Creative Ways to Use Leftover Valentine Candy
Valentine’s Day is a magical day of sharing love and countless pounds of sugary, sticky, gooey candy. Dentist in Newberg Dr. Jennifer McLeod and her team are concerned about your dental health when it comes to all of this sugar.
While this Valentine’s Day candy is popular with both children and adults regardless of its flavor, the sheer amount of it collected on February 14th can be overwhelming – and, it can keep your child from being a part of our Kids No Cavity Club! Instead of eating it all at once, here are some creative uses for your leftover Valentine’s Day candy!
Stock Up for Easter
Candy has a pretty long shelf life, especially if you store it in the freezer. Take advantage of this influx of candy to save a little money on stuffing those Easter eggs. Place the candy into freezer bags and camouflage it if necessary so the kids won’t find it. Put it in the freezer until it’s time to fill plastic Easter eggs for the annual egg hunt in your community or neighborhood.
Creative Recipes
It’s tempting to go by the letter when it comes to recipes. However, take advantage of the extra chocolate in the house to experiment a little. Instead of chocolate chips in your favorite cookie recipe, use chopped up leftover Valentine candy instead. Add some candy to your brownie recipe for an extra bit of flavor, or melt it down and make chocolate-covered fruit, pretzels, marshmallows or graham crackers. This leftover candy can also be added to your pancake recipe or as a topping for ice cream.
Make Conversation
While traditionally given and received during Valentine’s Day, conversation hearts can be used in a variety of ways. Use those little hearts and a touch of with messages to craft special birthday, friendship, congratulations, wedding, and thank you cards. Use them to sweeten up your dessert recipes or as decoration on a cake or on cupcakes.
If someone you know is planning a wedding, conversation hearts can be an excellent addition to the bridal shower or for the wedding itself. Use them in clear glass containers as decorations, package them as favors, or place them on tables as an unusual confetti.
Four Hearts Make a Shamrock
Conversation hearts come in a variety of colors, including green. Put four of these green hearts together – message side down – with bottom points nestled together like the diagram included here. Use green frosting to “glue” them together for a special St. Patrick’s Day treat, or use actual glue to join them for decorative purposes.
If you find that you don’t have enough green hearts, think about painting them the shade you want. This will make the conversation hearts inedible, but you’ll be ready with an easy and inexpensive decoration for St. Patrick’s Day!
If your teeth needs some freshening up after all of the Valentine’s Day candy, contact Newberg Family Dental here or call (503) 538-7717 to schedule your appointment!