10 Ways to Deal with Extra Halloween Candy

Now that your little ones have Trick or Treated their hearts out you are likely staring at a huge pile of treats and wondering what to do with all that extra Halloween Candy! We’ve put together a few ideas for you.

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1. The Switch Witch

Some parents have been having a little fun with a sneaky but good witch who comes overnight and takes some or all of the Halloween candy and replaces it with a non-candy gift. This could be anything from a small toy they’ve been talking about, an outfit or maybe something they needed anyway, like a toboggan or pair of skates to replace those tight ones from last winter.

This doesn’t need to take place on Halloween night either, take a few days and let your kids warm up to the idea!

2. Get Crafty

There’s a ton of creative ways to use candy in crafts, check out Pinterest for some inspiration. You could also save it for a much cheaper way to build gingerbread houses at Christmas!

3. Science Experiments

Use that candy for some learning! You can test which candies sink or float, what happens when you microwave them or bake them, test which candies dissolve or expand…. the possibilities are endless!

4. Look for a Local Buy Back

Some dentist offices offer candy buy back events where kids can trade in their extra Halloween candy for money or prizes. Call your local dentist and ask!

5. Save the Candy for Loot Bags

Take the Halloween candy that isn’t wrapped in Halloween themed packaging and save it for future loot bags for parties. You will thank yourself later for this one!

6. Freeze It

Halloween candy freezes well and it’s a lot harder to mindlessly grab on the go when it’s rock solid.

Another tip? If you have a deep freeze put it in the bottom. Out of sight out of mind is sometimes key.

7. Get Baking

Ok, with this one they are still eating the candy, but maybe not as quickly? Crush up candy and make cookies, use it as topping for brownies or cupcakes, whatever you can think of. For some inspiration, here’s some ideas we love.

8. Make Math Fun

Count it, make patterns with it, categorize it, chart it, weigh it, add & subtract….. you get the idea. Subtraction is the only thing that will make it go away, however!

9. Donate Extra Halloween Candy

This is a hard one… on one hand it is always great to donate, on the other hand should you really be donating candy?

Depending on your stance on this, there are certain charities that will accept it – call your local food bank or shelters and ask.

10. Create a Challenge

Kids love a challenge! Try something with them where you choose a special date, maybe Christmas or New Years or a birthday and see if they can make the candy last until then. Depending on age you can do some math to figure out how they can meet their goal.

Bonus: Use it for a Gingerbread House

Halloween is over, which means Christmas is just around the corner! Ask your kids to set aside some of their candy to use for decorating gingerbread houses this year.

As an extra sweet bonus, you’ll save some money on the gingerbread house, too.

Final Thoughts

All these ideas aside, there is something to be said for just being a kid and enjoying some candy! It’s like winning the jackpot, if only for a night!

What do you do with your extra Halloween Candy? We would love to hear your ideas!

And be sure to save this post to Pinterest!

Kim Ouellette is a Co-Founder of Alberta Mamas and an Edmonton Realtor with Schmidt Realty Group. She is a wife, mom, daughter, friend and adventure seeker who loves to explore Alberta and beyond. Connect with her at kim@weselledmonton.com