Video: Leftover Halloween candy comes to life

BY NICOLE MARSHALL MIDDLETON World Scene Writer
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
10/30/12 at 5:01 PM

A full bag of candy signals a successful Halloween.

In some households, that candy is gobbled up in a matter of days.

But in others, it lingers until the first signs of spring.

So, if the term “leftover candy” isn’t an oxymoron in your home, you might be looking for a few fun recipes that offer new and delicious ways to eat your Halloween sweet treats.

We asked some local food experts about their favorite candies and what they would do with their leftovers. Here’s what they said:

Chef Devin Levine, executive chef for Savor Catering by SMG, said that when his children were little there was often an abundance of chocolate candy around Halloween.

So, just for fun, he would experiment with some of it, battering and frying some of the tiny chocolate candies.

“I remember taking the bite-sized Butterfingers and Snickers and dipping them in a batter and frying them,” Levine said. “Anything, Heath Bars, Milky Way, Musketeers … they get all gooey inside. They are great.”

And since Halloween is so close to Christmas, Levine also stockpiled candy to use it as decoration on gingerbread houses.

“There was always a lot of excess candy from parties at the club,” Levine said, referring to when he worked from more than 30 years at Southern Hills Country Club.

Stacey West-Feather, a food blogger and home cook from Jay, said she ran across the perfect recipe to transform the candy corn that her children do not like into a homemade Butterfinger-type candy bar.

“If you microwave the candy corn and then add peanut butter, it seizes up and become flaky like a Butterfinger,” she said.

After making the crunchy inside, you dip it in melted Hershey bars.

“My kids love Butterfingers, so this is perfect,” she said.

As far as her favorite Halloween candy, West-Feather said she loves the popular Reese’s Peanut Butter cups.

Find more candy experts and lots of recipes in Wednesday's Tulsa World and online at tulsaworld.com/food.

Homemade Butterfingers

1 bag of candy corn
1 16 ounce jar of peanut butter
1 bag of milk chocolate chips

1. Place candy corn in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute and stir. Now heat on high for 30 seconds and stir, repeat this 4 more times until candy corn is completely melted. When melted, stir in peanut butter.
2. Line an 8x8 cake pan with parchment paper and pour mixture in. Smooth and cover with plastic wrap. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.
3. While that is in the freezer, melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler. Remove pan from freezer and cut into little rectangle “bars”, if you will. Dip each bar into melted chocolate and then place on a parchment lined cookie sheet until set up. Store in an air-tight container.
— provided by Stacey West-Feather

Chewy Butterfinger Cookies

makes 2 ½ dozen cookies
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
1 large egg
8 fun-sized Butterfinger candy bars, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl and set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in egg until just combined.
2. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in Butterfinger pieces by hand. The dough will be very thick. Drop by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool and serve.

Associated Images:

CHRISTOPHER SMITH/Tulsa World