That's Nuts: Five Things To Do with Leftover Halloween Candy
Note: Lee Zalben, a.k.a. "the Peanut Butter Guy" is the creator of the Peanut Butter & Co., a New York sandwich shop with a national line of nut butters. Every week he'll chime in with some nuttiness.
[Photograph: Lee Zalben]
This weekend, it's here—the day kids and candy executives alike have been waiting for all year long. But have you ever considered how many of your favorite Halloween candies involve peanuts or peanut butter? Butterfinger, Reese's (the cups and the pieces), Snickers, Oh Henry, Baby Ruth, Mr. Goodbar, Payday, Watchamacallit...
With all those peanuts floating around, I thought it would be fun to work up a few alternatives, rather than just scarfing them straight from the wrapper. These aren't "recipes" per se (for me that means "from scratch"). They're just fun ways to enjoy your (or your kids') trick-or-treat loot.
1. Peanut Butter Crunch Milkshake
Add a Butterfinger bar to three scoops of ice cream and 1 cup of ice cold milk. Blend on high and serve with a straw and a spoon.
2. Snickers Smoothie
Chop up a Snickers bar and place into blender with 1 banana and 1 cup vanilla yogurt. Add 1 cup ice cold water and blend until smooth.
3. Hot Chocolate Peanut Butter Toast
Place a Reese's peanut butter cup on a slice of white bread and heat in toaster oven for 3 minutes. Spread with knife and enjoy.
4. Poached Pears with Chocolate Peanut Caramel Sauce
Peel and slice two pears and poach in sugar water, then remove from liquid. Roughly chop 8 Goldenberg's Peanut Chews and place in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Heat over low flame and stir until the chocolate and caramel melts and the peanuts are free-floating. Allow to cool slightly and pour sauce over pears while still warm.
5. Eggs on a Snowy Log
Wash and trim some celery stalks into 4 inch "logs." Fill with cream cheese and top with Peanut M&Ms for a healthy (sort of) snack.
Related
The Meat and Chocolate Trend
Limited Edition Strawberried Peanut Butter and Coconut M&Ms
Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 82: Peanut Butter Portion Control
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21 Comments:
I save the candy for when we go on vacation to Mexico or Costa Rica. I leave a couple of candies and a few dollars each day for the cleaning person. I usually bring some to the bartenders as well.
DELICIOUS at 10:17AM on 10/28/09
I've been making crazy rainbow blondies with the huge bag of leftover peanut M&Ms in my freezer (they are, admittedly, from scratch). You could chop up any candy bar and do the same thing.
Big Girls Small Kitchen at 10:20AM on 10/28/09
I'm confused about the concept of leftovers...
feep at 10:44AM on 10/28/09
One year Raisinettes proved unpopular with the local kids. The oatmeal raisinette cookies I made were a big hit though.
dashofginger at 10:51AM on 10/28/09
ahhhhh i do number three all the time. Its so good. I give it two thumbs up
rumanddiet at 11:32AM on 10/28/09
What do you mean, leftover Halloween candy?
emgroff at 11:32AM on 10/28/09
*swoons*
SeraCandyEnthusiast at 11:34AM on 10/28/09
poo on your local kids-i love me some raisinettes-and i really like the idea of putting them into oatmeal cookies!
speaking of raisins-number 5 up there is something we used to do as a kid, but we did raisins in lieu of peanut m&ms. i actually prefer them plain-with a little salt. that's my fave thanksgiving side...spreading the cream cheese onto the celery was one of my first kitchen duties as a wee one.
as for extra candy-i just eat it. and eat it. and eat it.
gastronomeg at 11:35AM on 10/28/09
I put a few each in ziplock bags and freeze them to take to the movies later in the year.
Somehow, I've got six bags of Halloween candy in my house and I live on a street that gets no trick-or-treaters!
cookielady at 11:59AM on 10/28/09
Sorry, what is this "leftover Halloween candy" you speak of?
susitucker at 12:00PM on 10/28/09
Chik o stik milkshakes are amazing! I am so sad I can't buy chik o stiks anywhere around here. You can also bake a fun-sized candy bar or chocolate cup into the middle of a cookie. I've never done this, but my mother raves about this, eh, technique. And frying's always an option for the "suicide by food" crowd.
KarynMC at 12:44PM on 10/28/09
Never heard of leftover candy. I more hear of "omg the Halloween candy is all gone on the 29th!!===better get some more!!"
PoorOldMama at 2:11PM on 10/28/09
The chocolate candy was usually the for first to go for me.
Fatfudge at 2:52PM on 10/28/09
i used to trade my brother 3 Musketeers for Reese's. neither of us liked Laffy Taffy, so we tried to give it to my mother, who accepted it wreathed in smiles and then later threw in the bin. does anyone actually like and eat Laffy Taffy?
Christina at 3:32PM on 10/28/09
A different tangent for your leftovers:
Ever get leftover candy that is just leftover because it's the kind you don't like? Or maybe you are trying to be healthy and want to get rid of the rest once you've taken out a few for a treat?
My local children's hospital accepts excess Halloween candy that they distribute to the kids who weren't able to go trick or treating. The only requirement is that each portion is sealed (i.e. not a big bag of M&M's or homemade treats), and that a full ingredients list is available on the packaging so they can check for allergens, etc.
Just another option to consider...
NffctlNtllct at 5:48PM on 10/28/09
I've been fixated on that Butterfinger milkshake all freakin' day long! However, I don't have any ice cream or Butterfingers in the house. Damn you, Lee Zalben! :) I have a feeling I will be making a run to the store before the night ends.
Jesstastic at 6:53PM on 10/28/09
It's only a matter of time before "leftover" becomes "gone".
dmcavanagh at 7:01PM on 10/28/09
the oatmeal raisinet cookie idea is so great!! i'm definitely going to make that.
i have a couple of stupidly easy recipes that i've made with candy (although not leftover- like some other commenters, i know of no such thing). while i love baking from scratch, these both use mixes, and i've gotten more rave reviews from them than anything else- it hurts my wannabe ina garten pride a bit:
1- make a brownie mix per instructions. pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. break up a toffee bar (or any other type of chocolate bar, really) and layer the bar evenly over the batter. pour in the other half of batter. bake.
2. (similar to cookie suggestion above, but for cupcakes) prepare a brownie mix. fill halfway into greased muffin cups. stick a chocolate PB cup into the batter. fill cups with remaining batter. bake. (i top this with a PB frosting)
rebeccadiamond at 8:27PM on 10/28/09
If - and that's a big if - there's any chocolate Halloween candy left, I've chopped it in the food processor, then froze it in plastic bags. It makes a good addition to Christmas cookie batter, and I don't have to buy extra chocolate chips.
Nicciaugust at 9:59PM on 10/28/09
I always end up with 3 blow pops and some Now & Laters. I bring mine to work and feed it to my coworkers. Maybe that's because I never have anything good and chocolatey left. Who doesn't know what to do with leftover Reese's peanut butter cups? Who HAS leftover Reese's peanut butter cups?!
ScienceandtheCity at 5:05PM on 10/29/09
Chop up, freeze and then add to rice krispie treats--kids love them.
dhorst at 5:59PM on 10/29/09