Give Leftover Halloween Candy New Life With 10 These Recipes
The costumes are all put away, and the cobwebs are cleaned up. But what about all that leftover Halloween candy that’s sitting there taunting you? Surely you can give it new life with one of these tasty recipes!
Jump to RecipeWhat to Do With Leftover Halloween Candy
When the kids come back home and begin sorting candy, there are some obvious choices that will never make it past a couple of days. In our house, those are Twix, Snickers, and Hershey’s fun-size chocolate bars. While Dots, Mike & Ikes, Skittles, and other hard candy will all be perfect for that gingerbread house in December, some Halloween candy is too tasty to be decoration! If you don’t feel like baking, you could always just save the leftover candy for the Advent calendar treats (but who has that much self-control?)
In every house, the “leftover” pile has something different. But if you can’t find anyone in your home who will eat all the extra candy corn or Butterfingers, incorporate any candy bar into one of these tasty and creative recipes!
Halloween “Trash”
No matter what you call this sweet treat around the holidays, “Trash” or “Christmas Crack” or “Reindeer Food,” this mix of sweet and salty snacks is easily adapted for any candy that’s leftover from Halloween. Start by lining a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, mix 6 cups of mini pretzels, 2-1/2 cups of candy corn, and 2 cups of salted cocktail peanuts. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add 1 tsp vegetable shortening and 12 oz of white candy melts (or white chocolate chips) and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then continue to microwave and stir until the white chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, you can use a saucepan to double-boil the chocolate over boiling water.
Pour the white chocolate on top of the candy corn mixture, then gently stir to coat evenly. Transfer the mixture to a lined cookie sheet and spread out. Chill for about an hour until the chocolate completely hardens. Before serving, break apart into bite-sized pieces.
Monster Cookies
Why are they called Monster cookies? Well, we’re not so sure. But with the addition of some candy eyes, they’ll look like little monsters, though! This is the perfect recipe if you have a bunch of extra mini M&Ms after Halloween. Start by pre-heating the oven to 350°F and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, in a large bowl, cream together 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, and 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) until light and fluffy. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time, then beat in 1-1/2 cups of peanut butter, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp of salt until well-combined.
Add 4-1/2 cups of rolled oats, 1 cup of mini M&Ms, and 1 cup of mini chocolate chips. Scoop cookie dough into 2-3 Tbsp-sized and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 12-15 minutes, remove from oven, then cool 5 minutes on the sheet before moving them to a rack.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars
These Halloween candy cookie bars are tender with a slightly crisp top and a soft center. The peanut butter flavor really comes through, giving them a great balance of salty and sweet. Preheat the oven to 325º F. Spray a 9″x9″ square pan with nonstick baking spray. In a large bowl, mix up 1-3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp of salt until evenly combined, then set aside.
With a mixer, beat together 8 Tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature), 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup of peanut butter until light and creamy. One at a time, add in two eggs, mixing on low. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix on low until fully blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Stir in 12 oz of chopped peanut butter cups. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the middle is set, 26-28 minutes. Allow the bars to completely cool in the pan, or you could serve the dessert warm with vanilla ice cream. If you’re not a peanut butter fan, try these perfect Leftover Halloween Candy Brookies instead. Feel free to use your favorite Halloween Candy!
Halloween Candy Brookies
Ingredients
- 3 oz dark chocolate chopped
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2/3 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 8 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1-1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup leftover Halloween candy chopped
Instructions
Brownie Batter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 8×8 pan. Line with parchment paper that overhangs the edge and grease top of the parchment paper.
- In a double boiler or saucepan, melt 6 Tbsp of butter on low heat.
- Add chocolate when butter is partially melted and stir. Remove from heat and add to mixing bowl.
- Add sugar and mix, then add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add flour, stirring until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared 8×8 pan and bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Cookie Batter
- Chop candy into bite-sized pieces.
- Beat softened butter and sugar until light in color and texture.
- Add egg and beat again. Add milk and vanilla and stir until combined. Add salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix again.
- Add flour and stir. Add candy pieces and stir just until distributed throughout.
- Remove brownies from oven. Scoop Tablespoons of cookie dough onto the partially-baked brownies. Return pan to the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. The edges should start to pull from the pan.
- Let cool in the pan for 2-3 hours, then lift out using the overhanging edges of parchment paper.
Nutrition
Almond Joy Bundt Cake
This tasty bundt cake isn’t necessarily the simplest recipe, but it’s so good that it inspired this author’s love for baking. Check out the recipe here!
Leftover Halloween Candy Popcorn
To get started, all you need is 8-10 cups of popcorn, 1 cup white chocolate (melted), 1/2 cup of M&Ms, 4 snack-sized Reese’s peanut butter cups, and 4 snack-sized Kit Kat bars. Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper, then chop up your candy bars into bite-sized pieces. Combine your popcorn and melted white chocolate in a large bowl and stir until coated. Stir in the candy pieces and then spread the mixture evenly onto the wax paper. Optionally, you can add Halloween sprinkles or a festive colored chocolate drizzle on top!
Leftover Halloween Candy Trifle
Trifles are one of my favorite desserts to make for parties. It’s always a hit at the dessert table. This recipe has brownie layers and silky chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and crushed mini chocolate bars. Start by making brownies according to the package directions. Slice the entire brownie pan into thirds, one part for each layer. Next, make the Jell-O instant chocolate pudding according to the package directions.
Whip the three cups of whipping cream and one Tbsp of white sugar in your mixer until the whipped cream is light and fluffy. Start with a layer of brownies (1/3 of the pan, chopped up), then spread on top of the brownies one cup of chocolate pudding, then one cup of whipped cream, then one cup of chopped up Halloween candy. Repeat all these layers until you end with Halloween candy. You should have one cup of whipped cream left, so use that on the very top. Use finely chopped candy bars as a topping, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Leftover Halloween Candy Brownies
This is the one; the recipe where you can just dump all your favorite chocolate candy into a blondie batter. I like to use M&M’s, Butterfinger, Reese’s, and Hershey’s. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Whisk 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp of flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt together in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat together 3/4 cup of light brown sugar, 1/3 cup of softened butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1 egg.
Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until the batter is just combined. Fold in all the chopped candy, then press the batter into the baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until it’s golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
No-Bake Kit Kat Squares
These are another one of my favorites, but you could easily try this with other candy bars, too! And they’re no-bake! This recipe gets those kit kat flavors and amps them up with layers. The bottom layer is a cookie crust shell, the middle layer is a quick microwave fudge, and the top layer is a candy bar crumble.
Line an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with foil so that the edges hang over the sides. Brush with 1 tablespoon of butter. Pulse 8 oz of vanilla wafers in the food processor until crumbs are formed, then add the remaining 7 tablespoons melted butter and process until combined. Press in the wafer crust firmly into the bottom of the pan. Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk and 12 oz chocolate chips into a glass bowl. Microwave for one minute, stir, then microwave for 30 seconds more. Stir again. The mixture should be smooth. If not, microwave in additional 15-second increments, stirring in between. Pour the chocolate layer on top of the wafer crust.
Next, pulse 3 packages of 1.5 oz Kit Kat bars in the food processor until the size of crumbs. Scatter on top of the chocolate layer, then press lightly with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or even overnight. Cut into 16 squares to serve.
Halloween Candy Cheesecake
Making cheesecake from scratch is not for the beginner, but it’s a skill you’ll be glad you have. I found this recipe, and I can’t wait to try it this season. The crust is a cookie/Halloween candy base, and the cheesecake layer is creamy, rich, and irresistible. Top with chocolate syrup or caramel sauce drizzle.
Give Halloween Leftovers New Life!
What are your favorite leftover recipes for Halloween candy? Share your favorite sweet creations with the people you love on FamilyApp. Or, ask the group chat about their most creative dessert ideas and recipes for leftover Halloween candy!
