The smell of chocolate permeates the air and sweet morsels lay scattered around the room. Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and we find ourselves inundated with more candy than we can consume. Whether the little ones brought home bags of treats or you simply find the post-holiday candy sales irresistible, there’s a creative way for every leftover sweet.
While delicious in their simplicity, sometimes candy abundance calls for extra ordinary imagination. Can’t possibly eat another bite? A decadent brittle layer torte or Sweet Hearts snack mix might just change your mind.
Sweet Hearts Snack Mix
A little Chex cereal, a handful of mini marshmallows, a cup or two of chopped peanuts, some pretzel sticks, and suddenly those all too popular yet unappealing candy hearts become the star of the show. A perfect twist on a traditional snack favorite that will keep the smiles coming days after the holiday.
Chocolate Supreme Fondue
Rarely does one ever hear the words “too much” and “chocolate” in the same sentence. Yet if the holiday abundance has you eyeing those extra Hersey’s kisses with distaste, toss the chocolates in a saucepan with a dab of butter and a splash of whipping cream. Next, grab whatever’s handy – marshmallows, fruit, nuts, cookies – and begin to dunk. Fondue anyone?
Brittle Layer Torte
Crunchy crumble topping compliments the decadence of a rich chocolate torte. For a particularly facile dessert, prepare chocolate torte or cake from store-bought mix. One to two minutes before the completed baking time, sprinkle the cake with a thick layer of chopped brittle or toffee.
Gourmet Cookies and Brownies
Mix chopped candies, chocolates, truffles, brittles and taffies into your favorite cookie dough or brownie mix. Both uniformity and variety work well in this alternative classic, so experiment!
Caramel Covered Cake
Skip the icing on your next cake. Save time and impart understated elegance with a warm caramel coat. Gently melt caramel candy chews in a saucepan, stirring continuously, and then pour into a measuring glass. Pour or drizzle over cake and serve immediately.
Lollipop Stained Glass Cookies
Place lollipops and hard candies in a Ziploc bag and unleash your aggression – smashing into small pieces. Prepare your favorite sugar cookie recipe or use store bought sugar cookie dough. Roll out and cut the dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters, cutting smaller shapes out of the cookie interior to yield window-like appearances. Place on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper and fill openings with crushed candies. Bake until candy has melted. While still warm, lift cookies off sheets with a spatula. (Note: parchment paper is necessary to prevent burning)
Sierra Donahue - Sierra Donahue is a student of biochemistry and journalism at George Fox University.
