This article may prove to be irrelevant for those, like me, who don’t believe in leftovers (as in, I don’t leave anything left over), especially when it comes to sweets. However, Halloween always seems to bring in more candy than you expect, and throwing it away/eating it all before midnight never seems like a good option. In the event that your trick-or-treat pail still has some stragglers, this list will help you to find the best use for Snickers’ Pumpkins, mini Reese’s cups and, my favorite, miniature KitKat bars.
1. Get motivated—As a student, nothing gets me to finish my reading faster than knowing dinner/a Starbucks scone/sleep is on the other side. Use your fun size candies as study motivation: one piece for every thirty minutes of extreme focus. Watch those pages (and wrappers!) fly by.
Photo by Hannah Lin
2. Bake ‘em in—Chop fun size candy bars into more manageable pieces and add them to your cookie or brownie batter instead of chocolate chips. Also try a variation on the Peanut Butter Blossom: use fun-size candy bars instead of Hershey’s Kisses for the center. My favorite combo is Snickers in brownie batter, but feel free to get creative.
3. Meet the cute guy down the hall—Use my patented flirting move. It requires no winking, hair tossing, lip pursing or push up bra-ing. Just one little sentence: “I’ve got too much candy—would you like some?”
4. Get crushed—Place unwrapped candy in a plastic bag and crush it into fine pieces. You can sprinkle it on ice cream or yogurt, or add the pieces to a freshly iced batch of cupcakes.
5. Even Better Hot Chocolate—Melt a bar of Hershey’s into a mug of milk and stir frequently. For a darker twist, use Dove Dark Chocolate Miniatures.
Photo by Hannah Lin
6. Trail Blazer—Using peanuts, granola, dry cereal, dried fruit and miniature bags of M&Ms, you can make a yummy trail mix tailored to your tastes.
7. Freeze and Forget—Easily the best idea on this list, freezing your leftover candy will make it last for up to a year. When you’re ready to use it again, let it thaw at room temperature. You can use the rescued leftovers on your gingerbread house for Christmas, or just keep it frozen for a rainy day, further away from Halloween, when you want to try any of the ideas on our list.
8. Be charitable—If you’d rather use your candy to do some good than to add an inch, check for local charities with candy donation drop-off centers and spread the sugary wealth.
If you have more restraint than I do, I commend you on your self control. While you revel in the sweetness of leftovers, I’ll be the one taking my trash can full of wrappers down the hall to empty it. I’ll try again next year. I promise.
Photo by Hannah Lin