The Sweet And Simple Way To Use Up Leftover Halloween Candy

Whether you have children who plan to trick-or-treat or a nice neighbor who buys candy to hand out on Halloween, many people will have a lot of extra candy on their hands come November 1. While most people have a favorite classic Halloween candy, eating the same treats over and over again can get to be monotonous. If you're looking to change it up, there are some ways you can get creative with your leftover Halloween candy.

If you really don't want to keep it in the house, there's the option to donate your leftover Halloween candy to a business or charitable organization that will accept it. While this may come with a sense of sweet satisfaction, no one is saying you shouldn't have a little bit of fun with some of that Halloween candy yourself. With the treats you choose to keep you might consider turning them into another beloved childhood dessert: ice cream.

It's actually a lot easier than you think to add your favorite Halloween candies into your favorite ice cream flavors. But there are a few things to keep in mind for optimal enjoyment. Certain hard candies and gummy candies will become sharp when frozen, so you want to avoid those for the safety of your teeth and gums. However, candies made of chocolate, caramel, malted nougat, pretzel, cookie, or peanut butter are perfect for adding to ice cream. You can smash up the candy pieces and add them to existing ice cream in your freezer, or add them to the mix when making your favorite homemade ice cream.

If you're going the homemade route, food writer Leigh Anne Wilkes suggests that you soak half of your chopped candy in the milk before the churning process begins, then add in the other half when the ice cream is nearly finished. This way, the flavors will be fully infused into the cream mixture, and you'll still get the satisfying bite of candy chunks in your ice cream.