Looking for something to do with your extra Halloween candy? This is the recipe for you. You can use any type of chocolate-based candy. I made half the tray using Kit Kats and the other half using M&Ms. Both were good, but I preferred the Kit Kats.

These bars are really easy to make. I only had one problem and it was with the M&Ms. I made these bars one evening, and put them in the refrigerator overnight. When I took them out in the morning, the M&Ms had become discolored. They had what looked like a milky coating on them, which is why you only see the KitKat bars in this picture. The M&Ms bars still tasted good, they just didn’t look great, so definitely don’t put your bars in the fridge.

Shortbread Candy Bars
Recipe from MarthaStewart.com

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups assorted chocolate candies or roughly chopped candy bars (12 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and salt on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. With mixer on low, add flour in three additions and beat until combined (dough will be crumbly). Press dough evenly into an 8-inch square baking dish. Bake until golden brown and firm, 30 to 35 minutes.

Scatter chocolate chips on top of shortbread. Bake until soft, 1 minute. With the back of a spoon, spread chocolate evenly over shortbread. Scatter candies over top. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. Refrigerate briefly to set chocolate, then cut into 16 bars. (Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, up to 4 days.)

Yield: 16 bars

One year ago: Joanna Pruess’s Molasses Spice Cookies
Two years ago: Cheddar Apple Frittata