With October 31 fast approaching, you’re probably stocking up on chocolate bars and peanut butter cups. Devouring tasty treats is a big part of what makes Halloween so much fun for people of all ages. But once the ghosts and vampires are no longer wandering the streets, Colorado culinary arts enthusiasts may find themselves wondering what to do with all the candy that’s still in the bowl.
There are countless ways to put leftover sweets to work in awesome desserts. Try one of these ideas and then improvise your own using your personal candy stash.
Turn candy into cookie bars
“Combine the excitement of Halloween candy and comfort of freshly baked cookies.”
Why not bring the excitement of Halloween candy together with the comfort of freshly baked cookies? Today passed along a recipe that calls for chopping two cups of assorted sweets into bite-size pieces and incorporating them into cookie bars.
Prepare the dough by whisking together white and brown sugars with melted butter. Then add two eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Throw in the candies, using a spatula to blend them into the mixture.
Transfer the dough into a baking dish, topping it off with some additional pieces of candy. Then, place in an oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes and allow to cool before cutting into squares and serving.
Add a delicious coating to apples
Candy apples are an autumnal classic, and you can use your remaining candy to put a delightful spin on this tradition. Spoon University provided directions, starting with removing the stems from apples and pressing in craft sticks. Melt down four ounces of caramel bits in the microwave.
After allowing about two minutes to cool, roll each apple in the caramel. Then, roll in your preferred candies. You can serve the apples while the caramel is still warm or refrigerate for an hour.
Create a cheesecake-inspired pie
If you happen to have 22 fun-size Twix bars lying around, Real Simple suggested a fantastic way to use them in a cheesecake pie. First, make a filling by using an electric mixer to beat together 16 ounces of cream cheese, a half cup of sugar and two eggs. Then, mix in two cups of the chopped candy bars.
Pour the filling into a chocolate cookie pie crust. Bake in an oven set to 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool, and sprinkle on some more of the Twix. Refrigerate the pie for up to 10 hours or until it becomes firm before serving.
Form chocolate bark
Make each bite of chocolate bark extra-fun with assorted candies and spooky eyes, as recommended by the Food Network. Begin by melting three cups of chocolate chips. Move the melted chocolate onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a spatula to spread evenly. Dot the chocolate with candy corn and other small Halloween candies.
Prepare the eyes by whisking an egg white until it’s frothy and then mixing in icing sugar. Transfer the icing to a piping bag, and place pairs of eye whites all over the bark. Finish them off by dipping a cotton swab in black food coloring and using to make irises. Then, place the bark in the refrigerator for half an hour and break apart to serve.
The days after Halloween can be just as great as the holiday with a little creativity. With some ideas from culinary academy, you can make leftovers into truly inspired desserts.
