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!
These look so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to make these with my kids!
These look amazing!!! I’d love if you’d stop by and link up over at my Candy Corn Recipe Round-Up
I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high-quality articles or blog posts in this sort of space .
Hi Amiee lovely to meet you over the blogosphere and thank you for your friend request on Food Buzz – I’m looking forward to using it more.
I love your blog – autumn is great although I wish we had more Halloween goodies in the UK – we don’t have candy corn over here! I’d never seen it until I started to follow some of my American blog friends :0)
Ryobious- Thanks for following 🙂
Shelly- They do taste great, wish I had some left!
The candy corn is the CUTEST! Must taste great when you first bit into them 🙂
These look so cute and yummy! I love the idea of throwing some candy corn in cookies, I’ll have to try this!
Found you from Something Swanky’s Blog hop, I’m your newest follower.
http://pinchofthisthatandtheother.blogspot.com/
I love fall also. It’s my favorite season. I love these cookies. I am putting them on my list for Halloween cookies. I linked to you from Mouthwatering Monday. Thanks for a great recipe.
Yum! These look and sound AMAZING! Thanks so much for linking up to Tuesday Talent Show! I would love to have you stop by and link up again tomorrow with more great projects!
-Nikki
http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/
Mhmm these look so delicious! I love jeans and hoodies too 😀