5 Clever Ideas to Use Up All That Halloween Candy

This year our house will have three trick-or-treaters. Three! That’s a lot of candy, more than what we know what to do with. Typically we let the kids have at the candy for a couple days then we take the leftovers and put them up on top of the fridge for “Special Treats.” These often end up being thrown out after a few months of sitting up there (along with Easter, Valentine’s Day and parade candy). I know, it sounds horrible, but we have THREE full bags of candy!

halloween candy

So this year I wanted to use our candy in a more useful way. Here are 5 clever ideas to use up all that Halloween candy:

1. Freeze It

Freeze the candy and save it for more appropriate times throughout the year. You could add it in a recipe, save it for gingerbread house decorating, or use it as a stocking stuffer.

2. Operation Gratitude

What better way to reuse your candy then to send it to our troops? Last year Operation Gratitude distributed a record-setting 533,891 pounds of candy! These businesses will “buy back” your candy, usually by the pound, and then donate it to Operation Gratitude. Participating locations are:

River City Dental Care

Cedar Rapids Smile Center, PLC

Kalona Family Dentistry

Or you can search for a location near you here.

3. Use It for Homework

Using a bag of M&M’s or Sweetarts for simple math problems is a fun and creative way to engage your child in homework.

4. Save It for Packed Lunch Treats

What a great surprise for your kids to have a little extra treat on random days throughout the year. (You could even sneak one into your own lunchbox once in awhile!)

5. Bake with It

Simply start with a chocolate chip cookie recipe, then cut the candy bars into small chunks and add into the dough!

So there you have it: five ways to use up all the extra candy this Halloween. Word on the street is that some kids trade their candy in for a special present from the “Switch Witch,” but the jury is still out on that one for us.

Trick or treat!

 

Chelsie
Chelsie lives in Durant with her Fiancé, Joe, their Daughter (1), Stepson (7), and Stepdaughter (5). She grew up in Northeast Iowa making her way to Iowa City to attend the University of Iowa were she earned her B.F.A. in Graphic Design. She currently works at Phelps Uniform Specialists in Muscatine as the Design and Marketing Coordinator. When she isn’t spending quality time with her family, she likes to enjoy some of her favorites including: watching Hawkeye Football (and Packers!), reading lots and lots of books, drinking all the coffee, camping, running, and finding new outlets to be creative.

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