Million Dollar Candy Bar Cookies taste like - you guessed it - a million bucks! They're made with tender shortbread, caramel pecan topping, chocolate ganache, and a pecan on top. These festive and indulgent caramel shortbread cookies that are absolutely perfect for holiday parties and Christmas cookie exchanges!
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These Million Dollar Candy Bar Cookies just scream Christmas to me. They're essentially caramel shortbread cookies, with the very necessary addition of chocolate and a whole pecan on top.
This is a recipe my Great Grandma serves every Christmas, so they're something of a tradition around the holidays. Our other caramel pecan favorites are this Microwave Caramel Pecan Sauce or this amazing Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup.
🏅 Why this recipe is great
- The shortbread cookies are tender and not overly sweet.
- The caramel and chocolate toppings are made in the microwave to make it easier and faster.
- Candy bar cookies have that homemade taste and feel... perfect for cookie exchanges and Christmas baking.
🍫 Ingredients
A full list of the ingredients is in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips:
Powdered sugar: You need this for the cookie dough, caramel, and chocolate. Make sure to sift it first for smooth texture.
Half & half: Half & half has a higher fat content than milk, which gives these cookies a little extra something! You can also use heavy cream.
Candy caramels: I use Kraft caramels, but any similar brand will do.
Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet are best to balance the sweetness in the caramel. Milk chocolate can be used instead, but it will be sweeter.
🔪 How to make Million Dollar Candy Bar Cookies
Shortbread
- Make the shortbread: Beat the butter, half and half, and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar, then add the flour and salt. Shape the dough into a ball with your hands.
- Roll the dough: Gently pat the dough into a disc, wrap with plastic, and chill for 5 minutes in the freezer. Next roll the slightly-chilled dough until it is ¼ inch thick. We use these rolling pin spacer bands (affiliate) to get it even.
- Cut cookies: Cut out 24 cookies with a 2 ¼ or 2 ½ inch cookie cutter. Re-roll gently as needed to cut more cookies.
- Bake: Chill the cookies in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, then bake for 10-12 minutes at 375°F.
Pro tip: When cleaning up your counter or cutting board after working with dough, try using a bench scraper (affiliate). They make cleanup 100x faster and more fun.
Toppings
- Make the caramel: Microwave the caramels, half and half, and butter for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until the caramel is smooth. Whisk in the powdered sugar, then stir in the pecans.
- Make the chocolate: Microwave the chocolate chips, half and half, and butter for 30-60 seconds, stirring occasionally, until it is melted and smooth. Then whisk in the vanilla and powdered sugar.
Assembly
- Caramel: Using a small offset spatula (affiliate), spread 1 tablespoon of caramel pecan topping over most of the cookie, leaving a small edge.
- Chocolate: Add 1 teaspoon of chocolate on top, leaving a wide edge of caramel.
- Pecan: Top each cookie with a whole pecan half.
🙋 Questions and Answers
These cookies go by several names, including Million Dollar Cookies and Caramel Shortbread Cookies. Who knows where all the names originated, but candy bar cookies is an appropriate name since this is a cookie topped with all the caramel, nut, and chocolaty goodness you usually find in a candy bar!
When the fat in the cookies melts in the hot oven, it causes them to spread. To keep these cookies from spreading, chill the dough in the freezer before baking. This will help them hold their shape.
Right out of the oven, these cookies will be tender, but still firm enough to hold their shape. The bottoms and edges will be very lightly golden and sturdy, but the tops will still be pale. If you overbake them, they won't be as tender as they should be.
They are best eaten within 1-2 days, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week. The more airtight, the fresher the cookies will stay.
These cookies are 1000% best fresh. But if you need to, you can make the dough, form it into a disc, and freeze it wrapped in plastic for up to 3 months. Then just thaw it and proceed with the recipe as written.
Another option is to make, roll, and cut the dough into circles. Then freeze the circles flat on a cookie sheet, store in a zipper bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can bake them straight from frozen, just add 1-2 minutes of baking time.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
Million Dollar Candy Bar Cookies are really fun for Christmas cookie exchanges and holiday parties. If you are making more than 24 cookies, I suggest following the make ahead instructions below for a faster process.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Be gentle during the whole process. Try to avoid over-mixing, over-handling, and over-rolling the dough. The extra care makes tender shortbread cookies!
- Use as little flour as possible when rolling out the cookies. More flour = denser cookie.
- Don't skip the chilling time. Getting the dough cold before rolling and especially before baking makes sure that the cookies don't spread.
- Lay your parchment flat on the cookie sheet. I even trim off all the overhang. If the parchment isn't flat, it will cause the cookies to warp and come out in funny shapes.
📖 Other Christmas baking recipes
- Baked White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake: Ultra creamy cheesecake swirled with raspberry sauce. It’s a decadent dessert!
- Best Pecan Pie Recipe without Corn Syrup: This pecan pie is made with maple syrup for a super smooth filling (not curdled!) that is just the right level of sweet.
- Chocolate Mint Cookies Recipe: Soft and chewy chocolate cookies topped with a melty mint.
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📋 Recipe
Million Dollar Candy Bar Cookies (Caramel Shortbread Cookies)
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookies
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter softened
- 2 tablespoon half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Caramel Pecan Topping
- 6 oz Kraft caramels about 24 caramels
- 3½ tablespoon half and half
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup powdered sugar sifted
- ¾ cup pecans chopped
Chocolate Topping
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2½ tablespoon half and half
- ½ tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 24 pecan halves
Instructions
Shortbread Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a mixer, combine butter, half and half, and vanilla on low speed until combined, then increase to medium speed and blend until smooth and fluffy, 30 -60 seconds.
- Add powdered sugar and mix on low until combined.
- Add flour and salt, then mix on low until large, moist crumbs form. Don't overmix.
- Turn dough onto a flat surface. Using your hands, gently shape the dough into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 5-6 minutes.
- On lightly floured surface, roll dough until ¼" thick. Use rolling pin rings, if desired.
- Use a 2¼ - 2½ inch circle cookie cutter to cut cookies. Gently gather the scraps and re-roll the dough until you have 24 cookies.
- Place cookies on cookie sheet (12 per sheet) and freeze for 5-10 minutes or refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- Bake chilled cookies for 10-12 minutes. Edges and bottom will be very lightly golden (tops will not be golden). **See picture in post.
- Cool completely on cookie sheet, then move to cooling rack.
Caramel Pecan Topping
- Place caramels, half and half, and butter in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30-60 seconds until smooth.
- Whisk in powdered sugar, then stir in chopped pecans.
Chocolate Topping
- Combine chocolate chips, half and half, and butter in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30-60 seconds, stirring occasionally until smooth.
- Whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla.
Assembling
- On cooled cookies, spread 1 tablespoon of caramel pecan topping onto each cookie, leaving a small edge. Allow to set for a few minutes.
- On top of the pecan caramel topping, spread 1 teaspoon of the chocolate mixture in the center.
- While the chocolate is still warm, top each cookie with a pecan half.
- Allow cookies to sit at room temperature until toppings are set. Then store in an air-tight container.
Notes
- Be gentle during the whole process. Try to avoid over-mixing, over-handling, and over-rolling the dough. The extra care makes tender shortbread cookies!
- Use as little flour as possible when rolling out the cookies. More flour = denser cookie.
- Don't skip the chilling time. Getting the dough cold before rolling and especially before baking makes sure that the cookies don't spread.
- Lay your parchment flat on the cookie sheet. I even trim off all the overhang. If the parchment isn't flat, it will cause the cookies to warp and come out in funny shapes.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Sandra says
My grandma made these cookies as far a my mom can remember. They were my favorite Christmas cookie growing up. My grandma’s recipe is worn and hard to see. With this recipe to guide me I can now rewrite my grandma’s. Thank you for helping me keep this holiday tradition alive in our family.
Danielle says
Yay! This is the best! My grandma also made them as long as I can remember. It's so fun to know other families had the same tradition. Happy baking!
Kielyn says
Yum yum yum! My favorite part was the caramel pecan topping. I love that it was made in the microwave too!
Misty says
Glad you liked them! Yes, the microwave simplifies the toppings a lot.