There was a candy bar cookie showdown in my house last week, Snickers in one corner and Butterfinger in the other. Snickers, the best selling candy bar of all time, was the obvious front-runner. It was a fight to the finish, but in the end only one cookie was awarded the “Best Candy Bar Cookie” title.

Here is a recap of the fight:

Round 1 – Ease of Preparation

Both types of cookies were easy to prepare. The Snickers cookie dough didn’t seem firm enough, but by adapting the recipe and adding 1/2 cup extra flour, the dough was perfect. The Butterfinger cookies used only one bowl and less dishes, which always earns extra points on my score card. The only downside of the Butterfinger dough is that it required chilling time. Round 1 was decided a tie.

Round 2 – Texture

These cookies have two totally different textures. The Snickers cookies came out moist and soft. Sinking your mouth into that hidden piece of Snickers was heavenly. The Butterfinger cookies spread and became fairly flat cookies. They were a little too soft right from the oven, but as they cooled, they firmed up and resulted in a crunchy cookie. This round went to the Snickers batch.

Round 3 – Overall Taste and Appeal

I made the Snickers batch first. They were evil. I mean that in a good way. I knew if they stayed in my house, I would proceed to eat every one of those suckers. I immediately packed them up to be shared with neighbors. My neighbor, Sophie, emailed shortly after and told me this was the best cookie she had ever eaten. She had to fight the rest of the family off from eating them. The Butterfinger cookies were definitely good and if you’re a Butterfingers fan, I think it’s a given that you’ll be pleased. The oh-so-picky boy told me they tasted like carmel popcorn. When you’re that picky, you don’t get a vote, but I do agree these cookies had a yummy hint of carmel in each bite.

At the end of the match, the victory was clear – The best candy bar cookie title went to the Snickers Candy Bar Cookie. A Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cookie may be the only candy to stand a chance of taking this title… I’ll have to work on that.

Snickers Cookies 

1 c. sugar
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. soft butter
1 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

20 SNICKERS® or MILKY WAY®s fun size bars, cut in half (1/2 per cookie)

Shape dough around each candy, cover completely. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 13 to 16 minutes.

 Butterfingers Cookies (Epicurious.com)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1         large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups Butterfinger candy bar chopped

Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until well blended. Add egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Beat in flour, salt and baking soda. Stir in Butterfinger BB’s (dough will be moist). Chill cookie dough at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 rounded tablespoon dough for each cookie, drop cookie dough in mounds onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart (about 8 cookies per sheet; cookies will spread). Bake cookies until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer parchment with cookies to rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 4 days ahead. Store in airtight container.)