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So you have all this leftover Halloween candy. What to do with it? (Does Halloween candy expire?) With our tips, you can sell your candy, make leftover Halloween candy recipes and cookies, do some candy science and crafts, learn where to donate leftover Halloween candy, and more!
Halloween is over and you’re looking at that big bag of candy sitting on the table and thinking, “What are we ever going to do with all that crap?”
If your house is like our house, all that candy sits around, you or the kids sneak a piece here and there, but then six months down the road you’re shoving that bag over to make room in the pantry for Easter candy, only to throw it out for good around . . . April.
Well, why wait to do that dirty work until next Spring?
How do you get rid of Halloween candy?
- Sell the leftover candy. (learn more below!)
- Donate it.
- Keep it. (Candy has a long shelf life!)
- Freeze it.
- Cook with the candy.
- Bake with the candy.
- Use the Halloween candy for decorations.
- Make theme party drinks with them.
- Do candy science.
- Make candy crafts.
- Throw it out.
Ready for leftover Halloween candy ideas (aside from just getting this cute pumpkin jar, filling it with the candy, and then eating it until it’s gone?)?
We’ll go into more detail on the creative ways you can whittle away at that mound of sugar starting right after Halloween.
What To Do With Leftover Halloween Candy
Tips for Using Leftover Halloween Candy
1. Sell your leftover Halloween candy.
Many local dental offices participate in “buy back” programs where you can get coupons to local businesses, fun items or even cash.
Check out the Halloween Candy Buy Back site to find dentists near you participating in the program.
2. Donate your leftover Halloween candy.
Call your local homeless shelters, women’s shelters, or even nursing homes to see if they would like the candy.
For many staying in those places, candy will be a nice treat that they don’t often spend money on as a splurge.
Where can I donate leftover Halloween candy?
- Children’s hospitals
- Women’s shelters
- Nursing homes
- Deployed soldiers and troops overseas (Check out Operation Gratitude or Soldiers’ Angels)
- Ronald McDonald House Charities
3. Store the candy or freeze it.
How long can you keep Halloween candy?
Did you know candy usually has a pretty long shelf life, sometimes between six months to one year.
How do you store leftover Halloween candy?
If you plan on keeping your Halloween candy, it should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Freezing Halloween candy:
That’s right, most candy will freeze just fine to keep for later dates.
The freezing method will also help you to monitor candy consumption.
It’s easier for kids (or you) to eat three Snickers out of a bag then to wait for the same three to thaw before you eat them.
Just be aware that when freezing chocolate that it often has light discoloration to it. That’s completely normal and is still fine to eat.
4. Cook or bake with the Halloween candy.
There are so many great recipes out there for using Halloween candy — from candy bars to Red Hots and even those traditional candy corns.
Try the Snickers Salad, turkey cookies for Thanksgiving, or search the internet for recipes using the kind of candy you have left.
Here are some recipes for leftover halloween candy:
- Snickers Salad with Apples
- Leftover Halloween Candy blondies (or brownies)
- Milky Way recipe ideas
- Crazy Confetti Compost Cookies (where you can use Halloween candy bars and pretzels!)
- Candy Corn ButterFingers
5. Decorate with the candy.
With upcoming holidays, you will have plenty of opportunities to use the candy for homemade baking gifts and decorations.
- Use candy corn for Thanksgiving decorations.
- Tie candy onto Christmas presents for decoration.
- Use the candy as hot chocolate drink bar garnishes at parties.
- Decorate gingerbread houses.
- Use the candy as decorating options at cookie decorating parties.
Just sort out (or unwrap) the ones that are in traditional Halloween black and orange and go from there.
And believe me, a box of Nerds can make an awesome cookie or gingerbread house decoration. No one will even guess they are from Halloween.
6. Make party drinks with candy.
Look, why are the kids the only ones who get to have fun?
You can use leftover candy to make or garnish yummy adult drinks (or even “virgin” drinks for kids) for your holiday parties.
Have a ton of leftover suckers?
Make the Tootsie Pop drink, unwrap a sucker and then plop it right in the drink for garnish.
(Works the same with Jolly Ranchers or Sweet Tarts.)
Or, try the Liquid Snickers drink, cut up a Snickers bar and put on the rim of the glass as a garnish.
Make Candy Corn Punch for kids.
Get some of those candy corn pumpkins? Garnish a Pumpkin Smoothie with them!
Get creative!
7. Do candy science.
Sneak in some STEM learning with your leftover candy.
(Really! It’s fun!)
Start with these candy science examples.
8. Make candy crafts.
When all else fails make some candy crafts or candy art.
Check out:
9. Throw it out.
For real.
Stop feeling guilty about throwing out Halloween candy.
Better to just get rid of it now than four months from now.
PS: If you’re wondering what to do with leftover Easter candy or Christmas candy (or any other candy holiday), you can use these tips, too!
(You can donate easter candy and Christmas candy just as easy as Halloween candy!)
Do you have creative ways to get rid of Halloween candy that we didn’t mention?
Leave it in the comments so we can add it to our list!
Don’t Forget To Read! Here Are Fun Halloween Children’s Books!
