Halloween is my favorite holiday. Scary movies, spooky decorations, carved pumpkins, costumes, and of course, the candy! On a good year, we have upwards of 200 trick-or-treaters, which means we buy loads of candy. But we actually have to put off buying it until Halloween day, otherwise, it starts to magically disappear — meaning we eat all of it ourselves.
Like most fun holidays, Halloween seems to be over as quickly as it began. But as we pack up our spider webs and take down our jack-o-lanterns, there is one element of Halloween that always sticks around to haunt us: the leftover Halloween candy.
No one really wants to be eating Halloween candy all the way into Thanksgiving, so here are a few fun ways you can repurpose candy into new desserts so you don’t have to toss it all out. All of these recipes are super easy to make and are a good activity for little helpers — you’ll just need to pry the candy from their hands first. Good luck and happy Baking!
Peanut Butter Cup & Candy Corn Krispy Treats
You can’t go wrong with these gooey crispy treats. Reese’s cups are melted down with the butter and marshmallows to add a peanut butter and chocolatey flavor. They also have a top layer of candy corn for an extra sweetness and a nice pop of festive fall color.
Prep time: 10 minutes, cook time: 5 minutes, yield: 16 crispy treats
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups candy corn
- 8 (.55 ounce) Reese’s peanut butter cups
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
- 4 cups miniature marshmallows
- 6 cups crispy rice cereal
Instructions
1. Butter the sides of a 9x9-inch pan. Line the bottom with candy corn in a solid even layer. Set pan aside.
2. Combine peanut butter cups, butter and marshmallows in a large pot. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until melted and smooth.
3. Remove from heat and stir in cereal. Turn the mixture until fully coated. Transfer to prepared pan. Firmly press mixture into the pan, on top of candy corn. Let cool for 15 minutes.
4. Invert pan to remove treats and cut into 16 squares. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Candy Bar Brownies
These brownies are a chocolate lovers dream. They use melted-down mini Hersey’s bars in the brownie batter. (You could substitute for 5 ounces of milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate if you don’t have enough Hershey’s bars.) Just before baking, the brownies are loaded with miniature candy bars. I used Twix, Snickers, Milky Way, Kit Kats, Almond Joy and M&M’s, but nearly any chocolate candy in your trick-or-treat candy bag will work.
Prep time: 10 minutes, cook time: 30 minutes, yield: 24 brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 10 (.5 ounce) miniature Hershey’s milk chocolate bars
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- 15-20 miniature candy bars
Instructions
1. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with foil and set aside.
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a bowl. Stir to incorporate and set aside.
3. Combine chocolate, butter and sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Heat, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Whisk in eggs, then fold in the flour mixture.
4. Transfer brownie batter prepared pan. Top with assorted miniature candy bars. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out smooth. Let brownies cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
5. Cut into 24 brownies. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Candy Skillet Cookie
I like to think of this as a “kitchen sink” cookie. It’s a perfect cookie to hold all the little loose chocolate candies, like M&Ms, Reese's pieces, Rollo’s and Whoppers. Baked as one giant cookie in a cast iron skillet, it’s quite the indulgent treat. Delicious on its own, but you can’t go wrong serving it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Prep time: 20 minutes, bake time: 40 to 45 minutes, yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 cups assorted chocolate-based Halloween candy
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and continue beating until fully incorporated. Gradually add the flour mixture and continue beating until just combined. Mix in candy.
4. Transfer to cast iron skillet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cookie is set in the center. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Adrienne Blumthal is a formally trained pastry chef, recipe developer, and food stylist based in Chicago.
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