We’ve all been there: a night of trick-or-treating, a few handfuls of candy here and there…before you know it you wind up with three bags of fun-size Snickers and a gallon of candy corn. Sure, candy is awesome, but after your fifteenth roll of Smarties, things start to get a little monotonous. Here are some ideas to help you figure out what to do with all that leftover candy:

1. Party. Candy is always best when it falls from the sky, so make a piñata. Host a party and make all your friends feel like they’re in kindergarten again (in a good way). Whether you go the paper mâché route and make your own or simply buy one, make sure to stuff it to the brim with all your leftovers. Make fun blindfolds and pass out a few bats. How could you not have fun?
2. Decorate! Martha Stewart suggests making candy wrapper buckets. Hey, if it’s good enough for her, there’s no reason why you can’t spice up your garbage with a little candy coating! Grab some cousins or younger siblings over winter break and use the leftover candies to decorate gingerbread houses and make lollipop bouquets or candy wrapper bracelets. After all, the holiday season is approaching!
3. Get creative. Halloween candy, while delicious, can get a bit repetitive. If you need a break, try one of the following:
   
   • Turn your Butterfingers into a milkshake: Add 2 fun-size bars to 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream and 1 cup milk; blend.
   • Make Reese’s into breakfast: Toast 1 Reese’s cup on top of a slice of white bread and spread evenly with a knife.
   • Put your Snickers into a smoothie: Blend 2 fun-size Snickers, 1 banana, 1 cup vanilla yogurt and 1 cup cold water.
4. Make the ubiquitous candy necklace. This isn’t just one of those crunchy, sugary candy necklaces that you can buy anywhere. For this necklace, gather any candy you can easily (or not-so-easily, if you’re up for it) poke a hole through (think gummies, cookies, popcorn, etc…). Using a plastic needle, poke a hole through each candy and then thread a piece of ribbon or string through the necklace. Tie and voilà, instant party trick!
5. Bake. You can use up a lot of candy in making this ridiculously sugary cake. First, buy cake mix (or make your own depending on how involved you want to be). Then preheat the oven according to the directions and grease a bundt cake pan. Chop up all your leftover candy into small bits until you have about 1½ cups worth. Prepare cake mix according to package. When it’s almost fully mixed, add the candy. Follow the instructions on the box for the correct baking time. When the cake is ready, let it cool for fifteen minutes and then dust with confectioner’s sugar. Share!