For many years I’ve investigated the use of leftover Halloween candy, as a public service, of course. Let me help you get all that temptation out of the house and away from you in a form that other people will happily consume.

This year I decided to focus on one of the less attractive candies, the type my kids used to pass over in favor of chocolate candy bars, M&M’s, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Skittles. These lesser candies can linger into the new year until you finally throw them out. Or they’ll lie in wait until you eventually eat some in a moment of weakness.

So I asked the internet and found a Huffington Post list, based on a reader poll, of the least popular Halloween treats. No. 1 was candy corn, but I didn’t want to eat anything made with candy corn, so I skipped down to No. 7: Whoppers.

Now, if you love Whoppers, no one’s judging you here. Coating a crunchy malted milk ball in chocolate is a fine idea. It’s just that for the average kid, Whoppers don’t really stand up to KitKat bars.

Besides, the idea of a malted milk pastry sounded mighty fine.

This led to brownies made with a cup full of chopped-up Whoppers, and they were great. Seriously, these were the chewiest brownies I’ve ever made, with a malted flavor that distinguished them from the usual chocolate.

If you’re looking for something different for your holiday baking, try this.

The recipe started with one from King Arthur Flour for malted milk brownies and was adapted to make use of the candy pieces.

Speaking of those, you’ll need about 60 Whoppers. Those little trick-or-treat packs hold three each, so you’ll need 20 packs. If your kids didn’t collect that many, Whoppers are sold in boxes in most stores with candy aisles.

Whopper Brownies

• 3/4 cup malted milk powder
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, slightly melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup Whopper candies, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with baking parchment, letting paper extend over edges of pan.

In large bowl, combine malted milk powder, sugar, flour, salt and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs, butter and vanilla until creamy. Add to bowl with malted milk mixture, stirring to make a smooth batter. Fold in Whoppers. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until center is firm.

Place pan on rack and let cool slightly. Use edges of parchment to lift brownies from pan; let cool completely, then slice into squares.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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