I just cannot get enough candy corn!
A recent fall-baking-brainstorming-session lead me to focus on how I could incorporate this much loved candy into my fall lineup. I hit the jackpot with my Candy Corn Swiss Buttercream and then I set out to make a hearty candy corn cookie.
My first attempt was to rework my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe; starting with melted butter, swapping some honey for sugar and then folding in a hefty dose of candy corn. The problem is that candy corn completely melts in the oven, so my cookies had pools of caramelized candy corn seeping out the sides. Delicious, yes, but attractive, eh not so much.
The flavor was wonderful, but the cookies were a hot Halloween mess. I mixed another batch and baked the dough in a square pan to go for a bar cookie. Once the bars were cool I decided to dress them up with a simple candy corn glaze, similar to a poured fondant. By melting candy corn in the microwave and then adding a bit of water I was able to achieve a glaze that flowed freely and held its shape once it cooled.
- BARS
- 4 oz unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar - 100grams
- ¼ cup white sugar - 50 grams
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all purpose flour - 100 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1⅓ cups oats - 135 grams
- ½ cup chopped toasted almonds
- ⅓ cup chopped candy corn
- GLAZE
- ½ cup candy corn
- ½ Tablespoon water
- Preheat your oven to 350* F
- Grease an 8" square baking pan and line it with parchment. Grease parchment
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk in the oats and set aside
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugars
- Stir in the honey and vanilla and mix until combined
- Add the egg and mix well
- Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and then stir in the almonds and candy corn
- Spread the dough evenly into your prepared baking pan
- Bake in preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the top is a deep golden brown and the center doesn't jiggle
- Allow the bars to cool completely and then chill them for about 30 minutes to make slicing easier
- Remove from the pan and slice into desired number of bars
- PREPARE THE GLAZE
- Melt the candy corn at 20 second intervals in the microwave until melted and lump free (should take about 1 minute)
- Stir smooth, then add the water and microwave again for about 10 seconds
- Transfer the glaze to a pastry bag or paper cone and snip off the end. Drizzle the glaze over each bar then attach some candy corns to the glaze
- Alternately, use a fork dipped in the glaze to drizzle over each bar
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