From Easter Baskets to egg hunts, Easter brings more candy than anyone can handle. Here are some simple ideas for leftover Easter candy.
After discovering the hidden eggs and indulging in the bountiful Easter baskets, leftover Easter candy is a given. Kids can eat copious amounts of candy, but even those little happy faces can reach sugar overload. Since parents may not want to have candy until Fourth of July, what can you do with all the extra candy? Here are some simple, easy ways to use up the leftover Easter candy.
Jelly Bean Simple Syrup – Easter cocktails:
After egg hunts, religious services and family brunches, anyone could use a stiff drink. One spirited use for those extra jelly beans is a jelly bean simple syrup, which can be used in your favorite cocktail. Making a simple syrup is easy. To make a simple syrup, boil two cups of water. Then add two cups of jelly beans (best to use colors that mix well- skip black jelly beans) to the boiling water. After adding the jelly beans, lower the heat. Stir continuously until the jelly beans are dissolved completely.
A jelly bean simple syrup can be used in a variety of cocktails. From a fresh daiquiri to a bourbon old fashion, the possibilities are many. Another choice is to use the jelly bean simple syrup in a martini with crushed jelly beans on the rim (more candy out of the house).
Bark up some sweet treats – Easter candy bark
While making candy out of left candy may be counter intuitive, Easter candy bark makes quick work of all those leftovers. A bark is generally a sheet of chocolate with candy, nuts, and more goodness incorporated into it. The bark is broken into pieces, like the bark of a tree. Sometimes you get a piece with lots of goodies.
For Easter candy bark, use any and all of the basket candy. From M&Ms to mini eggs to even Reese’s peanut butter cups, any or all of these candies would be delicious. Plus, you can bring the bark to work and share with friends. More opportunities to get the extra candy out of your house.
Cakes, cookies, here we come:
A simple, easy way to use up leftover Easter candy is to bake with it. From sugar cookies topped with jelly beans to brownies studded with M&Ms, you could spend all day in the kitchen baking up a storm. Pinterest is filled with baking ideas. Even non-baked, layered desserts are an option. Plus, if you think ahead, you can use all that Easter candy in your Easter brunch dessert.
Next: Here are 10 Things You Can Do with Family and Friends on Easter
Will you have leftover Easter candy this year? Maybe a few of these ideas will help those bountiful Easter baskets be put to good use versus finding stale jelly beans on July 4th.