14 Uses for Leftover Halloween Candy
Now that the trick-or-treating is over, the costumes are put away, and the jack-o-lanterns are all moldy and (hopefully) thrown away, what’s a family to do with all the leftover treats? Depending on how many children you have and how generous your neighbors are, you could have candy left for weeks! We like to donate some of our leftovers, but we save a little bit for treats like this. Here’s a list of 14 uses for leftover Halloween candy, transforming each one (or all of them) into another delicious dish for the whole family to enjoy!
1. Brownies: Stir any type of your favorite candy into your brownie batter. You could also just sprinkle them on top for an extra rich layer!
2. Cookies: Whip up your favorite sugar cookie recipe and drop in a handful of candy, whether fruity or chocolate. This would also work well into oatmeal or peanut butter recipes.
3. Ice Cream Toppings: It doesn’t get easier than chopping them up and serving them over your favorite flavors of ice cream!
4. Trail Mix: Toss together some pretzels, dry cereal, nuts and various types of leftover candy to make a sweet and salty snack. Travels great for packed lunches and snacks!
5. Dessert Pie: Whether you make an awesome chocolate silk or ice cream pie, slip in a handful or two of chopped candies to jazz it up a little bit! Your guests will thank you (after they beg for the recipe of course).
6. Cheesecake: What goes better with a sweet creamy cheesecake than rich chocolates and caramels? Having them in the same bite of course! Consider layering them between the crust and the filling, or sprinkling them over top as it cools from the oven.
7. Pancakes: This is a favorite in my house after big candy holidays like Halloween and Easter. Mix up your pancake batter, add a bit of candy and scoop them on the griddle! You could also let each family member drop their preferred pieces into the batter right after you ladle it out for cooking.
8. Candy Bark: Easy peasy to make; simply melt white chocolate and pour into a parchment lined pan, then press in your favorite chocolates, nougats, and fruit flavored candies. Allow it to set and break into pieces.
9. Fudge: If you make the no-bake fudge like I do, then you simply add the candy pieces at the last minute before you pour into the prepared pan to set up. I like to add candy corn or chopped peanut butter cups into my milk chocolate fudge!
10. S’mores: Just like you normally enjoy but instead of the piece or two of chocolate candy bar, change it up with a soft caramel or nutty chocolate bar. Everyone will have their own favorite combinations!
11. Monkeybread: When it turns cool, we start making monkeybread. But right after Halloween, the family and guests find that the dough is filled with bite sized pieces of sweets from our candy bucket. Score.
12. Meringues: After you spoon our your meringue batter for baking, press three or four hard shelled candy pieces into the center. This works better with non-chocolate leftovers.
13. Fruit pops: This is a great way to get everyone to eat more fresh fruit, but also making it a treat since it has chocolate and candy too. Cut your fruit in halves or quarters (depending on the fruit) and push a popsicle stick about halfway up and freeze for about 2 hours. Then dip into melted chocolate and “roll” in chopped candy bits. My kid’s favorite is frozen banana with milk chocolate rolled in chopped malted balls. Can’t go wrong with that combo!
14. Snickers Salad: Snickers salad is a real thing, I promise. I know it’s actually the farthest thing from a “salad” that you can get. But it is AMAZING! It’s crispy Granny Smith apples, creamy cool whip and chopped snickers! Yeah, you pretty much can’t go wrong with that! Bring it to an event and watch it disappear! 🙂 See how to make it here.
No matter how you use them, you’ll find they will go quickly! And with the approaching holidays, you may be able to find new treats to give to family and friends! Share the candy back with the neighbors that gave it to you in the first place! HA!
megan says
Mmmmm!! These are all great ideas! I LOVE snicker salad!! We didn’t get a lot of those this year though! So sad!! The monkey bread sounds YUMMY with candy surprises! 🙂 Thanks for sharing these!