Milky Way Chocolate Cookie Crumble Bars

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Chocolate Crumble Milky Way Bar Cookies – 🍫🍪😋 My new favorite layered bar is a chocolate cookie dough base, topped with Milky Way bars, chocolate cookie dough crumbles, and drenched with creamy sweetened condensed milk! Less than 10 minutes to make without a mixer!

Milky Way Chocolate Cookie Crumble Bars.

Cookies with Milky Way Bars

I’m so in love with my peanut butter cup cookie dough crumble bars, I made gave them a second flavor with this Milk Way bar cookies recipe! And I’m in love all over again.

Sometimes I go through dessert phases where all I want is cookies. And for weeks, I make batch after batch of cookies. Right now I’m in a gooey bar phase. I just couldn’t get the rich, gooey goodness out of my head, and these Milky Way cookie bars always hit the spot.

Soft and squishy centers with chewy edges. Dense, buttery, and full of gooey creaminess from the sweetened condensed milk. Not to mention, mini peanut butter cups in every bite!

Prep and assembly take 10 minutes, no mixer is needed, and you can stir everything together in one bowl. The fewer dishes a recipe generates, the better.

The Milky Ways provide texture and another dimension of chocolate flavor. Between the nougat in them, and the creamy, rich, sweetened condensed milk that thickens while baking, I was in gooey nougat heaven.

Supremely rich, intense, bold, dark, and perfect for impromptu chocolate cravings. So many layers of textures and flavors, all in one bite from chocolate to caramel to vanilla.

Layered bars are where it’s at. Definitely a new favorite! Make a batch for holiday parties or afternoon treats. They always disappear fast!

Ingredients in Chocolate Milky Way Bar Cookies

To make this easy recipe for candy-filled cookie bars, you’ll need:

  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Unsalted butter – melt your butter before you begin
  • Egg – let it come to room temperature for easy mixing
  • Light brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Brewed coffee – this is optional but highly recommended! The bars won’t taste like coffee, but it does bring out the chocolate flavor. Water will also work
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour – feel free to use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour if you need to keep these bars gluten-free
  • Unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Milky Way candy bars – I like to use fun size Milky Way bars for easy chopping, but full-sized varieties also work

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

If you’ve ever made any kind of rich chocolate cookie, you can make these cookie bars! Here’s a quick overview of the baking process:

  1. Combine the melted and slightly cooled butter in a bowl with the egg, sugars, coffee, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until the dough is well combined. It will be quite thick and dense!
  2. Reserve about 2/3 cup of dough, and turn the rest into a baking pan lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper and greased with cooking spray. Smooth it into an even layer, and sprinkle the candy bar pieces over the dough.
  3. Lightly crumble the reserved cookie dough on top in irregular, marble-sized chunks. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top.
  4. Bake until the center is mostly set and the edges are firm, raised, and darker than the interior of the bars.
  5. Cool for at least 3 hours to allow the bars to set. Then, slice, serve, and enjoy!

Create picture-worthy bars

I recommend cooling your cookie bars for 1 hour on the counter and at least 2 hours in the fridge or ideally up to overnight. This ensures clean, pretty cut marks!

Overhead image of chocolate crumble Milky Way cookie bars.

Recipe FAQs

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, just double all the ingredients, and use a 9×13 baking pan. Keep a close eye on the oven, and adjust the baking time as needed!

Do I have to use Milky Way bars?

Not at all. If you’re not a fan, you can substitute your favorite candy bars or chocolate chips. Experiment with different varieties and combinations to make this recipe your own. It’s a great way to use up leftover Halloween candy!

How long do these Milky Way bar cookies last?

Stored in an airtight container leftover bars will stay fresh for up to 1 week.

Can I freeze leftovers?

Yes! Allow the bars to cool completely. Then, wrap them with plastic wrap, transfer them to a sealable bag, and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature when you’re ready to serve.

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5 from 2 votes
By Averie Sunshine
🍫🍪😋 My new favorite layered bar is a chocolate cookie dough base, topped with Milky Way bars, chocolate cookie dough crumbles, and drenched with creamy sweetened condensed milk! Less than 10 minutes to make without a mixer!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
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Equipment

Ingredients  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brewed coffee, leftover from the morning brew is fine, optional but highly recommended
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, I don’t sift
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch salt, optional and to taste
  • 1 ½ cups diced Milky Way Bars, or substitute with Snickers, Peanut Butter Cups Butterfinger, Heath, Rolos, 3 Musketeers
  • about 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, just slightly more than half of one standard 14-ounce can

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute. Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the egg. Add the egg, sugars, coffee (water may be substituted but coffee is highly recommended to bring out the chocolate flavor; the bars do not taste like coffee at all), vanilla, and stir or whisk vigorously to combine, about 1 minute.
  • Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, optional salt and stir until just incorporated. Dough will be quite thick and dense.
  • Reserve about 2/3 cup dough; set aside. Turn remaining dough out into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula. Evenly sprinkle the Milky Ways over the dough. Using your fingers, lightly crumble the reserved cookie dough over the top in irregular, marble-sized chunks. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top (just eyeball slightly over half of the can as you pour slowly).
  • Bake for about 27 to 30 minutes, or until center is mostly set. The sweetened condensed milk should nearly be set in all places, but possibly a little loose in the very center of the pan is okay. Edges will be firm, raised, and darker than the interior. Bars firm up more in pan as they cool; don’t overbake because you want these to stay soft and gooey, and cocoa powder is prone to turning dry.
  • Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving (use foil overhang to lift out). I recommend cooling for 1 hour on the counter, and at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight. This ensures clean, pretty cut marks. If you don’t care about that, bars may be consumed as soon as they are cool enough to eat; grab a spoon and dig in. Extra bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Bars may be kept gluten-free by replacing the flour with your favorite gluten-free baking blend. Take care any ingredients used are suitable for your dietary needs.

Notes

Storage: Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 372kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 138mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 39g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Dessert Bar Recipes:

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Crumble Bars – A soft and chewy, dense, buttery cookie dough base, topped with peanut butter cups, and creamy, rich, sweetened condensed milk. A new favorite and an absolute must-make.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Crumble Bars.

White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars – All the decadence of cheesecake, minus the work. Ready in less than a half hour.

White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars – All the taste and texture of cookies, minus the work of making individual cookies. Bar cookies are so much faster and these are soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chunks.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars.

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars – One of my favorite desserts of 2011, and similar to Seven Layer or Magic Bars, but a cake base is used instead of a graham cracker crust. Soft, dense, rich, chewy, tons of textures and flavors, and so easy.

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars.

Cookie Butter Brown Sugar Streusel Bars – Soft, chewy and moist from the cookie butter and all brown sugar dough base that’s topped with crunchy streusel bits.

Cookie Butter Brown Sugar Streusel Bars stacked.

Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispies Smores Bars – No need for campfires, make s’mores at home. These smores have three layers, including a cocoa-crispy cereal top layer that’s made with peanut butter.

Stacked Peanut Butter Cocoa Krispies Smores Bars.

Caramel and Chocolate Gooey Bars (GF with Vegan adaptation) – The hardest part of this recipe is unwrapping the caramels. Easy, loaded with texture from the oats, and dripping with chocolate.

Two stacked Caramel and Chocolate Gooey Bars.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Squares (No-Bake, Vegan, GF) – A fast, easy, and texture-filled bar pairing two of my favorites, chocolate and peanut butter.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Squares stacked.

Nanaimo Bars (No-Bake) – A triple layer bar that’s incredibly rich and satisfying. A chocolate-almond base, topped with a gooey middle, and finished with a layer of chocolate.

Three Nanaimo Bars on white plate.

Thanks for the entries in the 24 Hours of Peanuts Cookbook and Prize Pack Giveaway and the Bestowed Healthy Care Package Delivery Giveaway

5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

    1. I know! I would LOVE to donate it to you and your kids! Seriously with all my cooking, I have enough to feed a small army at any time :) I think I’ll see you at Big PL, right?!

  1. OMG! I am in love with these! They look so yummy and I love the added coffee in them too! Perfect to wake up to!

  2. Dand girl! You are killing me! I dido what Sally said!
    The first time you made these bars I went crazy and now I am going crazy all over again!! LOVE.
    Pinned!

  3. I am loving this gooey bar phase you are going through. And you’ve made SO many amazing chocolate recipes lately – the hot fudge, those Nutella PB Cookies, these gooey bars. Holy mackerol it’s like a chocolate/sugar dream around these parts lately. Well, it always is but recently I am just loving EVERYTHING Averie! The goo factor in these is making my head spin. And milky ways are, and always will be, one of my favorite candy bars! Guess what? I made a recipe yesterday using SNICKERS! Another favorite of mine. I bet these would be amazing with Snickers too. :) Oh! And the coffee in these? I’m dying. Perfect touch. I haven’t been drinking coffee as much after the fast but I will surely EAT it. ;) PINNING!

    1. Thanks for the Pin! And I have quit coffee the past month since my cleanse! Have had 2 cups in a month!! I am doing so much better overall without the crash/burn/jittery/repeat. I love the taste but it’s not the best call for me. Sigh.

      And chocolate. Well, after a year of cooking with PB, and now all kinds of other cooking that I’m doing, having a totally DIFFERENT flavor to work with, i.e. chocolate, has just sort of happened. But I realize, my blog has been highly chocolate-dominated lately. Oh well :)

  4. I LOVE the Mlky Way version. I love that milky way dark, I bet that would be fantastic in this.

    1. If I had those, I would have used them! I refuse to buy candy JUST to bake with though. I use what I’ve collected on various candy-holidays, V-Day, Halloween, old Easter candy, etc to try to thin out my stash! lol

  5. I’m not lying, when I first saw this recipe I gasped a little bit. It looks divine. I need some in my life right now!

  6. I need one of these right now with my umpteenth cup of coffee! They look delicious, Averie!

  7. This gooey bar phase that you’re in – delicious (and inspired!). I’m seriously craving several of these bars right now, please!! :D

  8. These are gorgeous! I think I could live on ooey-gooey bars like this. And the Milky Ways? FAB!