5 Summer Candy Bar Dessert Recipes You Need To Try

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in Candy Blog

What is your favorite summer dessert? 

I’m not talking about frozen lemonade or popsicles or any of those other summer snacks that we all know and love.

I’m talking about some real desserts–you know, like s’mores, ice cream, cake, cookies–that dish you bring to the 4th of July bash or long weekend getaway. We all know there is nothing better than kicking it on a nice summer evening and having yourself a few bites of that one dessert you’ve loved since you were a kid.

I can still remember my neighbor’s Nestle Crunch Oatmeal Cookies. These things we’re so delicate and oozing with chunks of Nestle Crunch scattered about in them. Each bite, you'd hear that quick chomp of the rice as you reach your hand for another one.

There’s something about summer that makes you want to enjoy life a little more, one could say live on the sweeter side. It’s the time of the year most people look to get away from the business of life, and find some extra time to enjoy the things that they love most—and there’s nothing that can beat capping off a great summer day than some delectable dessert.

As you plan your family get-togethers, 4th of July celebrations, birthdays, reunions, parties, baby showers, weddings, and so much more, I couldn’t help but think you might want some new ideas for a few summer desserts you can bring to all of those events.

Instead of sticking to what everyone else does and bringing the basics, I figured you might want to arm yourself with a few new recipes that capture the sweet taste of summer and the candy bars that you love, with a dessert twist.


Here are 5 Summer Candy Bar Dessert Recipes that you need to try this summer: 

  1. Snickers Ice Cream Cake

    When I was a kid there used to be a snack bar at our local pool. On the especially hot days, I would go up there and order a Snickers from the freezer. Something about the ice cold caramel, and nougat was so perfect for combating the sunburn that was beginning to cover my entire body.

    One of the classic and most coveted summer desserts is the Ice Cream Cake—it’s simple, easy to make, and always delivers that cooling sensation we all could use on a hot day. But why settle for a few different flavors of ice cream smashed together?

    This Snicker’s Ice Cream Cake from Oh Sweet Basil is the perfect blend of candy bar and ice cream cake that delivers all the flavors you want. Layers of caramel, nougat, chocolate, with some sprinkled in chunks of Snickers. I mean c’mon who wouldn’t want this at their summer pool party?

    Do yourself and your tastebuds a favor and give this Snicker’s Ice Cream Cake a try!

  2. Peanut Butter S’mores Turnover

    The s’mores is another iconic summer dessert that most people have, but few take to the next level. Before I drop this awesome Peanut Butter S’mores Turnover recipe on you, may I first make a recommendation?

    Everyone knows that you put a Hershey’s Bar on the bottom of your s’mores, but have you ever considered putting something else? I learned this first hand in 8th grade from my classmate Carolyn, when we we’re on our overnight class camping trip. Instead of throwing on a classic Hershey’s she changed it up and put a Reese’s on the graham cracker, and let me tell you, it was glorious.

    So if you haven’t substituted Hershey’s for your favorite candy bar on a regular s’more, go to our aisles, grab your favorite candy bar, and find a campfire, because you’re about to experience something amazing.

    If you’ve already done this and are looking for a dessert to share that still hits the s’mores spot, may I recommend this classy and messy Peanut Butter S’mores Turnover from Recipe Girl. It’s got all the classic s’mores ingredients, but an elevated twist that will take your tastebuds on a sweet ride.

  3. Nestle Crunch Oatmeal Cookies

    I mentioned it earlier, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to share my neighbor’s cookie recipe with you. Disclosure, this is not her personal recipe, but I did in fact send it to her and ask if this was “good enough”. She said absolutely, but “don’t complain if they aren’t as tasty as hers!”

    When you really think about it, there aren’t too many bad times for cookies. I mean really, they are served at pretty much every kind of summer gathering there is. But most regular people settle for boring store-bought cookies that come with too much icing and not enough flavor.

    This Nestle Crunch Oatmeal cookie on the other hand, has flavor, texture, and crunch all put into one. I’ve seen many of these taken to gatherings and it’s always, I mean always, the first dessert dish to be finished.

    If you want to up your cookie game, grab the recipe for these Nestle Crunch Oatmeal Cookies from Eat Move Make.

  4. Butterfinger Stuffed Blondies

    Where was your go-t0 getaway spot for your family in the summer? For us, it was a small town on the Jersey shore for a weekend. We would drive out there, spend a few days sitting on the beach, and relish in the taste of the east coast.

    In that tiny beach town there was a bakery, and when I say a bakery, I’m talking 60+ years of baking the best desserts and dishes on this side of the Mississippi (sorry mom). My personal favorite and first choice was the blondies. They were so dense and so filling, you took three bites and had to sit down for a breather, but we're so delicious!

    You might not consider blondies to be a big “summer dessert” but in my sweet fantasy they were and so I included them on this list.

    But I couldn’t just give you any blondie, you know I had to add a candy twist…

    This Butterfinger Blondie from Delish is next level. Just when I thought they couldn’t get any better, I stumbled upon this recipe and was immediately enthralled. Not to mention it adds a whole new texture to the blondie that you miss when you go the traditional route.

    If it’s been a minute since you sank your teeth into a blondie, this Butterfinger recipe will bring you back to sweet paradise.

  5. Almond Joy Layer Cake

    Tell me coconut doesn’t scream summer? Between the pina coladas and pineapple, coconut is one of those sweet treats that’s good every time of the year, but especially tasty during the summer.

    As one of the beacons of coconut candies, the Almond Joy seemed like the perfect fit for our number 5 candy bar dessert.

    You’re probably wondering, “what kind of candy bar dessert can you make with Almond Joy?”

    Let me tell you…

    I did some searching and asked a few baking friends what they thought and came to this recipe—an Almond Joy Layer Cake.

    Imagine all the things you like about Almond Joys, blended with everything you like about cake? Then sprinkle some chopped candy bars into each layer and on top, and you have yourself one of the best birthday cakes of all time.

    I’ve yet to try this one personally, but I can assure you it is at the top of my list for my winter birthday. Until then, I am still looking for an excuse to make it and share it with my friends.

    If you want to give it a try yourself, go ahead and snag the Almond Joy Layer Cake recipe from Live, Love, and Sugar.


Sweeten up the summer with some dessert!

There you have it, 5 different candy bar dessert recipes ready for your next event! Make your summer fun a little sweeter and give one of these a try. Hop over to our walk the candy aisle or baking with candy aisle, and grab the candy bar the ingredients you need to whip these up.

Enjoy!

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