Whether you’re going trick-or-treating or answering the door when the ghosts and goblins come knocking, on November 1st that plastic cauldron in your kitchen will likely be overflowing with Halloween candy. It’s definitely more than you should eat, so what do you do with the leftovers? Here are 8 tips to get you started:
Freeze it
Frozen candy stays good for up to a year. You can take it out to defrost a little at a time, add it as a topping to your ice cream, or just eat it straight out of the freezer when you get the midnight munchies.
Thanksgiving Yummies
Use your leftover Halloween candy to make cute themed desserts, like this Turkey Cupcake!
Christmas Crafts
There are all kinds of ways to put that Halloween candy to good use in December. Make your own advent calendar and put candy prizes inside each box… Make a Gingerbread House… Or use candy as a stocking stuffer. Who says it has to be wrapped in red or green?
Bake it
There are countless recipes involving candy, but I’ll share my favorite (and it’s super easy) – Candy Surprise Cupcakes. Make up a batch of your favorite cupcake batter, and as you pour the batter into the cupcake pan, put a bite- sized piece of candy into the middle of the cupcake. Bake according to your recipe, and when they’re ready to eat, your guests will get a little surprise in the middle of every cupcake. If you really have a lot of candy leftover, put another bite sized bit on top of the frosting as decoration.
Donate it
You can give to many programs like Operation Gratitude’s Halloween Candy Buy-Back. Bring leftover candy in to any participating dentist, you’ll get $1.00 per pound, AND your dentist will ship the candy overseas to our troops!
Make Trail Mix
Add your favorite bite size candies to nuts and raisins, and you’ve got your own trail mix! You can even throw in those little Halloween bags of pretzels.
Birthday Fun
Have a birthday party coming up? Stuff goodie bags with leftover Halloween candy, or use it to fill up a piñata for a fun party game.
Share it
Bring it in to the office, or if you work from home, bring it to a nursing home, soup kitchen, or church. Your candy will disappear almost instantly, and you’ll feel good about it.
We hope this gives you some good ideas… Got a few we didn’t think of? Leave a comment and share!
