Recipe: Candy Corn and Peanut Cookies

It's that time of year again when the stores fill with those specialty seasonal food items. Candy Corn being ubiquitous for Halloween I always have to have some. A while back I tried a candy corn and salted peanut mix and woh. It takes on a whole new flavor, almost like a Pay Day candy bar. Being my cookie obsessed self, I promptly thought "Hey this could be a cookie"!



After a few tries I had what I was looking for. I admit my first attempt was a rather spectacular failure. I had from the start been concerned with the candy corns becoming overly melted. I knew I'd want to bake them at a low temperature and I went ahead and just mixed them in the dough for the first trial batch. Oh yes, did they melt. Giant molten pools of orange-ish goo that hardened to the baking sheet and reduced the cookies into a big crumbly mess when trying to remove them, oops. However, they were still tasty cookie crumbles!

So I found the solution was to insert a couple candies into the center of each dough ball making sure they were completely covered so the dough acts as a kind of container. Then once they're removed from the oven, pressing a few candies on top so they keep that distinctive kernel shape. Success! A nice combination of salty/sweet with the candy corns making an almost nougat like middle.



Candy Corn and Peanut Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups sifted flour (140g)
  
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup salted peanuts
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup candy corns
  

1. Heat oven to 325°F.

2. Cream together butter, peanut butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Add egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture stirring until blended. Stir in peanuts.

6. Form 1 inch balls of dough, inserting one or two candy corns into the center. Make sure dough completely covers the candy on all sides. Place on baking sheet and slightly flatten.

7. Bake 13 to 15 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and immediately press a few candy corns into the top of each cookie. Let cool several minutes (baking sheet should be cool enough to touch). Carefully transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Have a Happy Halloween!