Cakespy: Leftover Halloween Candy Pie
Note: Jessie Oleson (aka Cakespy) drops by every Monday to share a delicious dessert recipe.
[Original artwork and photographs: Jessie Oleson]
Poor Halloween candy. Just a few days ago it was the star of the supermarket aisle, the festive treat on everyone's mind. But now, just two days later, these sweet treats are Halloween has-beens, relegated to sale bins, withering away in candy dishes.
If you have an oven with a window, it's fascinating to watch while it bakes.
But is there a way to breathe new life—to re-animate, if you will—this past its prime candy? I propose yes: by dumping it in a pie shell and melting it into one monstrous mash of a candy pie. It's not for the faint of heart, what with the alarming spread of candy viscera melted all over the top. I wouldn't even try to call it a sophisticated or refined dessert. But in an admittedly guilty pleasure sort of way, this pie is actually pretty tasty, and if you have an oven with a window, it's fascinating to watch while it bakes.
Leftover Halloween Candy Pie
- makes one 10-inch pie -
Ingredients
1 single pie crust, blind baked (you can use your favorite recipe, or mine is below)
Enough leftover Halloween candy to fill the pie crust
Pie Crust
Ingredients
- makes one rather thick 10-inch pie crust -
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Procedure
1. Prepare the pie crust. Put the flour, salt and sugar into a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter and process until the mixture looks grainy. Then slowly, while pulsing, add the water until you can form the dough by pressing it between your fingers (Note: if you don't have a food processor, this can all be done by hand as well). Put the loose dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Using the wrap, fold the loose dough towards the middle and press with the back of your hands to form dough. Wrap and chill for at least 4 hours before using. When you're ready, roll it out with a rolling pin to an approximately 12-inch circle; transfer this to a pie plate and trim the edges and shape them in any way you'd like. Blind bake the pie crust for about 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F.
2. Let the pie crust rest until it's room temperature, and then fill it with whatever mix of candy suits you. I found that a chocolate-heavy mix tasted best, so my mix included Tootsie Rolls in regular and vanilla, Snickers Fun Size bars, M&Ms, Kit Kat bars, a small amount of Dots, and of course some candy corn. Don't be afraid to fill it to the top, as the candy will flatten and lower as it melts.
3. Bake in a 350°F oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until the candy is melted and the crust golden. The time may vary depending on your candy mixture. Once you remove it from the oven, let it cool for at least an hour so that the filling can set.
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41 Comments:
This is so wrong on so many levels. And if I had any leftover Halloween candy, I would make it tonight.
dbrackst at 8:34AM on 11/02/09
Why.
Onepot at 8:50AM on 11/02/09
I prefer to savor the little leftovers one at a time - though I'd take this to a pot luck in a heartbeat.
lemonfair at 8:54AM on 11/02/09
Oh I am SO making this for Bunco night next week!!!!
Editmom at 9:28AM on 11/02/09
Mighty disgusting, imho.
grampart at 9:28AM on 11/02/09
I love the little pumpkin guy's caption!
yayfood at 9:41AM on 11/02/09
I think the theory here is OK but the reality of this?? No.
arm1970 at 10:01AM on 11/02/09
I think this officially made me sick *ech*
cute though
hungrychristel at 10:14AM on 11/02/09
shared amongst 16-20 ppl (w ice cream!)--awesome.
one household eating a whole pie--shudder.
vkaf253 at 10:21AM on 11/02/09
This is so greedy. I should try it.
Joellyn at 11:13AM on 11/02/09
This is a disgusting waste of candy by people who have too much.
Instead, why not send excess Halloween candy to the troops overseas by putting together a care package. It will be appreciated.
Pupster at 11:34AM on 11/02/09
cakespy, i feel bad for all the negative comments on your post. i for one, am not above eating non-traditional combinations of sweets, not matter how negative the popular, "healthy" opinion may be.
PrettyNicola at 11:44AM on 11/02/09
Is it April Fools Day?
Marls Barkley at 12:03PM on 11/02/09
the website and little illustrations are adorable but the recipes make me want to hurl.
dmarina at 12:35PM on 11/02/09
Leftover Hallowe'en Candy goes straight into mah belleh.
Leftover Christmas candy, on the other hand, is perfect for a recipe like this. For some reason, as of December 28-ish, I can't bear another piece of chocolate until Groundhog day.
kevster at 12:44PM on 11/02/09
As someone who has leftover candy from LAST year, I appreciate a creative idea. Of course, there's always too much! Isn't that the whole point? Don't you remember your Halloween's as a kid? Trick or treating until the last possible second with the biggest pillow case your mom would let you have and then fighting her off for the Crunch bars?? Boo-humbug to the rest of you, I say.
stresscake at 12:47PM on 11/02/09
lol @kevster!
So true about Christmas candy getting old fast.
yayfood at 12:47PM on 11/02/09
Interesting idea - we always chop it all up and put it inside rice crispy treats...
nikkomyers at 1:10PM on 11/02/09
What's so wrong with eating the leftover candy over a week? Did Halloween candy become as perishable as a CSA share and desperately needs to be used up before it goes bad? Really?
blogkitten at 1:49PM on 11/02/09
LOL...this is a great piece for a Monday. Thanks.
Cassaendra at 2:26PM on 11/02/09
What a great idea. To those who choose not to partake in the madness, DON"T. As far as I know, this is still a free country. Last time I checked so if you have an alternative you like better, go for it. This is just too cute.
AmyRuth
AmyRuth at 2:32PM on 11/02/09
sounds like a heart attack in slice
in a good way
hmgreen616 at 4:04PM on 11/02/09
It's something the kids would like anyway. I think I'll make a graham cracker pie shell and mix my leftover candies with ice cream for an ice cream pie. Thanks for the creativity kick start.
yankeesgal at 5:23PM on 11/02/09
this sounds perfect to me
Elle13 at 6:11PM on 11/02/09
Haha! I think AmyRuth put it well: To those who choose not to partake in the madness, DON'T!
I should add a note about the recipe here too. If you make this, if you've used candies that are more firm in texture, be sure to slice the pie while it is still warm as it will harden a bit once it cools. You can warm slices up in the microwave for about 15 seconds before serving.
cakespy at 7:38PM on 11/02/09
i'm FOR this. all i have are York patties and Almond Joys, though...hmmm...
Christina at 7:48PM on 11/02/09
It's something I would bake in the crazy, lurid nights of drunkenness (actually...probably while sober too :P), but would not even attempt to eat beyond the initial bite. It's not about 'healthy' pretenses - that's not my style - but about my ability to handle all that sugar.
hungryhungryhippo at 9:10PM on 11/02/09
I love that someone would do this - it's a great concept piece, even though I couldn't imagine eating it. People need to lighten up...
firni at 11:17PM on 11/02/09
When I was in grad school, typing away at 3 am, I would have killed for a piece of this.
justjoan at 1:57AM on 11/03/09
My goodness, Pupster. Tone down the sanctimony and bile a bit, or direct it towards a more deserving target, such as big supermarket corporations that throw away tons of unsold Halloween candy rather than donating it.
Cakespy, I think the pie looks awesome in a hangover cure, late night snack attack kind of way, and I definitely write that in a complimentary manner.
mmdeliciouscandy at 12:17AM on 11/04/09
More like Diabetes Pie, amirite?
Anyway, I say change out the pie dough for cookie dough. Bam.
wunami at 2:19AM on 11/04/09
I am so not feeling this, though admit to admiring that fine crust. But if you're melting leftover candy, why not use a store-bought shell?
wingreend at 2:25PM on 11/04/09
@Christina...the York Patties and Almond Joy sound like AWESOME additions to this pie!! Mmmmmmm!
@the negatrons...no body is forcing you to make this. Just smile and nod!
Peensez at 6:01PM on 11/04/09
Sorry, but vanilla Tootsie Rolls are far too precious a thing for this application. Showed the recipe to my honey and he heartily approves. Although this year we gave out Smartees and Dumdums...I don't think those would work so well.
HakunaFritatta at 7:19PM on 11/04/09
It might do better to add Halloween peeps in the mix and avoid anything that has a hard candy shell or anything that IS hard candy. Otherwise you WILL be making a trip to the dentist!
LCBChef Glenn at 9:46PM on 11/04/09
It might do better to add Halloween peeps in the mix and avoid anything that has a hard candy shell or anything that IS hard candy. Otherwise you WILL be making a trip to the dentist!
LCBChef Glenn at 9:46PM on 11/04/09
Serious or not (and yeah, I know this is Serious Eats), this is hilarious!
OneWallKitchen at 11:58PM on 11/04/09
I think there needs to be a salty balance to make this perfect...maybe a crust made from crushed pretzels! While I'd never make this (so I say now), I think it's a fun idea for a party or gathering!
volleyjoy1 at 4:35PM on 11/05/09
hey! I saw this a few days ago and searched and searched for it so I could make it today! You might add a tag just called Candy Pie to make it easier for folks to find it. I finally remembered you calling it leftover halloween candy pie and thats how I finally found you!
Love the pie!
cookingdunkinstyle at 8:24PM on 11/06/09
My left over goes to the local hospitals ER breakroom. It does'nt last long there.
old chef at 12:19PM on 11/09/09
I just found a pie crust in my freezer, and the local supermarket has a huge amount of priced-down candies on sale...hmmm, yep, this is going to work for Friday coffee break. :)
skyeyes at 9:42AM on 11/11/09