugar and white sugar in clear glass mixing bowl.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the softened butter and the sugars. Use an electric mixer on HIGH speed to cream the butter and sugars together. It should take at least 2-3 minutes to become light and fluffy.

Egg and vanilla in a bowl with Kit Kat cookies dough.

White flour sprinkled on top of yellow soft batter.

Next, add the whole egg and vanilla, and beat again just to combine.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet ingredients in the bowl, and beat just to combine, until you don't see any white streaks of flour in the dough.

Adding chopped leftover Halloween candy (Kit Kats) to cookie dough.

Dough gathered in clear bowl, with quarters scored on top.

Chop the 90 grams of Kit Kats (10 fun-size two-stick packages), and stir them into the dough by hand.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, use a spatula to score the dough into quarters. Preheat the oven.

Twelve cookies on a baking sheet, before being baked.

Kit Kat cookies, freshly baked on a baking sheet.

You should scoop out 3 cookies from each quarter of the dough. Roll into balls, and space them evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Chop the extra 5 Kit Kats and press a small piece into the center of each cookie. Reserve the leftover Kit Kats for after baking.

Bake the cookies on the center rack of the oven for 6 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 5 minutes. When the cookies come out of the oven, they will be slightly puffy. Sprinkle over the remaining chopped Kit Kat pieces. They will melt and stick to the cookies as they cool.

Vertical shot of cookies topped with chopped chocolate candy.

Kit Kat Cookies FAQ:

Is this Kit Kat cookie recipe easy?

Yes, the cookie dough part is super easy to make, and as long as you don't skip the 30-minute chill time, you will have perfect cookies! Be sure to use a round cookie cutter or quart-size mason jar ring to shape the cookies when they're warm and fresh out of the oven. You can also use a spatula to press the edges inward to create more rounded cookies.

Can I make this with other types of Kit Kats, like the Kit Kat cookies and cream?

Sadly, the Kit Kat cookies and cream were discontinued. However, you can use this recipe with any type of Kit Kats! I like to hit the Asian markets and buy matcha Kit Kats, peach Kit Kats, and even strawberry Kit Kats. My personal favorite Kit Kat flavors are: whole wheat, cafe au' lait, and raspberry.

Recipe Variations:

This is just my personal opinion, but I am someone who loves Halloween because of all of the candy! I'm a candy freak. Have you seen my Valentine's Day candy ranking?

Anyway, here are some other candies that I think would be great in this dough:

chopped Milky Ways/ Mars bars. The way the caramel would melt into the cookies has me drooling already!
M&Ms, or any other type of candy-coated chocolate. If you love M&Ms in your cookies, try my Monster Cookies, too!
Of course, Reese's Peanut Butter cups! Do I even need to remind you of that, though?
Crushed Butterfingers are my favorite thing to top vanilla soft-serve, so if you have those, use them here.

Yield: 12

Kit Kat Cookies

Use leftover Halloween candy to make these easy Kit Kat cookies that don't contain any chocolate chips!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 56 minutes

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup (156 grams) flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
3 TB (41 grams) brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 kit kat single candies (90 grams), plus 5 extra for garnish (45 grams)

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, add the softened butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on HIGH until super light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture and beat to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, and beat just to combine.
Unwrap and chop 10 of the KitKats (90 grams worth) into ¾-inch pieces, and stir them into the dough.
Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.
Press the dough flat in the bowl, and divide it in quarters by eye. Try to get 3 cookies out of each quarter, for a total of 12 cookies.
Space the cookies evenly on a baking sheet. Chop up the additional 5 mini Kit Kats (45 grams worth). Press another piece of KitKat into the surface of the dough, and save the remaining pieces for after baking.
Bake the cookies on the center rack for 6 minutes, rotate the pan and bake another 5 minutes. They should be just starting to turn golden brown around the edges, and they will be slightly puffy.
Immediately when the cookies come out of the oven, press extra pieces of KitKat into the dough. I also like to crush a few and sprinkle the crumbs on top because it looks pretty.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely and serve.

Notes

Kit Kats: If you're using the Kit Kat singles (the Halloween size), we need 10 of them. A single contains two 'sticks.' However, if you're using full-size Kit Kat bars, just know that you need 90 grams total of Kit Kat for the dough. Chop it and then weigh it out. I also recommend an extra 5 'Kit Kat singles' for garnishing the cookies when they come out of the oven, which is an additional 45 grams of candy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 246Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 211mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 0gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g