I'm not sure, but you could freeze them, I think!
I'll be there on 10-31! lol

They will be fine kept in a cupboard as long as your house isn't to warm..

I have chocolate bars in my concession stand for 4 months...when the weather starts to warm..I keep them in the fridge.

Price them by the box at Costco or Sam's Club.

They wouldn't be safe at my house for 3 months....

Good; I guess I'll stock up. I was thinking that refrigerating them would make the chocolate turn whitish/gray, but evidently not. And I didn't think of Costco or Sam's. I don't have a membership but every now and then they send a 60 day trial offer. Thanks, all!

I love to give full size candy bars. I buy candy at Walgreens when it's 2 for $1. Keep in fridge or freezer. I had a problem last Halloween. I had a doctor appointment-actually for my first ever colonoscopy. I left big box of candy on my fromt stoop with sign "Take only one". when I got home abot 2 pm, it had been stolen. Put up new sign. Sorry, my candy was stolen. Happy Halloween anyway.

You will run the risk of the chocolate blooming if you buy now. And you won't know that when you hand them out. The thing that makes chocolate bloom is temp changes so refrigerating or freezing the chocolate is going to contribute to that. You also don't know how the store has handled/stored the candy bars. This has been a terribly hot summer in a lot of places, so with shipping and unloading, the bloom process may already have started when you buy them.

Personally? I wouldn't be comfortable handing out chocolate that I coudln't tell through the wrapper, whether it was bloomed or not. It would be different if you wanted to stock up for yourself--and don't mind eating bloomed chocolate, but you're giving these to others. Their parents may not know that bloom is harmless, and may make them toss them if that happens. Not to mention--ever had an 'old' candy bar? There's a HUGE difference in taste. Some stores do keep them around for months, and you can always tell when you eat it if it's not really fresh.

Why not wait until at least mid Sept and just keep an eye out for sales. Or, I'll share my Halloween treat--I hand out Little Debbie cakes/cookies. The kids LOVE getting them, it's something different that they aren't getting tons of, they look BIG compared to the minis most people hand out these days. AND they're very inexpensive--usually 8-12 in a box for about a dollar. You do have to be careful to buy the ones that are wrapped individually (some are twin packs).

Jannie - that's sad. I had a similar situation but different outcome (and I was so impressed by the kids). A few years ago I had to make an emergency trip to the vet with one of my pets. I put all of the candy in a basket and put it on the front step, with a note saying I was sorry I wouldn't be home and to take their treat.

I came home in tears and grief because I'd had to euthanize my pet, but there on the steps was the basket of candy with the amount left that I'd expect, given the number of kids that usually come. Warmed my heart about the kids and parents who came by.

Azzalea, you noted what I was concerned about and made good points. The Little Debbie cakes are a good idea, too.

Thanks, everyone, for your input.

If you don't have too many, maybe a few treat sacks would be good. With a bit of candy, pencils, paper, crayons etc. Even the $$ stores have the small bags.

We usually get 25 to 30 kids and I give out an assortment of the little candy bars. I usually know most of the kids and I just tell them to take a handful. Most of the kids can grab 4 or 5 bars. I had thought of buying large candy bars but then I decided that once they ripped off the wrapper they'd eat the entire bar. This way they have a choice of candy and maybe it will last a little longer for them.

Full size candy bars are a good idea. I have less than ten kids if that many. I will see if word gets around for next year. LOL

ummm, will have to think about that. There should be lots of things out there that would thrill a kid other than candy.

Azzalea, you are so smart! I never thought of Little Debbie's and I love them. We haven't had a trick or treater for so long, I don't even buy candy anymore. :-(

One year we gave our treat size bags of potato chips. Every store has them. Very popular, and doesn't every kid eat salty snacks?

First, on chocolate "bloom". There are two types of bloom. One is caused by the cocoa butter, reacting to heat. It separates from the other ingredients and rises to the surface of the chocolate forming the pale irregular spots or blotches. This is known as fat bloom. It's not mold and can be wiped off with a paper towel if you wanted but it is not necessary to do so and it does not affect taste.

Sugar bloom looks similar but has a slightly gritty texture. Sugar bloom is caused by damp, humid conditions that encourage moisture build up on the surface. This "sweat" dissolves some of the sugar in the chocolate. When it re-crystallizes, a dusty coating is produced that cannot be removed. This is why a refrigerator is a poor place to keep chocolate unless kept in at least a moisture-proof container. A freezer is a better choice and a non-defrosting freezer is better.

Keep in mind that bloom has nothing to do with the age of the chocolate. It can happen to just purchased treats that are left in a hot car. When the partially melted morsels re-harden at home they are prone to get the characteristic white speckles of fat bloom. The same thing can occur when summertime temperatures soar up into the 90's. If you donÂt have central air conditioning, and sometimes even if you do, your kitchen cupboards heat up, creating ideal conditions for bloom.

Putting a brand new partially used and loosely closed package of baking bars in the refrigerator can trigger sugar bloom because itÂs such a moist environment. A long period of exposure to warm rainy days can have a similar effect on the chocolate in your pantry because the relative humidity in your home is likely to rise above 55%.

But bloom is mostly a change in appearance. ItÂs not a sign that chocolate is old or has gone bad. It can be unappetizing though.

I've given things from crayons to Lil Debbie, to single bags of chips, Funyuns, pretzels and the like. I gave full packs of gum a few years and *that* was very popular and even cans of pop or juice were a welcome surprise. You can buy a 12pk for $1.99 or less. I even gave out the "ice pops" (the tubes of colored water) the one year. However, I like to have a variety. The ones that spend time on a costume and the younger ones get rewarded. The 20 year olds and the ones who put no effort into a costume don't get the best stuff so I now keep some small stuff. That way I can give a fistful to someone too. And of course if you give something "good" you'll often get repeat "customers" that night so it depends if that bothers you or not.

There's also things like little packs of peanuts too. Some get all worked up over giving peanuts but I don't. And Salted Nut Rolls are great in that they don't have the chocolate issues.

I love giving the big candy bars. I buy black tissue paper and wrap them and tie them off with orange ribbon. I had daycare for many years and when they come I'd give them a special bar with a dollar bill in it, too. We don't have many anymore. The neighbor kids all have grown up and moved on.. I love halloween...

Darn! Gone of the good ole' days of Carmel & Cinnamon Apples on a Stick. Sniff!

Not really, gaylemarie. We still do those caramel apples, but I've never known of giving them out on Halloween to the trick-or-treaters. I love them, though. When the apple juice runs in with the caramel when you bite it? Yum.

Nowadays anything homemade gets tossed, unless it comes from a friend. It's too bad too. I used to LOVE popcorn balls.

I picked up some great ideas from this thread.

And don't ya just hate those adult trick or treaters? Or the ones with an infant and a bag. Makes me crazy. OR teenagers in there regular clothes being driven around by mommy. UGH! Eight grade was / is the cutoff in my house, that's 13 years old. My kids have friends over or they pass out the candy.

We don't get any trick or treaters on our block anymore and haven't for a couple of years. I think the last time was a year or so after 911 happened since then Churches and schools like to put on their own T and/or Treat programs and the malls too.

Luckily I live in a small town and know most of our neighbors. The kiddos get such homemade treats as decorated cookies, carmel corn, and popcorn balls. I usually trade the kids candy left over from trick or treaters for the homemade goodies for me:)

Stacie

When my kids were in grade school, their bus driver, who lived several streets over, always made candied apples to hand out. She made a special point to tell the kids to tell their parents to call if they had any questions. That was about 40 years ago. LOL
I don't think kids really care if their chocolates have "bloomed" or not.

I usually buy the small bars for us to snack on at home, those little packages of 8-10 cost $1. Turns out, they cost less than the big bars, cost per ounce.

I remember when we were kids- if someone was giving out full sized bars, that news spread like wildfire and she was soon out! lol