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!
Table of Contents
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.
How to Make the Best Cookie Bars with Milky Ways
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:
- 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!
- 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.
- Lightly crumble the reserved cookie dough on top in irregular, marble-sized chunks. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top.
- Bake until the center is mostly set and the edges are firm, raised, and darker than the interior of the bars.
- 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!
Recipe FAQs
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!
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!
Stored in an airtight container leftover bars will stay fresh for up to 1 week.
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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Milky Way Chocolate Cookie Crumble Bars
Equipment
- 1 Large, Microwave-Safe Bowl
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
- ⅓ 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thanks for the entries in the 24 Hours of Peanuts Cookbook and Prize Pack Giveaway and the Bestowed Healthy Care Package Delivery Giveaway
Why is there a river of blue goo on the top?
It’s was the lighting I was using that cast a blue hue to the melted milky way gooey stuff.
Made these with mini Hershey bars and caramel bits (that’s what I had). So good. Thank you for the great recipe. Will have to try the original bars next. What are your thoughts on doubling the recipe? Do you think a 13 x 9 would work and if so any ideas on how long to bake? Thanks again.
Glad they worked out great for you and yes you could double and bake in a 9×13. I would start with the same amt of baking time and just watch closely and evaluate and see how things are looking.
yummy, that looks delicious…..Thanks for sharing this recipe….
Simon
your desserts are delish!!!question:do you prefer the rolo’s or milky way in the candy bar and why? i love caramel but wondering if the milky way more interesting as it has different components besides caramal and chocolat. also, i bought the minis so i don’t have to chop,have you tried this?
I really don’t think you can go wrong with either Rolo or Milky Way. I personally prefer the Peanut Butter Cup version of this recipe that I linked to in the post. It’a a lighter base (not chocolate like this one) and something about it and the PB cups just really work so well for my tastebuds! That’s not to say I didnt love the chocolate version, too! But PB is my true love.
Use whatever candy you have on hand (that’s what I do!). I dont go buy candy just to bake with it – I use the random stuff I accumulate. And if you want to leave the mini size whole, feel free. Or chop. Either way will work!
Finally made these and they were very good. I used strawberry flavored 3 Musketeer bars, which did go well with the batter. While I can say I enjoyed these a great deal (eating 1/2 the pan is a big sign), I also think I prefer the peanut butter version they were based on. That is likely my personal taste preference showing, so now have to wonder if I shouldn’t try these again with the PB cups! Keep up the great recipes.
Wow, I didn’t even know they made strawberry flavored 3 Musketeer bars. That was quite a jump in terms of adapting the choice of candy bar from a regular Milky Way bar to a strawberry 3 Musketeers bar and that may have been why you didn’t like this version quite as much as the PB version, but as you said, you still found them very good! I think all-chocolate based candy bars are the way to go – and for me, I love the PB version as well. Almost nothing can trump PB for me :) Thanks for LMK you made these!
Hi,
nice greetings from Germany (Berlin :-)
I´m Lisa and ich like this recipe. It sounds very good and I will try it out next time, because I´m an chocoholic ;-)
Please, excuse my terrible english..
Milky Ways are one of my favorites, and in a chocolate bar cookie with sweetened condensed milk? Oh, my! That looks down right amazing!!!
oh my goodness! I am at a loss for words – these look SO good!
These bars look absolutely scrumptious!!!