Need a way to use up extra treats this season? Look no further
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If you’ve got extra mini chocolate bars laying around this week, you’re not alone. Sometimes I find myself buying a box of assorted treats just to realize that this many chocolates deserve to be made into their own dessert.
That’s where this recipe comes in. My mom started making it with the extra candy that she didn’t give out on Halloween night, and it got so popular in our house that I would even donate some of my hard-earned loot to help her make it.
This simple shortbread incorporates leftover Halloween chocolates and creates a great dessert, fit to impress anyone. You can put virtually any chocolate-based candy on top, and either mix them all together or make different sections for different treats. My favourite ones have KitKats and Smarties, but anything will do.
You can also use a variety of chocolate chip types to create even more unique flavours. The possibilities are endless. Don’t worry — if you don’t have any chocolate just yet, try hitting up grocery stores the day after Halloween. The assorted treat boxes will be on discount, which is all the more reason to dive into this recipe.
1 cup softened butter
¾ cup light-brown sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chocolate or baking chips – white, semi-sweet, milk, or butterscotch
2 cups roughly chopped leftover halloween chocolate bars
- Preheat your oven to 350° F
- Beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy using an electric mixer.
- Add a third of the flour, mix, and keep adding until it’s all combined. The dough will be crumbly.
- Press into an 8-inch baking dish and bake until golden brown and firm – this will take 30 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven.
- Place chocolate chips on top of the shortbread, and put the dish back into the oven until the chocolate is soft – around one minute.
- Spread softened chocolate evenly over the shortbread, and scatter the chopped chocolate bars on top. Let cool for 30 minutes – refrigerate to set chocolate even further.
- Cut into the bars and enjoy!
Recipe inspired by Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine — Issue 76, October 2010.
