How to use Leftover Halloween Candy

If your kids are like mine, they come home from trick-or-treating with way too much candy. As wonderfully delicious as candy is, the fun wares off after a few days. Here are some creative ways to use some of that candy.

• Add candy to cookie dough – Small candy makes a great substitute for chocolate chips. Large candies can be chopped and used similarly. Also, try wrapping mini candy bars in sugar cookie dough and baking. YUM!
• Add candy to rice-krispie treats – Make the rice-krispie treats as you normally would, but mix in candy at the end. I recommend not using plain chocolate as a mix-in, as it will melt.
• Candy-Corn turkeys – Let kids draw a picture of a turkey, and glue on the candy corns to make the feathers.
• Ice Cream Shakes – I love the candy shakes they make at ice cream shops. Throw the candy in the blender with your shake ingredients and mix it all together.
• Cash in candy – Let your kids use their candy as money. If they give you 5 pieces of candy, they get 30 minutes of TV time, etc. That can backfire though, because I’m then faced with the temptation of candy. Mmmmmm!!
• Crafts – Because candy becomes stale and not so tasty after a while, use some to make crafts. Use hard candies to make candy necklaces. Break candy up and let your kids glue it to construction paper to make a mosaic. My personal favorite is the candy wreath.  CUTE!

What ideas do you have to use up all that Halloween candy?