We had a lot of trick or treaters yesterday. Yet it wasn’t enough. I define enough as all the candy being gone so that there is none left for me to pilfer, while not so little I have to make a frantic run to Target for more. By the time the last trick or treater arrived at 9:30 last night I was grabbing it from the bowl by the fistful and shoving it in their bags, muttering, please please just take it all with you. Still I have some left. A lot in fact. And though I should just throw it out, it seems pretty wasteful. So here are 5 ideas for what to do with all that Halloween candy:
Uh oh, now what. (Img: Flickr / respres)
Stocking Stuffers
Christmas is around the corner. Hide that candy and stuff it into stockings for Christmas morning.
Baking
Bake with it or use it for ice cream toppings. Chop up candy pieces and sub them for chocolate chips in cookies and brownie mixes. Snickers and Butterfinger works great for this. Candy freezes well for up to a year.
Donate To Our Troops
Donate. Operation Gratitude has partnered with dentists around the country for a Halloween Candy Buy Back Program. Dentists (schools are also starting to participate) will give kids $1 for each pound of candy a child donates. Some dentists might give toothbrushes etc. All candy is donated to Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends care packages to troops overseas. Click to see if there is a participating dentist or school in your area.
Ginger Bread House Decorating
This is especially good for those smaller pieces, like skittles, M&Ms sweet tarts etc. Licorice also is a great candy to add to the edges of gingerbread house roofs.
Infused Vodka
Source: mixthatdrink.com via Tara on Pinterest
I know. You didn’t see that one coming did you, especially right after gingerbread decorating. Here are a few great recipes so you can sip a cocktail while you are trying to get the sides of the gingerbread house to stick together. Why won’t you just stick!
As an art teacher I would always ask the kids to bring in the candies they didn’t like after halloween and we would save them for the gingerbread/graham cracker houses decorating. Great way to collect “decorations.”
But I really liked the candy corn infused vodka and the skittles vodka —- !
Loving your blog. It is so useful even to an old lady like me!
Great idea! Thank you!