Breathing life into leftover treats.
It's a tradition that's as sweet as it is time-consuming: your children dumping their haul of trick-or-treat candy onto the living room floor, and then sorting it into piles of keepers and total losers.
It's a tradition that's as sweet as it is time-consuming: your children dumping their haul of trick-or-treat candy onto the living room floor, and then sorting it into piles of keepers and total losers.
A few items are perpetual pleasers, according to bulk candy seller CandyStore.com, which recently came out with its list of the three most popular Halloween candies in each state.
In Pennsylvania, snack-sized Hershey bars are a welcome treat, ranking No. 3 after M&Ms and Skittles as the most-loved Halloween candy.
Americans also apparently love their candy corn (it's No. 1 in six of the states), though it's just as easy to find people who absolutely detest the humble, tricolored candy. Manufacturers produce more than 35 million pounds - some 9 billion pieces - of candy corn a year.
One man's treat is another man's poison, of course. So what qualifies as the best Halloween candy is subjective.
But one thing all the rejects have in common is what to do with them if you don't want to toss them in the trash, give them away or unload them onto your unsuspecting coworkers.
So, how about melting candy corn with peanut butter into a thick and creamy paste to make delicious filling for homemade Butterfingers candy? Or using Dum-Dum lollipops as a colorful stained-glass filling in sugar cookies? Finally, we also suggest adding Snickers bars to Rice Krispies treats for an easy upgrade.
Candy Corn Butterfingers
Makes 24 squaresEndTextStartText
3 cups candy corn candy
1 cup creamy peanut butter
10 ounces chocolate almond bark or candy melts
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1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly spray with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Place candy corn in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat candy corn in microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir until candy is completely melted. Heat for additional time, in 15 second intervals, if needed. In my microwave, it was a total of 1 minute, 45 seconds.
3. Once candy corn is melted, heat peanut butter in microwave for 25 to 30 seconds, until runny. Stir peanut butter into melted candy corn until completely incorporated.
4. Turn out onto baking sheet and press down to about 3/4-inch thickness (8-by-8-inch square). While candy is still soft, cut into 1-by-2-inch bars. Let candy cool for 1 hour.
5. Line a second baking sheet with waxed paper. Melt chocolate according to package directions. With 2 forks, dip each bar into melted chocolate, coating to cover completely. Place on waxed paper to set. Store in an airtight container.
Note:
Yes, you can melt candy corn, and no, it won't explode in the microwave. Mixed with peanut butter, it hardens into a candy that tastes just like a Butterfinger.
Per square: 522 calories, 3 grams protein, 111 grams carbohydrates, 94 grams sugar, 7 grams fat, no cholesterol, 342 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
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