Your kids came home with bags full of candy from Halloween parties and trick-or-treating. Now, what? You know you can’t keep it all, so what are your options? Here are five things to do with your leftover Halloween candy.
- Bake with the Candy
You can freeze candy and bake with it (trust me, you’ll want all these treats when you start making Christmas cookies). If you are like me, and love Snickers, save those mini snickers and pop them inside a peanut butter cookie. Here’s an easy recipe to make Snickers Surprise Cookies.
- Trade it in or Do A Buy Back at the Dentist or Other Local Business
Many dentist offices or local businesses offer a trade or buy back program for Halloween candy and then donate the candy to the troops or other cause. Trade-ins range from cash amount per pounds to books and small toys. For more about buy back programs in your area, visit their web page.
- Mail it to Our Troops
Organizations such as Operation Gratitude partner with businesses and community members to collect candy and then send the candy to troops. You can find a location near you or ship directly by November 15. For more information and to look up one of the many Twin Cities drop-off locations, visit their web page.
- Bring it to a Chemotherapy Clinic
Some chemotherapy clinics will accept candy donations for their clients. Candies such as mints and hard candies can be helpful to patients after chemotherapy. Call ahead to a local clinic to find out their policy. We’ve done this and I shared about my experience on my blog. It felt great to donate it and know it was helping someone.
- Donate to Your Local Food Shelf or Organization Helping Families
Call the local organizations in your community that work with families and check if they can use candy donations. Check with your food shelf, nursing homes, shelters, churches or other groups who help families.
Halloween is a fun holiday to enjoy with your kids and the candy is literally just one piece of the fun. Instead of letting it sit around your house, in your kids’ lunches or bellies, use one of these ways to share your abundance of candy this year.
