Have you ever wondered what to do with leftover Easter candy you don’t want to eat? Every year, the kids’ Easter baskets include far more sweets than we would like them to consume. They get it from their churches, schools, relatives, and, of course, the Easter Bunny. They won’t eat all those sweets, and I know they don’t need to eat an entire pound of Easter candy. But I don’t want to throw it away or squander it. If you don’t want to eat all that candy, here are a few suggestions.
Recipes for Leftover Easter Candy
Chocolate Poke Cake Whenever my family gets together, three or four individuals always ask if I’ll bring this chocolate peanut butter poke cake. Use a white or yellow cake mix and add three tablespoons of baking cocoa if you don’t have a chocolate cake mix.
Slices of trail mix
We produce dozens of delights using large handfuls of dried apricots, cherries, almonds, and pistachios that may be taken everywhere.
Leftover Easter Nest Torte: Egg-shaped candies
A beautiful cake layer nestles rich mousse and chocolate “twigs” in this exquisite dessert. This one-of-a-kind Easter nest cake recipe will be a hit with your visitors.
Chocolate Snickers candy bars Leftover candy: Caramel Hazelnut Pie.
Because I enjoy chocolate, caramel, and hazelnuts, I devised a recipe incorporating all three. If you don’t have a food processor, pound the crust ingredients with a rolling pin in a zip-top freezer bag.
Sunflower Cake with Peeps Leftover candy: Peeps
The sunflower, one of my favorite flowers, served as the idea for this cake. I carefully arranged chocolate chips in a circular shape to imitate the seeds in the heart of a sunflower, and the yellow peeps make eye-catching flower petals. This cake is simple to make yet looks great.
Apart from Eating Easter Candy, What can you do with Leftover Easter Candy?
Could you put it in the freezer? You may freeze ordinary chocolate Easter eggs or Easter rabbits and utilize them later. Wrap the entire box or package within a heavy-duty freezer bag. Defrost the chocolate on the counter when ready to use. You can eat it straight up or grate it in a dish.
Make something with your hands. If you have any jelly beans left over, you’ll be astonished at how many activities your kids can do with them. Make a bracelet, paint with them, or do a science experiment. Here’s a complete list of things you can do using jelly beans.
Something should be baked. Use your Easter candy leftovers in a variety of dessert recipes? Chop the chocolate for chocolate chip cookies instead of using chocolate chips. Top your cupcakes with jelly beans. Before baking your cupcakes, insert a Cadbury egg into the batter. In any case, they turn out delicious.
They must be melted! Melt leftover marshmallow Peeps and use them in your favorite recipes, or use melted Peeps instead of marshmallow fluff in Rice Krispie bars. One of my husband’s favorite snacks is this. Of course, you may use them in your favorite s’mores recipe instead of marshmallows.
Donate. If the temptation of having all of that candy in your house is too much for you, consider donating it to someone who will appreciate it. I’m sure you know a friend or relative who would appreciate a bag of chocolate. Alternatively, if the candy is still wrapped, contact your local food pantry to see if they will accept it as a donation. There will be a family who will gladly accept it.
What is the Origin of Easter Candies?
Since the 1700s, the Easter Bunny has been a well-known symbol of Easter. German immigrants brought the notorious rabbit to America. A rabbit is thought to have been chosen as an ancient sign of new life, a motif that fits wonderfully with springtime in a chilly region. According to other accounts, early Germanic cultures believed that egg-laying rabbits heralded the arrival of Spring. Originally, the bunny provided colored eggs, but the practice grew to include chocolate and other gifts. Carrots were originally left out for the rabbit in case he needed a treat (similar to cookies for Santa).
German immigrants invented the iconic edible Easter egg in the mid-nineteenth century, first made of sugar and pastry. The eggs were chosen because the German Easter Bunny, known as “Osterhase,” would lay the eggs instead of giving the children a basket. Due to their design, eggs were also a symbol of good luck and new life, and they were very easy to create.
In the mid-nineteenth century, candy eggs became extremely popular, and Easter traditions began to emerge simultaneously. By the late 1800s, major American candy companies produced hollow and filled chocolate eggs and other unusual flavors. Improvements in equipment and rising demand drove candy makers to develop distinctive Easter Candy on a much greater scale by the early twentieth century. Rather than handcrafted eggs, we saw posed rabbits, birds, nests, and various other chocolate patterns. Jelly beans were also introduced to the Easter custom in the early twentieth century.
How to Make Easter Candy Cookie Dough with Leftover Easter Candy?
To begin, slice up your larger Easter candy pieces (such as Peeps and Cadbury Eggs) into smaller, bite-sized parts.
Then, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until smooth. Combine the vanilla and eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt once everything is thoroughly blended. Mix until everything is well blended. Stir in the Easter candy with a mixer on low speed or a mixing spoon.
To freeze cookie dough for later baking, follow these steps: Using parchment paper, line a rimmed baking sheet. 2 tablespoon-sized bits of dough should be scooped onto the baking sheet. At this phase, the dough scoops can be close together. If desired, top each cookie dough scoop with a few more pieces of chopped candies and candy.
Freeze the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes before using it. Remove the cookie dough from the freezer and place it in a freezer-safe plastic bag or container. Place the dough in the freezer until you’re ready to bake it. Cookie dough can be kept frozen for up to three months.
To Bake: When craving a cookie, take the desired number of cookies from the freezer and lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet a few inches apart. Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown and crisp. Allow cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool fully. Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
What are the Creative Ways to Get Rid of Unwanted Halloween Candy?
Halloween Candy Buy Back
You may check to see if there is purchase back place near you on the national website HERE. Local dentists and other businesses are sponsoring the buybacks. Bonus: Through Operation Gratitude and other agencies, the candy is distributed to the military serving overseas.
Mail your candy gift to Operation Shoebox, which will be sent to the military in care packages.
Please put it in the freezer. Most unopened candy can be stored in the freezer for months and enjoyed later.
Decorate a gingerbread house or baked goods for the holidays. Candy corns work well in edible Thanksgiving projects, such as these OREO cookie Turkeys. Make ornaments for the Christmas tree, table centerpieces, and other decorations.
Please give it to someone else. Friends, neighbors, teachers, local charities…ask around; you never know who might be interested. Put up a free candy ad online if you’re truly driven.
Please take it to work with you. In any break room, the candy never lasts long!
The Halloween Fairy, to be precise. This ritual was founded by a beautiful parent much nicer than me, which entails stealing the candy from the kids as they sleep and replacing it with a toy. When kids wake up and find the toy, they don’t care if their candy is gone.
Chocolate has its uses. CRUSHED ICE CREAM TOPPINGS, MELTED HOT CHOCOLATE/MILK, and COFFEE can all be made with leftover chocolate candy.
Fill the kids’ Christmas stockings with it to recycle them.
Make a candy bouquet out of it. DIY candy bouquets are simple and make great gifts for any occasion.
How to Make Chocolate Covered Easter Egg Candies at Home?
It’s easier than you think to make your buttercream eggs from scratch. Classic vanilla, funfetti, coconut cream, peanut butter eggs, or chocolate-dipped rounds are perfect for Easter!
Ingredients:
FILLING WITH CLASSIC BUTTERCREAM (MAKES 40-45 SMALL BUTTERCREAMS)
a quarter-pound (112g) softened cream cheese block at room temperature
14 cup (57g) softened unsalted butter at room temperature
Four mugs (480g) of sugar in powdered form
12 teaspoon extract de Vanille
FILLING FOR FUNFETTI (MAKES 40-45 SMALL BUTTERCREAMS)
a quarter-pound (112g) softened cream cheese block at room temperature
14 cup (57g) softened unsalted butter at room temperature
Four mugs (480g) of sugar in powdered form
12 teaspoon extract de Vanille
14 cup (50g) sprinkles 12 teaspoon almond essence
BUTTER PEANUT FILLING (MAKES 14-16 LARGE EGGS)
a third of a cup (180 g) of smooth peanut butter
14 cup unsalted butter (57g) at room temperature
12 cups and 1 cup (180g) sugar in powdered form
FILLING WITH COCONUT CREAM (MAKES 32-36 SMALL EGGS)
a quarter-pound (112g) softened cream cheese block at room temperature
1 tbsp. unsalted butter (14 g) softened to room temperature
Three mugs (360g) and 34 cups (54g) of sweetened shredded coconut powdered sugar
Optional: 14 teaspoon coconut extract
COATING
Eight oz. (227g) chopped high-quality chocolate (per 36 small pieces)
if desired, an extra sprinkling
Directions:
Buttercream Classics
On medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Before rolling/shaping, cover the filling and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day in the refrigerator.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment, wax paper, or a silicone baking mat once the filling is done. Form the filling into round balls with your hands using a teaspoon measure. Flatten each ball slightly so that it creates a thick disc. Because the filling will be sticky, it’s a good idea to coat your hands and workspace with powdered sugar.
Place the buttercream on the baking sheet that has been prepared. Refrigerate the baking sheet for at least 2 hours before coating it with chocolate.
Buttercream Funfetti
On medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts until smooth.
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the sprinkles, mixing until everything is mixed. Before rolling/shaping, cover the filling and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day in the refrigerator.
Some Additional Factors
Line a large baking sheet with parchment, wax paper, or a silicone baking mat once the filling is done. Form the filling into round balls with your hands using a teaspoon measure. Flatten each ball slightly so that it creates a thick disc. Because the filling will be sticky, it’s a good idea to coat your hands and workspace with powdered sugar.
Place the buttercream on the baking sheet that has been prepared. Refrigerate the baking sheet for at least 2 hours before coating it with chocolate.
Chocolate
In a microwave-safe bowl, chop the chocolate. Heat in 30-second intervals on MEDIUM power, stirring after each heating, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
Using a fork, dip each buttercream or egg thoroughly into the chocolate. Remove the buttercream or egg from the chocolate and tap the fork against the bowl’s edge to drain any excess chocolate. Back on the baking sheet, place the dipped buttercream or egg. If you use sprinkles, do so while the chocolate is still warm. Before serving or decorating with chocolate drizzle, chill dipped buttercreams or eggs for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate has completely set.
Buttercreams or eggs can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks if covered.
Conclusion
Whether you’re putting together an Easter basket or anticipating one, we can all agree that there’s an art to putting together the right assortment of delicacies—you’ve got your pastel treats, egg-shaped desserts, and, of course, plenty of chocolate. While there are many Easter basket candies and egg hunt delicacies to pick from, Americans prefer tried-and-true favorites such as Cadbury chocolates and chocolate bunnies.
