Candy Corn Cookies taste like a Pay Day candy bar in cookie form! Take a break from the pumpkin and enjoy this easy fall cookie recipe with the sweet and salty goodness of real peanuts and peanut butter M&Ms.
Love loaded cookies? Try our best ever Monster Cookies! Or give our Chocolate M&M Cookies a try (and toss in some candy corn if you like).
Pay Day Cookie Recipe
I love this time of year. I love jeans, and hoodies, and fall colors. I love anything pumpkin flavored. You can bet I enjoyed my first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Coffee earlier this week too.
But, yes, I mostly love candy corn. I mean, it’s pure sugar–what’s not to like? When I taste those sugary yellow and orange morsels, I know autumn has arrived.
These cookies are inspired by one of my favorite candy corn snacks: a bowl of peanuts and candy corn. That combo tastes just like a Pay Day candy bar to me.
When you need a break from the avalanche of pumpkin flavored treats around you, make these fall cookies to celebrate my favorite season!
Once you’ve had a palate cleanser, you’ll be ready for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies and Pumpkin Scones once again.
Did I mention that along with peanuts and candy corn, these cookies also have peanut butter M&Ms?
Not a fan of candy corn? Make our candy corn sugar cookies instead. Delicious flavor and cute design…no candy corn needed.
More Candy Corn Desserts: Candy Corn Truffles | Pay Day Popcorn
Ingredient Notes
- Butter- While many of my cookie recipes use softened butter or shortening, these call for melted butter. Melted butter makes the cookies spread thinner so the candy corn will be more visible. I love the chewy texture it gives these cookies, too!
- Sugars- A combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar creates a sweet chewy cookie!
- Mix-ins- We add peanuts, peanut butter M&M’s, and candy corn. Feel free to add YOUR favorites.
Aimee’s Pro Tip
Change it up and use our peanut butter cookies recipe as the base, just add your mix-ins to the peanut butter cookie dough!
Storing Cookies
- Room Temperature. Keep fresh baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and they’ll taste great for about a week. You can freeze these, too!
- To freeze Pay Day Cookies: Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer to a freezer safe bag or container. A layer of wax or parchment paper between each layer of cookies will keep them from sticking together.
- These taste their best when eaten within 3 months of freezing. Make sure to let them thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to eat the cookies.
Can this be made without peanuts?
You can absolutely make the Pay Day Cookies without peanuts, although at that point they will taste nothing like a Pay Day candy bar. (That’s not totally the point, though…the candy corn is!)
For a peanut free version, replace the peanuts with another kind of chopped nut (almonds would be delicious) and leave out the M&Ms.
If you like the combination of lots of chocolate and candy corn, you could also replace the peanut butter M&Ms with regular M&Ms here.
More Tips & Tricks
- Swap out the cookie dough for a peanut butter cookie dough instead for a more peanut-y flavor!
- Press the candy corn into the cookies point first. Not only will they go in easier this way, you’ll also be able to fit more candy corns in to each cookie.
- Not a fan of candy corn? Make these without the candy corn pieces for delicious peanut butter M&M cookies.
- Make sure to use peanut butter M&Ms here NOT peanut M&Ms! If you can’t find peanut butter M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces will work decently as a substitute (you just won’t get any chocolate flavor).
- Candy corn cupcakes are a delicious alternative, and still festive and fun.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Butter Cookies
- Haystacks
- Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
- Snickers Cookie Cups
Halloween Recipes
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Candy Corn Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup butter melted
- 2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted peanuts chopped
- 2 cups M&M’s PEANUT BUTTER Candy
- 3 cups Brach candy corn
Instructions
- In mixer, combine butter and sugars. Beat for about 2 minutes, until creamy. Add in egg and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking soda and salt. Fold in the peanuts and M&M’s. Drop by large tablespoons onto a cookie sheet.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press in the candy corn (point first so it goes in easily). Allow to cool and enjoy!
Notes
- Swap out the cookie dough for a peanut butter cookie dough instead for a more peanut-y flavor!
- Press the candy corn into the cookies point first. Not only will they go in easier this way, you’ll also be able to fit more candy corns in to each cookie.
- Not a fan of candy corn? Make these without the candy corn pieces for delicious peanut butter M&M cookies.
- Make sure to use peanut butter M&Ms here NOT peanut M&Ms! If you can’t find peanut butter M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces will work decently as a substitute (you just won’t get any chocolate flavor).
Nutrition
Calling all candy corn lovers! Candy Corn Cookies with peanuts are the sweet and salty fall treat you need to try!
Stopping by from Something Swanky. I, too, have an obsession with candy corn! Looks yummy!
Super cute! I’m your newest follower just stopping by from Something Swanky. Hope you’ll stop by my blog at http://thecrunchymamacita.blogspot and become a follower 🙂
OOOH YUM! FOUND U THRU SOMETHING SWANKY BLOGHOP YAY!
My grandmother made these as treats for me when I was young. Love them!
Love these cookies, love the candy corn, what a great idea. Thanks for sharing at Bacon Time.
What a fantastic creation! I LOVE payday bars – gotta try these!
Your cookies look delicious!
M&M’s and candy corn – what a great combination. A couple of weeks ago, I had an apple cider doughnut from Dunkin’ Donuts. It really put me in the mood for fall. I love candy corn so I know I would love these cookies. Thanks for sharing on Sweet Indulgences Sunday.
YUM! I never thought to put candy corn in cookies, yummy!
These look great, Aimee! There is something so delicious about peanuts and candy corn! I’d like to invite you to share these today at our Seasonal Inspiration Saturday!
www.crumbsandchaos.blogspot.com
Such a good idea to add the candy corn after baking! They look fantastic! I love everything about fall!
Yum! I love candy corn. Great idea to put them in a cookie:)
Oh yum! My daughter loves candy corn too. She would flip over these cookies!
Oh good grief! I love candy corn and I just had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. I need to try these cookies stat. Behind take 5 bars paydays are the bomb.
I love anything that pays homage to my delicious candy corn…although I never heard of eating it with peanuts!
I love Fall too. It’s a great baking time of year. 🙂 These cookies look so yummy!
sounds scrumptiously tasty..:P
Tasty Appetite
These are pure genius!!! Can you mail me a whole box full? Please:-) I am enjoying every single minute of fall!!! It is the best season EVER!!!
They’re so pretty and colorful! Love it! 🙂
We love to eat carmel corn with peanuts so this is perfect. why did I never think of this