Uses for Leftover Halloween Candy
I don’t know about you but we have a TON of Halloween candy laying around. Since we don’t eat candy very often I went looking for other uses and I found a TON. Here are some of my favorites
Reinvent Leftover Halloween Candy
Find ways to turn your Halloween candy into something new and useful:
- Use M & M’s in trail mix
- Grate up chocolate bars, and use the shavings to top off steamy cups of hot chocolate or coffee
- Use crumbled candy bar pieces and M & M’s as ice cream toppings
You can use candy when cooking and baking too!
Recipes that Include Leftover Halloween Candy
- Better Than Milk & Cookies Dump Cake
- Candy Corn Cookie Bars Recipe
- Candy Bar Brownies
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Recipe
- Candy Bar Pudding Cup Smoothie
- Cherry Bing Bars
- Milk Dud Cookies
- Snickers Cupcakes
- Easy Snickers Poke Cake
- Halloween Spiced Chex Mix with Candy Corn
Save Leftover Halloween Candy
Candy has a long shelf life, so don’t feel like you have to eat all that Halloween candy now. Here are some use-it-later ideas to consider:
- Stash a bag of your family’s favorites to use as stocking stuffers and snacks throughout the year
- Bag up all the cast offs, and use them as party favors at your child’s next birthday party
- Save Skittles, Sweet Tarts, gummies and hard candies to use when decorating gingerbread houses
Trade in Leftover Halloween Candy
Did you know that you can trade in unwanted Halloween candy for gift cards? It’s true! Check it out:
Some dental offices and other businesses hold Halloween candy buybacks, in which they trade toothbrushes, floss or other items for candy that they then donate to troops.
Donate Leftover Halloween Candy
Do you just want the temptation out of your house? Consider donating your extra Halloween candy to a cause that will use it to brighten someone’s day.
– Operation Gratitude
– USO Care Package Program
– GUM Drop Program (Gifts Unexpectedly Needed)
– The Soldiers’ Angels Halloween Candy Buy Back and Recycle Campaign
There are many charities that are willing to accept candy donations. Check local ones to find some. Here are some places to start!
- Food pantries
- Homeless shelters
- Women’s shelters
- Children’s Homes
Contact nearby nursing homes and homeless shelters to see if they’ll accept such donations. You can also try programs like Big Brother Big Sister and the Ronald McDonald House Charities, too.
Leftover . . . ? Not on my watch.
Colleen
What I did this year so that we wouldn’t have a ton (so that *I* don’t act like a pig and over do it) was taking all the candy we got before Sunday (from downtown trick or treating and any other events we went to) and let my kids choose 15 pieces each out of it. Then all the rest when into the big bowl to pass out for trick or treaters. Then on Halloween we did a bit of trick or treating (around a block) and they were allowed to keep whatever we got (which was actually more than I thought it would be). It’s more than enough for us AND I didn’t have to buy candy for the trick or treaters. My boys were perfectly fine with it too as they got to choose their favorites 🙂
Or you can mail it to Troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.