Leftover Candy Ooey Gooey Cake – An Easy Leftover Candy Dessert Recipe

Leftover Candy Ooey Gooey Cake is the perfect way to use up leftover Halloween candy.  Using a boxed cake mix, this candy dessert couldn’t get much easier.

Leftover Candy Ooey Gooey Cake Recipe

I am always looking for ways to use up leftover Halloween candy or Easter candy or Christmas candy.  I hate seeing that huge bowl of candy sitting on the counter begging me to come eat one, or two or three pieces.  Instead, I’d rather use up a big chunk of it all at once.

That’s how these Leftover Candy Cookie Bars came about.  I modified one of my hands down favorite dessert recipes into this decadent candy dessert.

The recipe is easy to follow and comes together quickly.  It uses a shortcut ingredient – dry boxed cake mix. I always have several different flavors of these on hand in my cabinet.

The bottom layer is where all the leftover chocolate candy pieces go, mixed into a delicious crust.  The top layer is total decadence consisting of cream cheese, powdered sugar and eggs.  This layer is also the “gooey” layer.

These cake mix butter cookies are so rich that you can cut them into small little pieces, and everybody will be perfectly happy since they are so rich.

Ingredient List

• Large Eggs
• White Cake Mix or Yellow Cake Mix
• Melted Butter
• Leftover candy (or chocolate chips)
• Package of Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar (Confectioners sugar)

How to Make Leftover Candy Cookies

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Using an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer), beat eggs, dry cake mix and melted butter in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Stir in leftover candy by hand.
4. Spread cake mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
5. For the top layer, cream softened cream cheese, eggs and powdered sugar until smooth and lump-free.
6. Pour cream cheese mixture over top of the first layer.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool. Cover with a tight fitting lid or plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For the full instructions and ingredient list for leftover Halloween candy cake, scroll to the bottom of this post.

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Ooey Gooey Butter Bars.  It all started with the original, and now I can’t stop creating new versions.

Ooey Gooey Bar Recipe Variations

Classic Gooey Bars with Yellow Cake Mix

Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Gooey Bars

Lemon Ooey Gooey Bars

Chocolate Butter Cake (Gooey Bars)

Recipe FAQs

• I used a yellow cake mix for these yellow cake mix gooey bars but you could absolutely use a white cake mix instead.
• Be sure the cream cheese is at room temperature to prevent lumps. I set mine out for a couple hours before starting.
• For my leftover Halloween candy cake, I used a combination of M&Ms and Reese’s Cups, but you can use whatever leftover chocolate candy you have on hand. This is a great way to use up chocolate bars.
• Bake until golden brown. The center will still be a bit jiggly.  This is a ooey gooey butter cake after all!
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Does Ooey Gooey cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes it should be stored at room temperature due to the cream cheese. Refrigeration will inhibit mold growth. You can leave the dessert bars out for a few hours at room temperature, but be sure to store long term in the fridge.

More Recipes for Leftover Candy Bars

Halloween Candy Monster Cookies

Granny’s Homemade Brownies

White Chocolate Trash

Fall Snack Mix

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