(CAPITOL CITY NOW) – What can be better than spending a day with friends, decked out in costume as you accumulate a mountain of sweet treats? That’s what trick-or-treaters do every Halloween, and sometimes the cache of candy is more than a person can consume in a lifetime. When October rolls into November and Thanksgiving is on the horizon, few people want to be staring at a witch’s cauldron full of chocolate bars. Rather than be wasteful and throw it away, they can utilize that candy in many different ways.
- S’mores cookie: Turn miniature chocolate bars into a campfire treat with a cookie twist. Press premade cookie dough into a round cast iron skillet and bake until cooked throughout. Add chopped up pieces of chocolate and marshmallows on top, and place under the broiler a few minutes until melted and gooey. Slice up to serve or dig in with spoons.
- Confectionary pizza: Purchase premade pizza dough or make your own. Bake the dough on a pan with no toppings. Afterwards, spread a layer of peanut butter or hazelnut spread on top. Then set up a fixings bar with various candies that others can add to their pizza slices. Options include chocolate candies, miniature pretzels, marshmallows, or gummy candies.
- Stained glass cookies: Turn hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers®) into works of art. Fill sugar cookie cutouts with hard candies in the middle. When the cookies bake, the candies will melt and then turn soft after cooling.
- Candy-topped brownies: Brownies are delicious on their own, but they’re even better with some embellishments. Mix chopped caramels into the batter, or add other candies for flavor and fun.
- Candy bark: Melt down any chocolate you may have and spread it on a baking sheet. Sprinkle chopped up leftover candy on top and allow to cool. Break into pieces for a homemade chocolate bark.
- Gingerbread house: Save the candy in a zip-top bag for freshness and reserve for decorating gingerbread houses around the holidays.
- Birthday piñata: If there is a birthday on the horizon, use the Halloween candy to stuff the piñata.
- Parade route: Veteran’s Day parades are held each November. Start a new tradition in town where donated candy will be tossed out to the crowd by those marching in the parade.
- Donate: Various organizations will gather and ship leftover candy to troops stationed overseas or donate the goods to first responders, veterans and others.
It’s fun to gather treats on Halloween. But when the collected candy is simply too much to eat, there are various ways to put it to good use.
