As a professional junk-food eater, I consume the most candy bars in a single day on Halloween. When I was a child, my mom had to hide some of my candy stash from me to stop me from eating it all at once. As an adult, I may have given up on many candy bars I used to love, like Twix, KitKat, and Crunch, but I still love M&M’s, Sour Patch Kids, and Swedish Fish in moderation. Even though I get sick of them after some time, I come to you with ways on how to elevate these boring candy bars into something with a little more variety.
Starting off with my favorite, Sour Patch Kids! I literally have no limit to how many Sour Patch Kids I can eat in a day. I think a new, elevated way to enjoy Sour Patch Kids is to make Jell-O cups with them. You can buy the Jell-O flavor that matches the Sour Patch Kids flavor, then mix the Jell-O mix with lemonade or any drink of your choice and pour it into cups. Once they set, add a little whipped cream and top each cup with a Sour Patch Kid. I think letting the Sour Patch Kids infuse with the lemonade could also bring out more flavor. This could be a really cute Halloween treat for your Halloween party!
M&M’s are really versatile. I can think of a lot of ways to use them, but my favorite is blondies. I like throwing M&Ms into my blondie or cookie recipe. It makes them so much more delicious since the hard shell stays crackly, but the inside is soft, melted chocolate. Of course, this depends on your preference. M&M’s are also a classic ice cream topping. If you chop them or smash them in a Ziploc bag and top your ice cream with them, it can be really good, too. You could also mix them into a half-healthy trail mix.
I’m really obsessed with Pop Rocks. They are so crackly, and if you guys have ever tried Pop Rocks Oreos, you know damn well that Pop Rocks and frosting go really well together, hence why I think Pop Rocks cupcakes would be good. You could sprinkle a little bit on top of a cupcake, or you could make chocolate-covered strawberries with Pop Rocks, which I think would be super fun.
I think candy like Snickers, Twix, KitKat, and Reese’s cups can be chopped and added to cookie dough or brownie batter. For chocolate bars like Hershey’s, they can be melted and turned into a chocolate lava cake or hot chocolate.
I love families who give out Ferrero Rocher; there is so much you can do with that amazing ball of happiness and joy. I think making Ferrero Rocher brownies could be really delicious, especially with the crunchiness from the nuts. Turning your Ferrero Rocher into cheesecake can balance out the strong chocolate flavor with something milder, and the nuts can also add a nice crunch here, too.
If you get Oreos, Oreo milkshakes are the best! Just as a tip, remove the filling if you make this. I made the mistake of leaving in the filling, and the milkshake turned clumpy. Blend only the actual cookie part with some vanilla ice cream and milk. Now that I think about it, a lot of candy bars can be turned into milkshakes, so I say experiment! I hope these suggestions are helpful. Happy Halloween!
