What’s a more frightening prospect for most for moms and dads; navigating through a maze of downed trees, wires and other debris with their children, or being left home alone with multiple bags of Halloween candy?
In many communities along the East Coast slammed by superstorm Sandy, trick-or-treating has been postponed or cancelled for safety reasons, leaving hundreds of thousands of parents in a precarious spot: Having to explain to their mini ghouls and goblins how a fierce weather phenomenon dampened an annual tradition, and then finding ways not to waste the mountains of sweet treats that were bought for the holiday, but not able to be distributed.
Children living in select communities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts will be trick-or-treating this weekend in order to give clean-up crews extra time to clear fallen trees and live wires from neighborhood streets, and hopefully restore power to the millions who were left in the dark following Sandy’s monster hit.
In the Big Apple, the city’s annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade has been canceled for the first time in its nearly 40-year history. Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he couldn’t fathom that it would be safe for kids to wander around outside hunting for free candy given the state’s devastating condition.
So, what’s a parent to do when he or she has a bunch of kids itching to partake in a candy-collecting free-for-all, but no means to stroll through the neighborhood safely?
Simple; use the Halloween candy you were planning to pass out to trick-or-treaters and turn them into the following no-bake treats:
Sticky Snickers Treat
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
40 fun-sized Snickers Bars, diced
1 (16-ounce) container of Marshmallow Fluff
1 (18-ounce) box Crispix cereal
Directions:
Melt butter with half of cut-up Snicker Bars.
Add Marshmallow Fluff and stir well.
Add cereal.
Add remaining diced Snickers.
Press into greased 9 x 13-inch pan.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
Cut into bars before serving.
Candy Bar Popcorn Balls
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons peanut butter
8 cups popped popcorn
1 1/2 cup diced Snickers, Milky Way, 100 Grand or Nestle Crunch bars or 2 cups of M and Ms or Reese’s pieces.
Directions:
Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
In a saucepan, stir sugar, corn syrup, butter and peanut butter together.
Bring to a full boil over medium heat.
Place popped popcorn in a large bowl. Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and stir until well coated.
Stir in candy gently and allow mixture to cool just slightly.
Coat your hands in butter and form balls any size you like.
Let balls cool completely on the wax paper before serving.
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