5 Treats to Make with Halloween Candy

With Halloween candy, more is always better. Be prepared to receive a hero's welcome when you bestow these bonus Halloween candy-based treats upon your loved ones. Incorporate Halloween-themed sprinkles into each recipe to up the fun factor even higher.

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What You'll Need

Children consider their stash of hard-earned Halloween candy sacred, so the concept of leftover candy is a fantasy in a lot of households. Before making any of these desserts, stock up on extra candy in advance, or hit the post-trick-or-treat sale aisles. Store-bought cake, frosting and brownies can be used as timesavers, or you can make your own. Do frost the cake and brownies yourself, because the frosting needs to be wet for the toppings to adhere properly.

By Jackie Alpers

Chocolate Cake Decorated with Halloween Candy

This chocolate cake covered entirely with Halloween candy is a real showstopper. The amount of candy needed will vary depending on the size of the cake used. It will take about 4 cups of candy to cover a two-layer 8-inch round cake. Organize all of the candy into piles so you know how much you have of each kind to work with. You can cut some of the bigger candy into pieces for variety.

Refrigerating Is Key

Refrigerate the Halloween candy for at least 15 minutes so it doesn't squish when you push it into the cake. Slather your cake with a thick layer of chocolate frosting, as shown previously. Then, starting at the bottom, gently press on candy either in a pattern or randomly, and accent with sprinkles. If necessary, dab a bit of extra frosting onto the back of bigger pieces to make them stick. The orange and black bats used on this cake came in the Halloween Decorating Kit from Williams-Sonoma. The Halloween Classic Mix with tiny ghosts and jimmies were from Bake It Pretty.

Voyeur Brownies

Don't be afraid! The creepy feeling that you are being watched is coming from these brownies. Frost brownies with your favorite icing, then press on pieces of candy and sprinkles. You will need: one batch of prepared brownies, Halloween candy, frosting and sprinkles. The brownie above (with a bit of an Angry Birds vibe to it), was decorated with Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses, a mini Snickers cut in half and a Tootsie Roll. Eyeball candy attached to two almond M&M's with a dab of frosting bring these treats to life.

Cyclops Brownies

For these cyclops brownies, press a gummy eyeball into the center of each frosted brownie, then cover the rest of the brownie with sprinkles. Try using purple and black candy pearls, and orange and black jimmies from Williams-Sonoma's Halloween decorating kit. Remember to save one 4-inch brownie per person for the next recipe.

Halloween Candy Trifle with Brownies, Hot Fudge and Ice Cream

For this somewhat more elegant Halloween dessert, smash the remaining brownies into the bottom of individual trifle bowls, then top them with layers of ice cream, chopped-up candy, hot fudge and whipped cream. You will need one 4-inch brownie for each person, 1/3 cup unwrapped chocolate candy pieces (such as Tootsie Rolls, mini candy bars, Rolos and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups), 2 tablespoons hot fudge, 1/2 cup ice cream and 1/3 cup whipped cream. Accent the trifle with jack-o'-lantern-shaped candy quins and orange jimmies by Wilton.

Chocolate Bark

Chocolate bark is quite easy to make. Separate all of the solid dark-colored chocolate from the solid white-colored chocolate into two microwave-safe bowls. (If you mix them together the color will be muddy.) Melt each bowl in the microwave at 50 percent power for 60 seconds, or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. This bowl of milk chocolate candy holds Reese's Peanut Butter Cups as well as Hershey's chocolate bars and Kisses.

Separate the White Chocolate

Assemble a bowl of white chocolate candies, using items like Hershey's Candy Corn Creme Bars (which taste like a creamsicle) and Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme Kisses. The tiny orange bits will remain in the melted chocolate, adding fun pops of color.

Pour, Decorate and Refrigerate

Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour a bowl of melted chocolate onto each sheet and spread with a spatula to an even thickness. Sprinkle with toppings while still warm, pressing them in slightly to adhere. Let set for about 1 hour to cool completely before breaking into pieces with your hands or a chef's knife.

White Chocolate Bark

Feel free to experiment with different topping combinations. If you're craving a salty-sweet combination, try this combination of pretzels, chopped hazelnuts, Necco Candy Buttons, Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits, and candy corn accented with candy bugs, jumbo bone quins and orange jimmies from Wilton.

Milk Chocolate Bark

For the milk chocolate bark, try pretzels, almond M&M's, Kit Kats, Rolos and Peppermint Patties. For an extra-festive touch, sprinkle the whole thing with Orange Creme Crunch Ice Cream Topping and add a few jack-o'-lantern dragees, available at Target. You can store the bark in a cool dry place for up to a week.