Halloween Candy Craft Cars
David BowersWhen I was a child, my brothers and I thought the best Halloweens were those that fell on Friday nights, so we could watch Saturday morning cartoons while gorging on the previous night's loot. By the next day, however, the thrill was gone. We were ill from sweets, and the chocolate scent had lost its allure. But what to do with all that leftover Halloween candy? We fished for good stuff, storing it for later, and our mom quietly trashed the "boring" confections.

The answer is crafts with candy. My own boys liked to decorate cupcakes and mix pumpkin-chocolate bars, but what they really loved were instant projects with no prep, like "bones" made of pretzels and mini-marshmallows dipped in white chocolate. So I started coming up with candy craft ideas that start with ready-made ingredients, such as butterflies made of mini-pretzels with stained glass-like candy wings, or an elaborate candy pirate ship with fruit-leather sails.

With these fun projects in mind, I've created three easy-to-make crafts (see below) specifically designed to use up leftover Halloween candy. Seriously, nobody wants to eat every last candy corn.

Sharon Bowers is the author of Ghoulish Goodies and Candy Construction. She is a former senior producer
on the Food Network's website. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

1
David Bowers
Enlarge Photo

Candy Corn Candy Corn

Rounded candy bars like Twix work best here, but you can achieve equal success by shaping a flat bar, like a Snickers or Milky Way. If you use a mix of regular candy corn and the brown/orange type, you can make colorful Indian corn that's ideal as a Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Makes 1 ear of "corn"

Ingredients
1 full-size or mini candy bar
1/2 cup candy corn
1 tablespoon chocolate frosting (see note)
1 yellow Starburst (optional)

Directions
If you're using a flat bar, roll it between your (cool!) palms to round off the edges. Put it in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm it up after shaping it.

Have an adult use a small paring knife to trim the white and orange tips off the candy corn, leaving just the yellow bases. (If you prefer to skip this step, you can apply thicker layer of frosting so you can embed the candy corn deeper to leave only the yellow base visible.)

Frost the candy bar all around. Line the cut candy corn up and down the length of the bar in slightly irregular rows, setting the cut side into the frosting, to look like corn kernels.

If you want to decorate with "butter," unwrap the Starburst and smooth out the wrapper. Put the Starburst in the microwave on the flattened wrapper and microwave on high for 10 seconds. This will soften it just enough so you can bend it slightly and shape it over the corn like a melting pat of butter.

Note: Store-bought frosting is perfect here. Or make a quick homemade version by blending 2 tablespoons softened butter with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa to make a quick dollop of frosting "glue." Add 1 teaspoon milk if necessary to thin the frosting a bit.
2
David Bowers
Enlarge Photo

Candy Aliens

Got gummy worms? Then you're ready to make waving alien tentacles, sticking out of just about any candy you've got. This is more of an idea than exact instructions, but basically you only have to mention "aliens" and "candy" to kids, and they'll hardly need any more help from you. You may need frosting glue for more elaborate creations but most candy is sticky enough that you can just press it together.

Makes 1 alien

Body: a mini candy bar or peanut-butter cup
Head or face: gummy candy or disks
Legs: Twizzlers or licorice pieces, such as Australian soft-eating licorice
Tentacles or arms: Twizzlers, licorice string, or gummy worms
Eyes: Round candy such as Sweetarts or M&Ms
Teeth: oblong candies, such as Mike and Ike, halved if desired
Glue: Store-bought frosting (optional)

Directions
Put the body on a work surface and prop the head on top (or "glue" with a dab of frosting). If you want legs on your creature, cut licorice or Twizzlers to the desired length and prop the body on top. Remember, three legs are more secure than two.

Push in or glue on tentacles or arms -- as many as you like -- with Twizzlers or gummy worms. You can also use a bit of red licorice string as a mouth.

Press on eyes using a round candy such as an M&M. You can make pupils for the eyes by using a paring knife (this is for an adult to do) to cut off the end of an M&M, then press it, cut side in, onto a flat round candy such as a Sweetart. Add as many eyes as you please.

Teeth are easy to make with an oval candy such as Mike and Ike. Cut them in half for a contrasting color at the bottom and press or "glue" in place.

Variation: The same technique also works beautifully to make a bouquet of candy flowers. Use a gummy disk or mini cookie for the center, and surround it with candy corn or other candy petals, with a piece of licorice string for a stem.
3
David Bowers
Enlarge Photo

Mini Race Cars

Tiny chocolate cars are ideal to decorate the top of cupcakes or to race around the sides and over the top of a birthday cake. If you like, first lay down a "track" of crushed Oreo "dirt" and then place the cars on top.

Makes 1 race car

Ingredients
1 mini or snack-size candy bar, such as a Snickers
1 teaspoon chocolate frosting
5 round candies for wheels, such as Sweetarts or M&Ms
1 jellybean or candy raspberry
1 gummy candy (preferably the sugar-covered type)
2 candy corns

Directions
Use a tiny dab of frosting to glue four round candies to the sides of the candy bar to create wheels. Glue the fifth candy to the front end as a headlight.

Glue the jellybean or candy raspberry toward the rear as the driver's head. (If you like, trim a bit off the end of the jellybean to make a flat "neck."

Snip a tiny curved piece out of the gummy candy to make a "windshield" and glue it in place in front of the driver's head.

If you like, stick a couple candy corns into the rear to serve as exhaust pipes with orange flames shooting out as the cars race by.