The Smartest Ways to Put Leftover Halloween Candy to Good Use (Besides the Obvious One)

It’s (almost) that clip of twelvemonth again. When kids tally giddily done the vicinity (hopefully not freezing nether those Star Wars costumes made of impossibly bladed fabric) and instrumentality location with a metric ton of insulin-spiking, mood-altering candy that you—despite your champion covert laundry-room nibbling efforts—can’t get escaped of accelerated enough. What’s a genitor to bash with the unwanted pounds of candy aft the archetypal fewer days of gorging are done? Here are immoderate ways you whitethorn not person thought of to banish the loot from your premises (or astatine slightest repurpose it successful caller ways).

Get a Switch Witch

After her girl was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, ma Lara Riley developed the Switch Witch, a tiny doll that comes to your location for “a agelong sleepover playdate” successful the weeks starring up to Halloween. After your kid takes attraction of their Switch Witch during October she rewards them post-holiday by turning immoderate of their candy into a astonishment gift.

Donate it (or enactment successful a candy “buyback” program)

Operation Gratitude has been collecting candy for its “Military, Veteran, and First Responder Heroes” since 2007. Register to donate and they’ll either lucifer you with a section military, archetypal responder, oregon seasoned group, oregon inquire you to vessel it to their candy processing installation successful California. Similarly, Soldier’s Angels has a “Treats for Troops” program. Dentists who enactment successful the Halloween Candy Buyback programme volition wage $1 for each lb of candy children bring into their offices (which past gets donated).

Use it to decorate a gingerbread location

If you find store-bought gingerbread location decor lacking (which it invariably is) it’s thing immoderate leftover Halloween candy can’t fix. Crack unfastened your candy stash and supplement the decor with your ain Skittles, gummy bears, Pez, oregon greenish and reddish M &M’s.

Use connected upcoming holidays (and birthdays)

You cognize what comes soon aft Halloween? Christmas. And you cognize what’s not agelong aft that? Easter. If you observe either of these holidays, your kids’ excess Halloween candy tin beryllium re-purposed for their stockings and baskets. (Though you mightiness privation to inspect the packaging for grounds of flying witches, pumpkins, oregon bats lest your repurposing beryllium obvious.) And there’s nary request to interest if the candy volition beryllium atrocious by then—it lasts for a bully six to 9 months, oregon longer. Also read: Birthday pinatas and goody bags.

Use it arsenic a motivational instrumentality

I don’t let overmuch candy successful my location regularly. Which means my children are similar rabid animals astir a candy dish, but besides means they volition bash galore things for a accidental to person more. So, portion this is by nary means my superior oregon preferred method to incentivize them, it definite is effective. After letting your kids support an magnitude you’re comfy with, stash the remainder and dole it retired a portion oregon 2 astatine a clip erstwhile chores, homework, oregon different indispensable beingness tasks (like having bites of “disgusting” chicken) are completed.

Repurpose the cocoa successful a look

Twix trifle anyone? Or is simply a Butterfinger cheesecake much your speed? Whether you’re a fruit-flavored candy person oregon a chocolate-or-bust type, with a small digging you tin find a recipe that includes your fave (or conscionable immoderate candy is inactive resting astatine the bottommost of the integrative pumpkin). Don’t beryllium acrophobic to freeze it and marque peanut food cupful blizzards, oregon homemade milkshakes with vanilla crystal pick and Milky Ways.