Do you like Butterfinger candy bars? If you say no, then we can’t be friends anymore.
I happen to love Butterfingers!
These homemade Butterfinger Bars were so easy. Almost a little too easy, if you know what I mean.
With 3 ingredients
And in 3 minutes
They were done
First ingredient: Candy Corn. If you have leftover candy corn from Halloween or a surplus that’s just burning a hole in your cupboard, you can use it to make these.
Or you can make Candy Corn Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites, too.
Second ingredient: Peanut Butter. Everyone has this. I know there’s no shortage of nut butter in the cupboards of bloggers and blog readers.
Third ingredient: Chocolate chips. Everyone has these, especially if you read my blog.
Now everyone can have these.
They’re so easy and spot on with the flavor of real Butterfingers that these are dangerous. I’m not even kidding.
I’ve always wished I could just have Butterfinger centers. Fold back the chocolate and just get to that flaky-textured, peanut buttery-flavored orange stuff. I’ve also wished I could duplicate just that orange stuff at home.
And now I have.
Butterfinger Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free Options)
1 c candy corn (to keep vegan use Vegan Candy Corn or make your own homemade vegan candy corn – there are tons of recipes online, google it)
1/3 c peanut butter
3/4 c chocolate chips, for the top layer
Directions:
Line a small baking dish with aluminum foil, parchment, or plastic wrap. Make sure you have this ready to go. (I used a 5 x 5 Gladware plastic container meant for leftovers that I lined with foil and also sprayed with cooking spray)
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the candy corn. This will go fast. Approximately 30 seconds (50-60 seconds, max).
Have your peanut butter waiting on a big spoon and the second you take the candy corn out of the microwave, stir in the peanut butter. If it hardens up on you too fast, place mixture back into the microwave for 10 seconds or so, until you can stir it to be smooth.
Take your smooth mixture and put it into your baking dish, pushing it down with a spoon or your hands. Work quickly. Place this into the freezer.
Next, melt your chocolate chips. If you want more/less of a chocolate layer, use more/less chips.
Remove the baking dish from the freezer, pour melted chocolate over it. Place in freezer and allow to set up for 10 minutes or so, slice & enjoy.
Tips:
Spray your microwave-safe bowl with cooking spray before you add the candy corn and begin microwaving and melting it. It will dramatically help with cleanup.
Line your baking dish with aluminum foil, parchment, or plastic wrap. It will dramatically help with cleanup.
Double or triple the recipe as needed in a 1:3 ratio, i.e. 1 cup Peanut Butter to 3 cups candy corn, and use a 8 x 8 baking dish or similar.
You could make Butterfinger Truffles by cutting squares or rectangles with a knife or pizza cutter of the hardened orange mixture, and then submerging those into a chocolate bath. I personally did not need the entire bar coated in chocolate because it’s quite rich just having chocolate on one side, but to each her own.
Here was my Gladware container that I made them in. First I poured down the orange layer, and let that cool. Then I poured down the chocolate layer and let that cool. Sliced and ate.
Tastes.just.like.a.real.Butterfinger
It’s unreal how close the candy corn + PB mixture approximates the taste of that orange Butterfinger center we’ve all come to know and love.
Or that I have come to know and love.
In terms of texture, they also have that flaky crisp and crunch like store-bought Butterfingers. And boy, did those flakes ever make for plenty of photography out-takes. Note to self: flaking candy bars are not easy to work with.
The homemade bars have a slight degree of chewiness to the orange center. Not much more than store-bought Buttefingers, but just a tiny bit of extra chew, which I enjoyed.
And even if you’re not a candy corn fan, the bars don’t taste like candy corn. They taste like Butterfingers!
Because I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, the chocolate is darker and richer on the homemade Butterfingers bars compared to store bought, which have more of a milk chocolate coating. I prefer dark to milk chocolate, any day.
I also opted to just keep the chocolate on top, rather than dunking the entire thing into a chocolate bath. You could, but these were plenty rich with just chocolate on one side, and that’s saying something especially coming from me.
And as I said in the recipe portion, you could also make the orange pieces smaller and dip or fully coat them witth chocolate, thereby making Butterfinger “Truffles”
These are my take on Butterfinger Mini’s.
These are so easy. Go on, make some. I know you’ve got candy corn lurking in your cabinets, and if you don’t, go buy some just to make these.
Questions:
1. Do you like Butterfinger candy bars?
You could of course just buy Butterfingers, but then you wouldn’t get to re-invent the wheel but that would take the fun out of wondering what to do with leftover candy corn.
The other nice thing is that you control what goes into these. You know what ingredients are going in, so in a roundabout way, somehow they are probably better for you than storebought Butterfingers. You know, because candy bars of any type are good for you and all, right?
2. What do you do with your leftover Halloween candy?
I’ve seen chocolate bark that’s sort of a candy bar dumping grounds, i.e. throw in bits of Snickers and Milky Way hunks, add M & M’s and gummi bears, whatever you have on hand, add it all to melted chocolate, spread on a sheet pan, and create a candy bark smorgasboard with your leftover candy. Any type of flavor combo goes.
I’ve also seen the same principle but applied to popcorn. Popcorn, plus candy bar odds and ends are added, then a caramel mixture is made and poured over it, bake it all in the oven for 10-20 minutes, and candy bar infused caramel corn is born.
Nothing like a few low-sugar recipes, eh? Just go to Pinterest and if you need ideas. Prepare to drool.
3. Halloween Plans?
Be safe and have fun. Those are the two golden rules.
My plans involve this
Need other homemade candy recipes?
Candy Corn Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites (No Bake)
Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
White Chocolate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
No-Bake Vegan Chocolate “Turtles”
No-Bake Vegan “Peppermint Patties”
And if you have one spare second, could you please Vote for Me in the Delta/Biscoff Bake-Off. Thank you! I really appreciate it.
i’ve never had a butterfingers choc bar! and i think the last time i tried candy corn i was about 12!
let’s pretend i have a hallowe’en party to go to…i’d make these bars. something about melting candy corn is very fun!! and i think i would try dunking them in the chocolate bath…of course, this is all hypothetical!
OMG!!! Girl, you are killing me over here!! I love butterfingers and haven’t had them in years upon years!!!! I haven’t ever seen candy corn really for sale! LOL! But now I’m going to look!!
xxoo
no your choc covered potato chips take the cake of I want them!!!
Yes and it’s been years since I’ve had one. This recipe looks amazing, awesome job! Love the pics and simplicity of the ingredients!
1. Yes.
2. Dump it at work for co-workers to eat.
3. Handing out candy at home. Exciting, I know, but it’s a stinking Monday night.
you could make them vegan w/ vegan candy corn…most candy corn is already almost vegan anyway..it’s just glorfied HFCS, your fave thing….kidding :)
to your other question in another comment, chihuahua…one day maybe we’ll get another dog. Life needs to calm down a bit before I could embark on that thought though :)
Loving the vibrant colors!
How on earth did you figure out that those three things combined would taste like Butterfingers!!!!?? That is pretty crazy, and I am intrigued. Good work! The bars look awesome, and I don’t like candy corn :-)
From too much time spent on Pinterest and reading and seeing recipes there, googling, and a little luck :)
Averie, this is SUCH a creative and good idea!
make them!
You know my thoughts on these bars already, but the pictures are great! Love the orange glow on them too. I wonder what makes them flaky? I was thinking about adding some graham crackers or something, but I don’t need to, huh?
don’t even mess w/ the graham crackers. it will muck it up and make it really thick and unworkable I am thinking.
once you get this melted nearly hot liquid, you have to work fast and the G.C.’s would just…be a liability I think.
the flaky i am guessing comes from changing the molecular structure of the sugar in the heating process…denaturing the molecules. hey wait, don’t you have a phD in science? :)
Was there something wrong with my comment about thinking the addition of graham crackers sounded good? Why would you delete that? I was just agreeing with your commenter… nothing wrong with that. There is nothing “negative” about agreeing with someones idea. Perhaps you think since it is altering your idea it is wrong… aren’t all recipes just altering and adapting ideas?
I’m sure this will be deleted as well, but you have lost a reader.
None of your comments were ever deleted. Calm down, please :)
I could do an attached screenshot and email it to you if you want me to. I hope you continue to read my blog because no, I never deleted your comments. The 3 you have left me are all still here and have been, check the screen again and reply back if you’d like me to email you a screenshot.
I think graham crackers sounds like a heavenly addition! Great idea! Perhaps cornflakes or something fun for the crunch:)
yes they sound good in theory but the orange mixture is pretty thick and I can’t imagine adding anything dry to it, making it even thicker, but if you have success or try a variation, I’d love to hear it.
katie and i are good friends and we bantered about this on email too :)
averie! i got the job! :) i got hired after my interview. even did a little bit of training already! guess im gonna be living in nY!
i do miss cali weather already though, but i’m so excited for NYC!
congrats on your job!!!!!! this is what you’ve worked 10+ years, mi-an, to do and have…congrats!!! I am so incredibly happy for you.
i know you’ll miss CA but you’ll be living in NY. You are gonna love it, I know :)
xoxo
This is so insanely creative yet simple. I don’t have any candy corn (or PB for that matter, I’m an almond butter girl), but now I’m tempted to go stock up on both.
Wow… my Halloween plans just changed… they now include making these butterfingers. They are one of my favorites! I will bake in costume of course.
LMK how they turn out for you. would love to see pics of you making them in costume. lol
Holy Cow! I am so making these, maybe right now! This looks so good and I am glad it’s fast and easy! Thanks!!
report back if you make them!
My older sister always picked the Butterfinger when we went shopping for “treats” with our parents. I never liked them. I am not sure what it was about that candy bar that I didn’t like, but I usually picked M&M’s with almonds or Snickers!
Got a snickers bar we can make, Averie? :-)
We are going out of town for Halloween weekend. We don’t really do the whole deal so it’s nice to get away!
Who knew??!? I do now, thanks to you :) CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE THESE!!! Awesome!
OH GIRL! We ARE friends. I’m in love with Butterfingers – SO making these!
Lmk your thoughts if you make them!
Wow Averie….you went to town with these treats. Just pinned all the glorious sweetness :)
Thank you my friend…I made them TODAY. And did the photos and the editing today. I just had to post them…asap. Thanks for the pins my friend. I see your pins everywhere and re-pin and ‘like’ whenever I see them :)
Wow, haha I love this idea! I’m going to lie to you and say I like butterfingers… and candy corn :S can we still be friends?