Ideas For Using Up All That Halloween Candy

Is your home overflowing with lots of little candy bars and sugary goodness right now? If you're anything like me, having all of those little goodies around makes it too hard to resist eating just a few, or a dozen. So why not save some money and calories by putting that candy to good use in other ways?

Here are just a few ideas:

1. Little Hershey bars can be melted for fondue, chopped for chocolate chip cookies (freeze the dough for a time when all of the other treats are gone), or shaved to decorate other baked treats.
2. Many of the chocolate candies can be chopped and stored in individual baggies for topping ice cream, in homemade blizzard-type drinks, or for parfaits or other desserts. If you store all of the chopped candies in freezer bags, it will stay good for a long time.
3. Pick some of your favorites and hide them in the back of the freezer. Snickers, 3 Musketeers, and Milky Ways were some of our freezer favorites when I was a kid. My dad always claimed his portion of 3 Musketeers for the freezer right away.
4. Freeze some of the gummy-type candies to use for Christmas cookie/gingerbread house decorations.
   
5. Do a quick search for recipes to use up some of your candy. There are tons of ideas out there. Here's one to get you started.

Championship Cookies

• 2/3 c. butter or margarine
• 1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. salt
• 8 miniature Snickers bars, or 3 regular sized bars
• 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter or margarine with brown sugar. Stir in egg and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add to the mixing bowl, until all combined. By hand, stir in the Snickers and oats.
3. Drop by tablespoon onto a greased or lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

**This dough freezes just fine and the cookies can be baked without thawing the dough first.

Tammy's Recipes has lots more kitchen tips.

There are more frugal tips at Tightwad Tuesday.

Also, don't forget to stop in at Blessed With Grace for more recipes to tempt your tummy.