2020 turned out like nothing we’d ever imagined or hoped for. I remember seeing all these posts on social media towards the end of 2019, about 2020 and all the holidays that would fall on the weekend. Including Halloween. Now, not to say that those posts didn’t age well… But I guess they didn’t. Halloween did indeed fall on a Saturday this year, but it looked very different. I noticed, however, that the stores were still selling a lot of candy – and it made me so happy. I cherish and welcome every little sign of normalcy returning to our daily lives.
To go straight to the recipe for Puff Pastry with Leftover Halloween candy, click here.
Story behind the recipe
However, giving out candy on Halloween is a new thing for me! Where I come from, Halloween isn’t celebrated as widely as it is here. And there is no candy! Why is that, I do not know but I think people would love it a lot more.
Then, I married my husband and he introduced me to the tradition of handing out candy to the dressed up neighborhood kids. One thing I wasn’t ready for is how much candy we had leftover! And that is after I’ve been eating it by handfuls in between giving it out to trick-or-treaters!
After a brief search, I did not find a satisfactory way of using up the leftovers – until this year.
Notes about the recipe
A few days ago, I asked my Instagram followers to vote on their favorite Halloween candy. Options were – Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, and Reese’s Pieces. Twix was an absolute winner, with Reese’s pieces taking the 2nd place. So, since these are the types of candy people are more likely to eat on its own (I would), I created this recipe using Snickers. I also tested these pastries with Twix, M&M’s, and Milky Way.
Twix
Since Twix has a solid filling, it held the shape really well. I don’t really love the idea of biting into pastry and finding a cookie inside. It does get much softer after baking, so feel free to try it. It’s good, it just wasn’t my favorite.
M&M’s
I was expecting bad results, and I got them – it looked like a rainbow that got into goth music. Not a good look. It tasted okay, but if you have been following me for awhile, you know how important presentation is to me!
Milky Way
Milky Way wasn’t a success either, due to its soft center. It melted quickly and caramelized to the point of being a hard candy – enveloped by buttery, soft, flaky dough.
Snicker’s
We have a winner! It tasted delicious, and it performed well in the baking.
What do you do with the leftover Halloween candy? Do you eat it on its own, donate it, or use it in other recipes? Let me know in the comment section. If you have any questions or feedback on this or any of my other recipes, you can find me on Instagram (@babushkacooking), Facebook (Babushka Cooking), or e-mail me at yana@babushkacooking.com
From Kitchen, with Love –
Yana
My other favorite fall recipe is this Hot Apple Cider. If you have leftover apples from apple picking, you can use this recipe to turn them into a delicious drink with no added sugar.
Puff Pastry with Leftover Halloween Candy
Equipment
- Parchement paper
Ingredients
- 1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry thawed according to the packaging instructions
- 24 pieces Snickers minis unwrapped 🙂
- 1 egg mixed with 1 Tb of water for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry dough on the cutting board.
- Cut down the middle, and then cut each piece in half. You should have 4 rectangles.
- Place 6 Snickers minis per piece on one half of each rectangle – leaving 1/2 inch border for folding it over the candy.
- Fill a small container with water, wet your finger and trace it around the border inside the rectangle.
- Fold the second part of the dough over and press tightly to seal.
- Brush with egg & water mixture.
- Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Let cool for a few minutes. Serve right away and enjoy!