There is a lot of research about preventing disordering eating by not labeling some foods “bad” or “good”. There is also a lot of research about the harms of restricting food, especially for little girls who might be more susceptible to body image issues. That being said, as the mother of three girls, I am in no way allowing them to eat pounds and pounds of Halloween candy. One great way to use up all that candy and to also teach a lesson about being economical, I ask each kid to donate 20 pieces of chocolate candy so that we can make batches of cookies together. We enjoy a cookie or two, and then the rest gets frozen for the months ahead. Around the holidays, we will make up a batch of the frozen cookies and take them to first responders in our area. Its delicious, convenient, and the kids are excited to be eating Halloween candy cookies in January or February.

This recipe is not my own, it’s been tweaked from Lil’ Luna’s Candytastic Cookie recipe. Here’s what I do:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar (we use organic cane)
• 2 eggs
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups flour (we use unbleached all-purpose)
• candy (about 20 pieces, chopped up. I measure out anywhere from 2 to 3 cups)

Note: the candy needs to be chocolate-based, like candy bars, m&ms, hershey kisses, ect.

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Cream together the butter, oil, and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla in and mix. Next, incorporate the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Lastly, mix in the candy pieces. Place rounded tablespoons of dough onto the parchment paper. I just use a cookie scoop, but you could eye-ball this as well. If you’re freezing the dough, now would be the time to put them in the freezer for about an hour. Then pop the frozen dough-balls off the sheet and place them in an air-tight container to go back into the freezer. If you’re baking the cookies fresh, bake 8-10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. If you’re cooking from frozen, bake the frozen dough for 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.