Just like how Christmas has Box Day, Halloween has November 1st: the day the Halloween candy goes on sale. If you’re like me and you hit the discounted treats section ASAP, or perhaps you embraced your inner kid and went trick or treating, you may find yourself with a lot of extra candy on your hands. Instead of binge eating it during your Netflix sessions, try one of these recipes this year to shake things up!
EASY
Chocolate bark is one of the best ways to use up those sweet and salty pantry items that never seemed to get used. This recipe is super customizable too! Feel free to switch out the white chocolate for milk or dark. There’s also lots of wiggle room when it comes to toppings. Chop up some of those fun-sized chocolate bars and throw them on top if you’re feeling decadent. After all, nothing goes better together than chocolate with chocolate!
Ingredients
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1/2 pound white chocolate
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Chopped 1 cup miniature pretzels
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1/2 cup candy corn
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1/3 cup dried cranberries
Directions
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 sides.
Heat the chocolate in a double boiler or medium heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a saucepan of simmering water, stirring often, until melted and smooth.Spread the chocolate in the prepared pan and sprinkle with the pretzels, candy corn, and dried cranberries. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Remove the bark from the pan and break into pieces.
Recipe from Real Simple
MEDIUM
The only reason I consider this recipe harder than the first is because you need to turn the oven on. These cookies are foolproof to even the most unskilled bakers. The best part? They only need 4 ingredients!
Ingredients
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1 box devil’s food cake mix
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2 Mars Bars • 2Eggs
• 5 1/2 tbsp oil
Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 350F . Mix your dry cake mix with your eggs & oil. Kstirring until you have a smooth, shiny, thick batter. Chop your chocolate bars into slices, take a scoop of cake batter and roll it around your choco slice. Make sure it’s totally covered and pop your cake ball on a baking tray. Keep doing this until you’ve run out of mixture. Make sure you eat any left over chocolate slices… this is a very important step. Pop them in the oven for 7-8mins.
While they’re still warm, scoop them onto a plate & serve with a frosty glass of milk.
Recipe from The Londoner
DIFFICULT
This DIY project is meant for those who consider Martha Stewart to be their spirit animal. While it takes some effort to assemble, this cake is sure to wow all your friends and family – if you find it in you to share that is!
Ingredients
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Two boxes of cake mix (any flavor)
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Two containers of frosting (any flavor)
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An assortment of small candies (i.e. jelly beans, M&Ms, lollipops,
snack-size chocolate bars, etc.)
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A 1.5 quart oven-safe bowl (greased and floured)
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An offset spatula.
Directions
Make cake mix according to box directions. Divide batter equally between two bowls (or use the same bowl and bake one cake, followed by another, allowing bowl to cool in between). Bake cakes at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes. Check cakes for doneness with a toothpick or skewer.Remove cakes from oven. After 10 minutes carefully turn cakes onto a rack and allow to cool completely.Arrange a plate over the cake and flip over so that the cracked side faces up (the smooth side should be on the bottom). With a sharp knife, cut evenly all around the top of the cake to remove the dome. Repeat with other cake.Lay a cake with the exposed side up (the side in which the dome has been removed). Using a knife, make an outline of a smaller circle within the cake, leaving about 2-3 inches from the edges. Gently scoop out the inside with a spoon, going down a few inches. Be careful not to puncture the cake on the sides or bottom. Place the crumbled cake pieces in a separate bowl and save (they can be used to make cake pops later). Repeat with other cake.Place one cake on a cake plate/stand (feel free to use a cake board), hollowed out center facing up. Apply frosting to the lip of the cake all around; this will allow the other cake piece to adhere when placed on top.Fill the hole with assorted candies. When done, carefully place the other cake on top of the candy-filled cake, making sure to line up the edges.With an offset spatula, apply a crumb coat of frosting to the cake (tip: put strips of parchment underneath the cake for an easy clean-up!). This initial frosting secures stray crumbs and allows for a neater, finished look when the second frosting is applied. Place cake in fridge for 15 minutes to chill.Remove cake from fridge. Apply second coat of frosting. Decorate the cake as desired (we used confetti sprinkles).The first cut of the cake will reveal the surprise of candies and treats inside! After the initial piece is taken out, the rest of the cake must be cut or it will cave in. Enjoy!
Recipe from A Subtle Revelry
BONUS SNACK
Chocolate Caramel Croissants
Caramilks are one of my favourite Halloween chocolate, so I usually end up making these come November 1st. They’re super easy to assemble and take only 20 minutes of your time!
Ingredients
• 4 mini Caramilk bars (or your favourite chocolate) • 1egg• 1 tin of premade croissant dough
Directions
One of the reasons these are so great is that they take barely anytime to assemble. Unwrap your candy and place them on the croissant dough before rolling them up.
Before putting them in the oven, beat up an egg with a little water to make an egg wash. Brush a little on top of the croissants with a pastry brush. If you don’t have one, you can just use your fingers like I did here! This creates that “shiny” top you see at most bakeries and makes your croissants look more legit.
Bake according to the package’s directions. For me that was 17 minutes in a 350F oven.