Candy Corn & Peanuts Blondies

If candy corn and peanuts aren’t on your menu this October, they should be.

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Prep Time 8 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Ingredients

  

Base:

• ½ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup candy corn
• 1/4 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts

Topping:

• 1/4 cup candy corn
• 1/4 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 8 x 8 baking dish, set aside.
• Heat the butter and vanilla over low heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mix, beat together the brown sugar and eggs until smooth. Stream in the butter/vanilla and beat until smooth and glossy.
• Add the flour and mix until incorporated. Fold in the candy corn and peanuts. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth until even with the back of a spoon. Mixture will be thick!
• Bake for 25 minutes or until it looks set, the edges are just golden and slightly matte. A thin knife inserted in the center should come out with one or two moist crumbs.

  Immediately press the topping peanuts and candy corn into to hot blondies.
• Cool completely in pan over wire rack. Slice into squares.

  Store any leftovers in an air tight container at room temperature.

Notes

I used vanilla flavored candy corn but I am sure the regular old Brach’s would work just fine. The texture was basically the same.

 

Keyword bars

Years ago someone mentioned that their favorite fall snack with candy corn with peanuts. It was such a genius combo I felt a little strange that I didn’t think if it myself. Super sweet plus salty peanut? Yes, please. The combination of marshmallow and peanut is classic for a reason and I have always thought of candy corn as a marshmallow cousin.

I really had a craving for this last month but could not find candy corn when I was shopping for our vacation snacks. I had bought (and finished) a bag in what I swwar was late August but suddenly it was no where to be found. While on vacation in Cape May, NJ, my husband went to pick us up sandwiches at a deli that had bulk candy and brought us back a tub of candy corn and a tub of candy corn gummies. I was excited until I bit into and realized it wasn’t candy corn flavored, it was vanilla! The tub was only around $2.30 but clearly it was gourmet candy corn. We all know the honey-ish flavor of Brach’s is what we mean when we say candy corn! It was good but not what I had my mouth set for.

My husband offered to toss it (It’s only candy corn! It was $2.30!) but cheap as I am I couldn’t do it. There was nothing wrong with the candy corn, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

So that’s the story of how I ended up making these blondies. I did use the fancy corn but I can only image regular candy corn would be fine. Harvest corn too if you like that. I’m a purist.

I’m not going to lie, these are sweet, gooey blondies. But the flavor is brightened and made every so slightly more savory and “adult” thanks to the peanuts. It took some tweaking but it really is a fun way to use up candy corn.