A shiny, neon cat comes barreling toward me extending an orange bucket towards my head. My first born gleefully yells “Mom, my bucket is already full!” We were only half way done with our trick or treating route. Internally I cringe. What are we going to do with that much candy? Deciding not to solve the problem on a dark street at 7pm, I emptied the bucket into the stroller basket and off we went. Have you been overwhelmed with all the Halloween candy and yet don’t want to simply throw it away? I came up with a healthy-ish snack that uses some wholesome ingredients to bridge the “healthy snack-extra Halloween candy” divide.
To Let Them Eat Sugar or Not to Let Them Eat Sugar? A Parent Question.
I am very picky about how much sugar my children eat, but am in the process of loosening the reigns. With our first child, I made every single treat from scratch, only utilizing pureed dates as the sweetener. Two more kids and a lot of work on my own “food issues” later, and now I am finding a place for sugar in our lives. Halloween seems to bring the sugar debate roaring to the surface. Do we utilize switch witch? Will we sell it by the pound to the dentist’s candy “buy back” ? Are the kids going to eat it all in one days? Do I want to throw it away? Will the parents eat half of it and give the kids a few pieces a day until it is gone? Is there even a right way to do it?
We will not solve the sugar debate here and now, but I want to offer 2 quick resources that might help with your own family sugar journey. The creators Dr. Taylor Arnold @growing.intuitive.eaters and Jennifer Anderson @kids.eat.in.color both give great, actionable content on ways to look at your own food hang-ups before then helping your kids with their food relationships. Each creator uses science and real world experience to help other parents. I share their details because they have truly helped me. If you want good ideas for your familie’s relationship with food, go check them out. Possibly, when you have purused their content you might feel more confident making a decision.
The Recipe Story
Since I was so restrictive early in my first child’s life, her relationship with sugar is not as intuitive as I hope. We have ditched words like “good” or “bad” in favor of discussions about what candy does for our body. I feel like we are on the right track, if there even is a right track, towards a neutral relationship with sugar. But, I did not want to derail the efforts with our jumbo-sized candy haul. At the same time, I believe they need nutrient dense foods as the bulk of their diet. Enter the Healthy-ish Extra Halloween Candy Cookie Bars.
Before a fun, neighborhood bonfire I asked each child “Will you donate any candy to the cause?” Much to my surprise, each girl said, “Sure!” Earlier in the day my oldest had cried for 10 minutes when I threw away candy her little brother mauled. (It was a good lesson in not leaving things out where a 1 year old can reach them!) Then, they joyously went through the candy buckets piece by piece. They analyzed which candy would be most yummy in an extra Halloween candy cookie bar before deciding to donate or keep it for later consumption. At the end, we had a mini-mountain of candy and half full candy buckets.
Then I went to work on the recipe. I love the magazine Bake From Scratch so I started with their Leftover Candy Compost Cookies & Bars for my extra Halloween candy recipe. Next, I converted things towards my idea of health. I try to reduce saturated fats, move towards plant based options, and always shoot for more whole grains. This recipe ended up as a hybrid between my health ideals and keeping a chewy, indulgent taste and texture. So, I am calling it healthy-ish.
Healthy-ish Extra Halloween Candy Cookie Bars
Makes 12 Tasty Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup Butter, softened
- 1/4 Cup loosely packed Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Granulate Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 Cups Oat Flour
- 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons Plain Yogurt
- 2 Cups Candy chopped to similar sizes & divided.
Let’s Make Cookie Bars
- In a stand mixer, on medium, mix the butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes until fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Mix in the vanilla on low. Mix in the salt. Scrape down the bowl.
- In a separate bowl mix the oat flour, whole wheat flour, and the almond flour along with the baking soda and baking powder.
- Chop up all the extra Halloween candy you have selected until the pieces are roughly the same size.
- Add the dry ingredients into the bowl of the stand mixer a little at a time. Stop halfway through to wipe down the bowl and add the 2 Tablespoons of yogurt. Finish adding dry ingredients, scrape down the bowl one last time and mix until combined.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grab a sturdy spatula and mix in 1 and 1/2 cups of the chopped up candy to the mix. Keep 1/2 cup reserved to press on the top.
- If desired, line the 9x9inch pan with parchment paper or simply coat the pan with nonstick spray. Press the cookie dough into the prepared pan. Next, sprinkle on the reserved 1/2 cup of chopped candy. Finally, add some Halloween sprinkles if you have them.
- Pop the cookie bars into the preheated oven. Cook them for 30-35 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees when inserted in the middle of the pan. In my oven, this took 35 minutes. Edges will be golden brown and the cookie bars should be fragrant.
Halloween is over for another year. The costumes go away, or get worn out by the kids and we start looking at what is next. Whatever you decide when it comes to the candy, to sugar or not to sugar, I encourage you to make a choice. Then, go with it. Finally, move on to something else. Might I suggest, make these cookie bars, enjoy them with friends and then snuggle up and look at all the cute Halloween pictures alongside your kids. If you are looking for other fall themed recipes you can make, check out these Pumpkin Spice Snack Bites.