The Best Thing to Make With Leftover Halloween Candy, According to Martha Stewart Korin MillerNovember 1, 2025 at 7:17 PM 0 As a mom of four little ones, I always have a huge pile of candy left in the house after Halloween. How huge? So huge that it usually takes months to use up. (Cut to me sticking Halloween candy in the kids' Easter baskets.) And that's if it doesn't go stale first. So this year, because I hate waste and my family loves spooky season so much, I decided to keep the spirit going a little longer with a dessert idea that makes clever (and delicious) use of our candy haul.
- - The Best Thing to Make With Leftover Halloween Candy, According to Martha Stewart
Korin MillerNovember 1, 2025 at 7:17 PM
0
As a mom of four little ones, I always have a huge pile of candy left in the house after Halloween. How huge? So huge that it usually takes months to use up. (Cut to me sticking Halloween candy in the kids' Easter baskets.) And that's if it doesn't go stale first.
So this year, because I hate waste and my family loves spooky season so much, I decided to keep the spirit going a little longer with a dessert idea that makes clever (and delicious) use of our candy haul.
Known as graveyard ice cream pie, this frozen treat combines a simple graham cracker crust with a candy-bar-studded ice cream filling. It's all topped with a cute, cookie-based cemetery scene that's as fun to make as it is to eat—even in early November.
While there are many ways to make a graveyard ice cream pie, I stumbled across Martha Stewart's recipeand thought it sounded tasty, bringing together chocolate, vanilla, peanut and coconut in one crowd-pleasing dessert. It also uses Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies, one of my kids' favorites.
Having now tested out the recipe, I can say that Stewart's take on graveyard ice cream pie does require a time commitment. I also think the recipe would benefit from a few tweaks. Still, my family's rave reviews made the effort well worth it. Here's what it's like to make this ghoulishly cool dessert, plus a few takeaways to keep in mind if you decide to try it too.
Related: I Tried the Viral 3-Ingredient Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip and It Really Is 'Next-Level'😋😋 SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Parade Eats newsletter. 🍳🍔
What Is Graveyard Ice Cream Pie?
Halloween isn't over until we say it is!Korin Miller
This fun, festive dessert is a Halloween-themed ice cream pie that's decorated to look like a graveyard. It's a simple, easy treat that requires very little cooking. Generally speaking, it's a crust filled with ice cream (often mixed with leftover Halloween candy), then topped with crumbled-cookie "dirt" and cookie "headstones." Graveyard ice cream pie often has a cookie or graham cracker crust.
When you're searching for recipes online, you'll also often find graveyard pies that aren't made with ice cream. You can find graveyard pies with brownie filling, pudding filling, and more. In this recipe, Martha went with ice cream, so I did too.
Related: 81 Perfect Pumpkin Desserts That Screem Fall Vibes
What Candies and Decorations Do You Need for Graveyard Ice Cream Pie?
Butterfinger bits go into the vanilla ice cream layer.Korin Miller1. Leftover treats
This graveyard pie recipe calls for stirring two kinds of chocolate bar chunks into two flavors of ice cream. Candy bars that pack a distinct flavor and texture are best. Stewart's recipe calls for crunchy, nutty Butterfinger bits and creamy, coconut-filled Mounds chunks, both of which work great in the finished pie. That said, the point of this dessert is to use up the candy you have, so feel free to incorporate whatever you have in your plastic pumpkin-shaped bucket.
Chunks of mini Mounds bars go into the chocolate ice cream.Korin Miller2. Graveyard goodies
To create the gravestones, many people opt for a flat, oblong cookie, Milanos being a common choice. Stewart's recipe features candy skulls affixed to each tombstone with a bit of melted chocolate. I've also seen some home cooks skip the cookie gravestones and use Halloween-themed Peeps marshmallows instead—either the tombstone or ghost shapes. For your graveyard surface, you'll crumble chocolate wafer cookies to create "dirt."
3. Fun extras
Anything goes in this festive graveyard! Feel free to reach into your candy stash for bonus toppings. Gummy worms? Sure! Mini mellowcreme pumpkins? Heck, yes!
Related:9 Decadent Fall Desserts You're Going to Want to Make All Autumn Long
Ingredients You Need to Make Graveyard Ice Cream Pie
Here's a basic rundown of what you'll need to make Martha Stewart's graveyard ice cream pie:
Graham crackers
Unsalted butter
Vanilla ice cream
Chocolate ice cream
Fun-size Butterfingers
Fun-size Mounds
Chocolate chips
Milano cookies
Candy skulls
Chocolate wafers
How To Make Graveyard Ice Cream Pie
Kick things off by prepping your graham cracker crust: Preheat oven to 325°. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Melt the butter, then drizzle it into the food processor with the graham crumbs and pulse until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of a pie plate and bake for about 20 minutes. Let cool.
Shortcut note: If you prefer, it's totally fine to use a store-bought graham cracker crust instead. Just be sure to bake it in the oven for a few minutes so it's slightly darker in color and a bit crisp, then cool the crust completely. This will help ensure the filling doesn't sog out the crust.
A quick bake prevents the crust from getting soggy later.Korin Miller
While the crust cools, take the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer to soften slightly. Once it's softened, stir the crumbled Butterfingers into the ice cream. Spread the mixture evenly in the crust, then stick the pie plate in the freezer and let the ice cream firm up again.
The ice cream filling starts out soft but firms up in the freezer.Korin Miller
Now it's time for your second layer: Allow the chocolate ice to soften at room temperature, then stir in the Mounds bars. Spread the mixture on top of the vanilla layer and freeze until firm.
Two different flavors of candy bar-studded ice cream are key to the pie's delicious chaos.Korin Miller
While the pie filling is freezing, prepare your "tombstones." Stewart's recipe calls for cutting Milano cookies in half crosswise, then placing a bead of melted chocolate on a rounded end of each half and pressing a candy skull on top. (I opted to use whole Milanos; more on that in a sec.)
RIP boring desserts
Now it's time to make your "dirt." Pulse chocolate wafers (or Oreos) in the food processor until coarsely ground. Spread the crumbs on top of the ice cream filling. Finally, use a knife to cut slits for your cookie tombstones and gently press the cookies into place. Now stand back and admire your spooky masterpiece.
Related:The Most Popular Halloween Candies From 1939 to Today
My Honest Thoughts About Martha Stewart's Graveyard Ice Cream Pie
Prepping this graveyard ice cream pie was simple and straightforward, but given the downtime between steps, it's not a dessert you can throw together on a whim right before dinner. Stewart's recipe states that the pie should take about an hour and 15 minutes to make. In reality, it was closer to four hours, which included 45 minutes for the baked crust to cool, stretches for the two ice cream varieties to soften and an hour for each of the ice cream layers to firm up.
In terms of flavor and texture, there's a lot happening in this dish, making it a wonderfully chaotic dessert that somehow doesn't overwhelm. The Butterfinger bits blend nicely with the vanilla ice cream; the chunks of Mounds bar are perfect with chocolate ice cream. The pie is decadent by design. At my table, all we needed was a small sliver each to satisfy our sweet tooth.
The crust was kind of underwhelming—even a little bland. I also had trouble getting the graham cracker crust out of the pie plate, which made some of my slices a bit messy. (Keep reading for tips on those points.)
Related: We Tried 13 Store-Bought Pie Crusts and the Winner Is Ina Garten-Approved
As expected, my kids were delighted with the pie's dramatic presentation; my 3-year-old actually squealed with joy. It was a favorite treat in our house for days. One of my son's friends even stopped by after school and nabbed a slice after hearing all about it. For me, this made the effort worthwhile.
Related: I Tried the Pioneer Woman's Sticky Bun Crinkle Cake and It's Fall Dessert Perfection
My Top Tips for Making This Recipe
Some takeaways I can share after testing this recipe:
Prep what you can in advance
Much of the prep work can be done a day or two ahead of serving, including baking the crust, mixing the candy and ice cream and preparing the cookie headstones and dirt. That way way you're mostly just assembling the day of. (You could also make the entire pie in advance and keep it in the freezer. Just add the headstones to the pie right before serving.)
Size up your tombstones if necessary
The only candy skulls I could find were gummies that were a little too large to fit well on halved Milanos. I used whole Milanos instead, which made it much easier to anchor the cookies in place.
Take care with the chocolate "glue"
Unless you want it oozing from behind your candy skulls, apply just a tiny amount to the cookie tombstones—just enough to create an edible adhesive. For greater control, try using a small tool, like a straw or toothpick. Let the tombstones rest on their backs for a few minutes so the melted chocolate can set.
Grease your pie plate
Stewart's recipe didn't call for it, but giving the pie plate a quick blast of nonstick spray before pressing in the graham cracker mixture may help your finished slices slide out more easily when it's time to serve.
Season the crust
This could help balance out the pie's overall sweetness a bit. Try subbing in salted butter, or simply add ½ teaspoon salt to the graham cracker–butter mixture.
No need to halve the Milanos if your skull candies are slightly oversized.Korin MillerMore Fun Ideas for Using Up Leftover Halloween Candy
Leftover Halloween candy is inevitable, and that's not a bad thing! Here are a few more sweet ways to use it up.
Substitute M&Ms or coarsely chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for the chocolate chips in your favorite cookie recipe.
Sweeten your next happy hour with a gummy bear or Sour Patch Kids cocktail.
Make a plain store-bought cheesecake feel special with a shower of chocolate shavings or chopped up mini candy bars.
Crush up hard candies, like Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers, and bake up a pretty tray of stained glass cookies.
Up Next:
Related: Costco's 'Cute' Pumpkin Cakelet Pan Has Shoppers Raving: 'I'm Obsessed!'
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: November 01, 2025 at 11:36PM on Source: VOXI MAG
#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle