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If you and your family are mega candy lovers, maybe you can’t even imagine what it’s like to have any Easter candy left when the holiday’s over. But for those of us who somehow manage to have uneaten treats on hand, here are some fun and easy ideas that will help you use up, store, save, or give away those excess Peeps, jelly beans, chocolate eggs, and Easter bunnies.
Save your leftover Easter candy for later
1. Bag and store your Easter candy.
Save your leftover Easter candy for future snacks, road trips, movie nights or special treats. Divide the candy into pre-portioned amounts, store in plastic bags, and you’re all prepped for future spur-of-the-moment yum breaks.
If you’re wondering what’s the best way to store Easter candy, and how long the candy stays edible, here are some answers. “A general rule to follow is that the softer the candy, then the shorter the shelf life it will have,” according to Kansas State University food expert Karen Blakeslee. “Keeping candy in a cool, dry and dark place is the best way to store it. The less exposure to air, the better. Also, store it at room temperature. Heat can cause many candies to melt and get too sticky.”
The National Confectioners Association offers some additional guidelines for candy storage:
- Dark chocolate can be kept for one to two years if wrapped in foil and stored in a cool, dark and dry place. Milk and white chocolates last no more than eight to ten months.
- Hard candy: Lollipops, roll candy and butterscotch candies can last up to a year when stored at room temperature or in cool, dry conditions.
- Jellied candies: Upon opening the packaging and storing at room temperature, jellied candies can last six to nine months.
Most of your leftover Easter candy can be frozen for longer storage, but the National Confectioners Association warns you to avoid freezing candy with fruits and nuts.
Leftover Easter treats? Donate candy or give it away
For that feel-good feeling, share your leftover sweets. Donating their Easter candy will teach your kids the importance of helping others.
2. Donate your leftover Easter candy to the military
Organizations that welcome donations of unopened Easter candy to the military include Support our Troops and Operation Shoebox. Kelly Spivak, founder of the organization Count On Kids, helped her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter donate her leftover candy to Operation Shoebox. “I love how this project gets your child to think about how important it is to show appreciation for the men and women in our military,” Spivak wrote on her blog.
3. Donate leftover Easter candy locally.
Many organizations in your area will welcome Easter candy donations. Try homeless outreach, family shelters, religious groups, community organizations, and food banks.
4. Take your Easter candy to work.
If you’re not currently working from home, take leftover Easter candy to your workplace, where it will be devoured in less than five minutes by your starving co-workers.
Get cooking with leftover Easter candy recipes
The only thing that tastes better than Easter candy are desserts made with leftover Easter candy. Keep reading for some fabulous recipe ideas.
5. Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Who needs chips when you’ve got chocolate easter eggs and bunnies? Chop up your leftovers and substitute for the chocolate in this recipe.
Find the recipe on Mom.com
6. Peeps S’mores
These yummy, gooey and colorful Peeps s’mores are the ultimate sweet treat.
Find the recipe on Brit + Co
7. Easter Candy Cookies
You won’t be able to resist these decadent, delicious, gourmet-inspired cookies that use up both leftover Peeps AND all your excess chocolate candy!
Find the recipe on Salon
8. 4-Ingredient Leftover Easter Candy Mug Cake
Love mug cakes? Have leftover M&Ms or mini chocolate eggs? Here’s a perfect dessert for one!
Find the recipe on Kirbie’s Cravings
9. Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes
Satisfy your sweet tooth and your love for peanut butter with a cupcake that hides a mini-peanut-butter-cup center.
Find the recipe on Real Simple
10. Jellybean Bark
Jellybean lovers, here’s a quick and easy delight that blends the sweetness of white chocolate with the fruity pop of colorful jellybeans.
Find the recipe on All Recipes
11. Peeps-Infused Vodka
Peepstini, anyone? Indulge in an adult beverage like no other by making your own Peeps-flavored vodka.
Find the recipe on CaféMom
12. Leftover Easter Candy Freakshake
This over-the-top shake will use up every kind of Easter candy in your house and then some! Kiddos will love helping you create and eat this crazy fun concoction.
Find the recipe on Baking Mischief
