By: Dallin Rahlf

Check it: you and your friends, kids, or partner in crime just scored the biggest candy stash of your life. You heeded my counsel from our last blog about how to achieve your biggest candy haul yet. That was very wise of you. Or, you simply stumbled into getting a lot of candy. Perhaps your neighbors were feeling generous this year and finally got a Costco membership to secure the goods for the Halloween hand out. Either way, you’re sitting on a hoard of candy like Smaug and his countless pieces of gold. Listen closely, my friend, for your life will never be the same from this moment forward.

You have a massive responsibility with your stash. What are you to do with it? Should you let yourself or kids have free reign over their reward, eating at will? Do we risk future stomach aches and sugar headaches that comes for overconsumption? Let’s dive into some things that you can do with your excess Halloween candy, lest we all fall into temptation and eat well beyond our means.

1. One Candy A Day

The tough thing about compiling this list today is that none of these options are going to be the most exciting thing. You’re thinking, “Why can’t I just eat all of my candy NOW and be HAPPY.” Shhhh, shhh. It’s ok. I understand. I was once like that too. But then, I turned 23. And everything fun about sugar stops when you turn 23. Suddenly, you can’t eat three bowls of Cap’n Crunch and then go play basketball and not feel terrible. You can’t eat all the Snickers you want and expect to not pay the price hours later. It’s a fact of life. Is it fair?? Absolutely not.

This doesn’t only apply to adults. Studies show that, whoa, sugar found in things like chocolate bars isn’t all that great for, well, anybody! The little ones must be thought of when it comes to sugar consumption.

So, to combat the intense desire to go to town on your candy at this moment, set a goal for yourself to enjoy one piece a day. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then only eating one piece of candy a day keeps the… tummy aches away? Yeah, that sounds good. Keep yourself disciplined. If you’re like my way when it comes to chocolate around the house, have someone straight up hide it from you. Set a timer for when you can have your piece. Learn to master the craft of patience and reward.  

2. Make One of Those Pun-Based Poster Boards

You know the ones that I’m talking about? The ones where you use a bunch of your candy to create a sort of Mad Libs around the names of your candy. There’s plenty to be found online like the example below, if you find yourself not one for creating puns, you’ll be fine with stealing what someone else wrote. Unless that’s illegal. Super doubt it.

Either way. they’re pretty cute and they’re fun to get. There may be someone in your neighborhood that wasn’t able to go out this year for whatever reason. There may be someone who is having a tough time and could use a cheesy pick-me-up in the form of puns and candy.

If you’re one that feels awkward about service and doing things for others (I totally get that--I always feel weird and don’t know what to do with my hands when someone is thanking me), then this is a perfect gift you can do anonymously. Make it, leave it on their front door or take it to their work, the bounce. They’ll never know it was you, but they’ll know that someone is looking out for them!

3. Donate Your Candy

Uhhh, did you know this was a thing? Of all the things to donate in this world, I would not have guessed that candy to be a popular item. But hey. Anything and everything with donation is wonderful and full of love, so if someone is going to benefit from your stash of Butterfingers, do it!

Turns out there’s a couple ways to donate your Halloween candy. You can donate to the troops, to dentists, first responders, and one that is especially close to my heart, the Ronald McDonald House. When I was living in Cincinnati, my family and other friends would go to the Ronald McDonald house every Christmas Eve to make breakfast for anyone staying there. It is humbling, it makes you feel good about how you’re using your time, and it teaches you about what others go through in this world. If there’s anyone that could use a pick-me-up, it is those wonderful families involved with the excellent charity there.

4. Make Some Wacky Desserts

Just because Halloween is over, it doesn’t mean the fun needs to be! You can use your leftover Halloween candy in dozens of desserts you’ve been making all of your life.

- Candy Cookies. These will be a hit: make chocolate chip or sugar cookies like you always do and simply add in all of the chocolate bits and pieces that you have! Snickers, M&Ms, Reese’s, almost anything will do in cookies. Even the gross candies like candy corn would probably do well in a cookie! Yes, they are the worst candy in the world. I will stand by this forever.

- Blizzards. Blizzards are amazing and are easy to make right at home. All you need is some milk, ice cream, and the candy of your choice! You can shake it up with vanilla and chocolate flavors of the milk and ice cream. My pro tip is to NOT use any gummy snacks here. We made gummy bear blizzards once and it was not great.

- Rice Krispies. Everyone loves Rice Krispies! Pair that with some fudge, candy bits, and any of your favorite toppings and you’ve got yourself an awesome dessert with nearly zero effort.