Leftover Halloween candy. Never used to be a problem. Until January of this year, we lived in a house that received hundreds upon hundreds of Trick-or-Treaters every October 31. To be perfectly candid, the reason was because we live in the part of our really nice town that bordered a less affluent town. Families often came from the less prosperous town to trick-or-treat in our area and my neighborhood embraced them. Every child, teenager and parent was welcome at my door even if it meant that some years, we went through 500 pieces of candy.
But in January we moved to a house in a different part of town. We love everything about our new house, from the finished basement that has become a teen hangout, to the open family room where we gather to watch movies, to the amazing location around the corner from Zuzu’s school.
But. Apparently, this part of town, or at least this street doesn’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters. My theory is that it is because there are houses on only one side of the street, so in other words, not an efficient use of time. (We live across from the town pool-and-tennis club. See? I told you it is an amazing location.)
So I bought probably three hundred pieces of candy this Halloween and most of it is still in my house. That is simply not okay. Yet when my husband suggested bringing the fun-sized chocolate goodness to his office, the kids and I shouted him down. Just give away Kit-Kats and Twix? Is he mad? Something had to be done.
There are tons ideas out there for using up leftover Halloween candy. Consider this my entry into the category. I took my favorite skillet chocolate chip cookie recipe and replaced the chocolate chips with M&Ms and chopped chocolate bars. Because of my daughter’s allergies to tree nuts and peanuts, I used only candy bars that do not contain those ingredients. But that still left me with plenty of delicious choices.
This skillet cookie recipe, which is adapted from Martha Stewart, is so quick and easy to make. It is my go-to when I want to surprise the kids with a homemade dessert on a weeknight. By baking the dough in the skillet instead of scooping out individual cookies, you save quite a bit of time. And the result — a sort of cookie cake that you can slice and top with ice cream if you are feeling especially indulgent — is extra fun.
For the candy, I recommend a mix of M&Ms and candy bars that will hold their shape well in baking. Try Heath bars, Nestle Crunch, Kit-Kats, or whatever you have laying around. I like to chill the chocolate before chopping to make it easier and less messy.
So, if your kids are getting bored with their Halloween candy, or you are sick of looking at the leftovers that you didn’t give away to trick-or-treaters, I promise that this skillet cookie is an easy and absolutely delicious way to deal with that weighty and serious problem. I suppose that next year, I will just have to buy less candy. Or will I?
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 oz. unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 TB pure vanilla extract
- 9 oz. chopped chocolate bars and M&Ms, chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, and beat until just combined.
- Fold in chopped chocolate and M&Ms.
- Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof, ungreased skillet, and press to flatten. (This is best done with clean hands.)
- Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
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