Candy Dump Squares: Get Rid of Holiday Temptations by Giving

Making the gingerbread house for the daycare fundraiser was so much fun! Unfortunately, it left me with a whole lot of candy crap hanging around the house. Nothing I'm tempted by, but the girls kept asking me over and over what we were going to do with all this left over candy so I knew I had better get it out of the house.

Since we were also having a bake sale at the fundraiser, I decided to take everything I wanted to get rid of (and out of the girls' clutches) and make one big sugary treat that could be sold off to help us raise more money. I've become jaded about trying to use healthy things for fundraising. It just doesn't work. People only seem motivated by crap. If I sound bitter, I am. As a society, I feel like we may be past the point of no return. North Americans are going to eat themselves to death with all the bacon, sugar and whatever other garbage they gorge on. Sorry, okay, my rant is over.

Now, should you want to avoid being one of those North Americans destined for lifestyle-related health problems, then candy dump squares are a great way to get rid of all the temptations that may appear in your house over the holidays. You know, all the chocolate and baked goods people bring around as hostess gifts, etc. You can also through in savoury things like salted or plain nuts, seeds, pretzels and/or crackers. You can also add dried fruit if you want. Since the base is gluten-free and vegan, you can make these to suit most people, based on what goodies you mix in.

The other great thing about this, is it turns things you don't need into a little gift for someone else. Let them decide what they want to do with these nutritional monstrosities. The folks at the fundraiser devoured these, so apparently they were pretty yummy.

Candy Dump Squares

2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tbls coconut milk, warmed
2 cups candy (I used what I had: soft peppermint candies and marshmallows)
3 cups cookies/biscuits, crackers and/or pretzels (I used the left over graham crackers and tea biscuits), broken up a bit

Melt chocolate and oil together over simmering water. Stir in hot milk. Mix in candy and cookies, etc. Scrape into a parchment-lined 9x9 square baking dish. Freeze for 15 minutes until firm. Remove from dish and cut into squares with a sharp knife. Keep in airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Makes 20 squares.

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