Okay, so you bought more Halloween candy than you needed or you just went a little crazy with all the awesome Halloween Candy Coupons available this year. You may have had fewer trick-or-treaters than expected or just got carried away at the grocery store. If you don’t want your kids to eat it all at once and end up on a sugar high for the next few weeks, there are creative ways to use it. Whether you create a fall centerpiece or chop it up as a topping, you’re going to love these ideas.
12 Ideas for Using Leftover Halloween Candy
1 – Create a Fall Centerpiece
If you want a super cute centerpiece for a fall dinner, or for Thanksgiving, pour leftover candy corn into a tall hurricane vase and then add a large white candle. You want the candy corn to come half way up the glass and to have enough room to nestle the candle into the candy. You can then add a ribbon in fall colors or leave it as is. Either way, these is such a beautiful and easy decoration.
2 – Make Homemade Butterfingers
Did you get stuck with a lot of candy corn? Take equal parts (by weight) of peanut butter and candy corn and melt them down. Pour the melted candy into a glass baking dish that has been greased with butter. Allow to cool and then cut into small bars. Dip in melted chocolate and allow the chocolate to set. Once the chocolate has set, store in an airtight container. You won’t believe how delicious these homemade Butterfingers are.
3 – Chop It for a Topping
Chocolate bars, M&Ms, etc can be chopped up and stored in airtight containers for a quick and easy topping for everything from cakes to ice cream to milkshakes. You want to avoid candy that has caramel or anything sticky inside because it will just turn into a big lump of goo.
4 – Use It for a Snack or Trail Mix
M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, Sixlets, and other small candies are great for adding to snack and trail mix. A great fall snack mix can be made by mixing caramel corn with fall colored M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, Milk Duds, Whoppers, and any other chocolate candies you want to add. You can also add other sweet treats to the mix include small cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, etc.
5 – Decorate Cakes
Almost any type of candy can be used to decorate cakes. A great example is gumballs. These are so, so cute on cakes. However, you can also use M&Ms and Skittles to make a mosaic on top of a frosted cake. This allows you to be really creative without having to have rock star decorating skills.
6 – Make Chocolate Bark
You can melt down the plain chocolate bars and pour them onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat. On top of the melted chocolate, add different types of leftover Halloween candy. Once the chocolate has set, break the bark into small pieces and store in an airtight container.
7 – Bake an Elegant Dessert for Date Night
Want something special to serve your husband? Take a square of puff pastry and fill the center with chocolate bars. Pull the sides of the puff pastry up and crimp at the top. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
8 – Melt It Down for Hot Chocolate
Heat heavy cream over medium heat until hot. In the meantime, chop chocolate bars. Once the cream is hot, stir in the chopped chocolate and pour into mugs. Top with whipped cream and enjoy. This will be the most decadent hot chocolate you’ve ever had.
9 – Play Games
Shake up game night by using candy to play the games. For example, small hard candies can be used in place of the balls in Hungry Hungry Hippos. You can also use round candies, such as York Peppermint Patties, or Starburst in place of checker pieces. Just have fun with it.
10 – Do Science Experiments
There are so many fun experiments you can do with your kids using candy. For example, you can do an experiment to see which candy bars float and which ones sink. You could also do an experiment to see how different candies melt in the oven. There are so many great ideas that will allow your kids to learn new things in a fun way.
11 – Teach Math Skills
If you want your kids to pay attention, use candy. You can use candy to teach a lot of basic math skills. It’s much easier for children to count something like candy for adding, subtracting, multiplying, etc. This is even a great way for kids to learn how to work through word problems.
12 – Do Letter Recognition Exercises
Last, but not least, you can use candy to do letter recognition exercises. Pick out a variety of candy and have your child choose which letter the candy starts with. This is a great exercise for children who are just learning to read. Even if you don’t homeschool your children, taking time to do reading activities with your children can help them do better in school.
There are so many fun and creative ways to use leftover Halloween candy. Whether you want to do crafts or learning exercises, you can put that candy to good use. Also don’t forget that you don’t have to eat all the candy quickly. Many brands of Halloween candy have great expiration dates. Put some of the candy aside for snacking or baking in the future. However, don’t forget that if you have a lot of candy left over, you can donate it to a children’s home to make lots of kids happy. You could also donate to a women’s shelter (where there are also a lot of kids), a teen group home, or even a homeless shelter. If you don’t think your family will eat all the leftovers, don’t let it go to waste.
How interesting