Make these candy corn cookies easily at home with the help of food coloring and your favorite sugar cookie dough! They’re creative sugar cookies for fall that look incredible and taste even better.
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If you think these cookies look difficult to make, think again! They’re not too difficult, but not elementary either. We’re going to make candy corn-inspired cookie bars dipped in white chocolate. And the best part? No cookie cutter needed, just a ruler, a sharp knife, and a whole lotta fun.
Love these cookies? Then you’ll also enjoy my Christmas candy cane cookies. They’re a fun and festive treat that’s perfect for the holidays. These make ahead Christmas cookies and Christmas biscotti cookies are also family favorites!
Combining my favorite sugar cookie recipe, these come together easily and are very festive! It’s a spin on a classic!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: This recipe uses your favorite sugar cookie dough as a base, making it super simple to prepare.
- Fun and Festive: These candy corn cookies are a unique and colorful addition to any dessert spread, making them perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving.
- Classic Flavors: Although they look like candy corn, these cookies have the same delicious, buttery flavor as a classic sugar cookie.
- Kid-Friendly: Children absolutely love these cookies! They’re not only fun to look at, but also fun to make.
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Key Ingredients
- Favorite Sugar Cookie Dough: This forms the base of our candy corn cookies, providing a sweet, buttery foundation for the other ingredients to shine.
- Orange Coloring and Yellow Coloring: We’ll use these to give our cookies the iconic candy corn colors, making them both festive and delicious.
- White Candy Coating: This will be melted and drizzled over the cookies, adding a sweet and creamy finish that’s reminiscent of the white tip of a candy corn.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer – You’ll need this to mix your sugar cookie dough and to color the portions with orange and yellow food coloring.
- Rolling Pin – This is essential for rolling out the colored dough into strips and the uncolored dough to form the tri-colored rectangle.
How to Make Candy Corn Cookies
Preparation
Start by making your sugar cookie dough. After chilling it, divide the dough into three equal parts, and color one part orange, one part yellow, and leave the third part uncolored. Refrigerating the dough will make it easier to work with.
Step 1 – Roll Out the Dough
Take the chilled, colored dough and roll each portion into a long, thin strip. You should have a 24-inch long, 1.5-inch wide, and 3/4-inch high strip of each color. Layer these strips to form a tri-colored rectangle.
Step 2 – Shape the Dough
Press the colored strips together and trim the rectangle to a 4-inch width. Then, slice the rectangle into 1-inch bars. Place these bars on a cookie sheet and bake.
Step 3 – Bake the Cookies
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. The cookies are done when they are set but not brown on the underside. Let them cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Step 4 – Dip the Cookies in Candy Coating
Once the cookies are completely cool, melt the white candy coating. Dip the uncolored top of each cookie into the melted candy coating and place them on wax paper to dry.
Expert Tip
To ensure that your candy corn cookies have distinct, vibrant colors, it’s crucial to refrigerate the dough after coloring it. This extra chill time allows the colors to set and intensify, making it easier to roll out the dough and form those iconic candy corn stripes.
Recipe Variations
- Different Shapes: While the recipe calls for the classic candy corn shape, feel free to get creative. You can roll the dough into balls and flatten them with a glass for a more traditional cookie shape.
- Add Sprinkles: For a fun twist, add some Halloween-themed sprinkles to the white candy coating. This will give your cookies a festive and colorful look that kids will love.
What to Serve With
- For a fun and colorful Halloween treat, serve these candy corn cookies with a glass of milk or a cup of hot cocoa. The kids will love the vibrant colors and the sweet, buttery flavor of the cookies.
- If you’re hosting a fall-themed party, these cookies make a great addition to your dessert table. You can also wrap them in cellophane and tie them with a ribbon for a cute party favor.
- These candy corn cookies are also perfect for a bake sale. The eye-catchy colors are sure to attract customers, and the delicious, homemade flavor will keep them coming back for more.
- If you’re a fan of traditional candy corn, you’ll love these cookies. They have the same iconic colors and a similar, sweet flavor, making them a great alternative to the classic Halloween candy.
Make Ahead Instructions
Make ahead the dough and add the food coloring. Let set in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before rolling out to make the cookies.
Recipe FAQs
You can use your favorite sugar cookie recipe for this, just make sure it’s a dough that holds its shape well when baked.
Make sure to refrigerate the dough balls for at least an hour before shaping. This will help the dough hold its shape and prevent the colors from blending together too much.
Storing and Reheating
- Storing: Once your candy corn cookies have cooled, store them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: If you want to make these cookies in advance, you can freeze the dough. Simply roll it into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer bag. It will keep well for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough thaw in the refrigerator. Once it’s completely thawed, slice and bake as directed in the recipe.
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Serving Size
- What to Expect: This candy corn cookie recipe yields about 2 dozen cookies, perfect for sharing with friends and family.
- How to Scale: If you want to make more than 2 dozen cookies, you can double the recipe. Follow the instructions as directed, and make sure your mixer is large enough to accommodate the increased quantity of dough. You may also need to work in batches when rolling out the colored dough to make the candy corn pattern.
Candy Corn Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds favorite sugar cookie dough
- Orange food coloring
- Yellow food coloring
- 12 oz White candy coating
Instructions
- Use your favorite recipe for cookie dough. Form the dough.
- Divide the dough into three equal portions. Using the mixer, color one portion with orange, clean the mixer and color a second portion with yellow. The third portion is to be left as is.
- Refrigerate the dough balls for one hour before shaping
- Roll out the yellow dough ball into a strip that is 24 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, and 3/4 inches in height. Next, roll out the orange dough the same way and place it next to the yellow. Finally, roll out the uncolored dough and place it next to the orange. You will have created a tri-colored rectangle.
- Press the colored strips together until they measure 4 inches along the short side of the rectangle.
- Slice off 1-inch bars from the short side of the rectangle. Place them on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake them for 12 minutes at 375˚ F or until set, but not browned on the underside. Cool for a couple of minutes and then move to cooling racks.
- When the cookies are completely cool, melt your white candy coating according to the instructions and dip the uncolored top of each bar into the melted candy coat and place on wax paper to dry.
I love love love Candy Corn since I was a lil girl, I cant wait to try these as they look yummy and fun just like the candy I love the colors, taste, butterynous and flavor I look forward to trying these cookies, Yay !!!!!!!!
They are the cutest! Right?! Glad you love them.
These look yummy!!! Thanks for this detailed recipe, Meredith!!!