Now that Halloween is over (tear), it’s time to clear out the leftover candy—and fast! No need to keep that bowl of candy around. We all know it will sit there saying, “Come hither” until it’s all gone. And no one likes a candy coma (or not being able to button their pants). Since it feels wasteful throwing it away, why not make use of your excess candy? Bake it into cookies to share with friends or bring them into work for a mid-day treat!

Basically, pick your favorite candy bars, wrap them up in classic chocolate chip cookie dough and 13 minutes later you’ve got gooey, delicious melt-in-your-mouth (and maybe your hand) cookies. Below are instructions on how to bake candy bar cookies inspired by this recipe from Food.com. Happy baking!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you may add another 1/4 cup if the mixture is too wet)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ten ounce bag of chocolate chips
• Leftover mini candy bars, unwrapped (Reese’s, Twix, Snickers, Kit Kat etc.), cut in half endwise (See photo #1 below)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper (this is going to get messy).
3. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
4. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
5. In a large separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.
6. Gradually add the wet contents of medium bowl into the flour mixture, mixing slowly.
7.  Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated and then fold in the chocolate chips.
8. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out dough and place half of the scoop on top of halved candy bar. Take the other half of the dough scoop and place it below the candy bar. See photo instruction above.
9. Take the sandwiched candy bar and roll it in the palm of your hand so the entire outside of the candy bar is covered and sealed with cookie dough. See photo instruction above.
10. Place rolled dough onto cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 14 minutes. Check on them at 8 minutes though and continue baking based on your liking… I only baked mine for about 9 minutes since I prefer my cookies a bit more gooey. Once they are baked to your liking, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for cooling.

Serve with a tall, cold glass of milk and enjoy!

Personally, my favorite candy is heath bars (which would be great with this recipe). What’s your favorite candy?

XO Lauren

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I loved looking at all of your Halloween costumes. Everyone was so creative! Below are a few of my favorites… Enjoy!

Best Carrie Bradshaw: Shanley McDonald

Best Creative Idea: Nicole Lorenc

Best Black Swan: Lizzie

Best Couples Costume: Mirela Matijevic

Best Rock Paper Scissors: Elizabeth Scott & Company

Best in Show: Alana Tucker

Thanks again to everyone who shared photos!

Which costume is your favorite?

XO Lauren

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I hope everyone had a very happy (and safe) Halloween! I went to a couple parties over the weekend, so I had two different costumes this year. The first costume I wore  is an oldie but goodie: Britney Spears from the “Baby One More Time” music video. It was actually a really fun costume to wear since it was comfortable and very recognizable.

As for last night, I dressed up as Minnie Mouse! (Many of you guessed it when I posted my Halloween Hint.) I made the costume from scratch and am really happy with how it turned out. What do you think?

What did you dress up as for Halloween?

Upload a photo of your costume to your LaurenConrad.com profile page and leave the link to the image in the comments below. I’ll feature my favorite costumes in a Member Spotlight post later this week!

XO Lauren

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It’s the spookiest day of the year. Beware of ghosts and goblins and other monsters we fear… The witches will be riding and the skeletons will jeer. Happy Halloween to all, it’s time to spread old Hallows cheer!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Today I thought I’d share a couple photographs of my favorite childhood Halloween costumes…

What was your favorite childhood costume? Brownie points for photos!

Happy haunting!

XO Lauren

P.S. I'll reveal my Halloween costumes from this year tomorrow...

Since Halloween falls on a Monday, many of you may be celebrating as early as tomorrow (Friday) night! If you haven’t a clue what you’re going to be yet and still need a costume (like ASAP), it’s time to get risky! As in Risky Business.

A few years ago I saw some girls pull off the iconic look from the dance sequence in Risky Business and I thought it was the best idea! It’s simple, but the statement is big. And guys love this costume. It’s the perfect last minute getup for the cool, confident party girl.

Get inspired gals…

Putting together this costume is easy as pie. Borrow a men’s dress shirt from one of the boys in your life, slip on a pair of old school scrunch socks and a fresh pair of men’s briefs (bike shorts are great too) and finish off the look with Tom Cruise’s unmistakable Risky Business wayfarer shades. Put your hair up into a ballerina bun or a ponytail and keep your makeup natural. Most importantly, practice your slide!

Will you be risky this Halloween? What was your best last minute costume?

XO Lauren

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Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble…

While my days of trick-or-treating are long gone, my love for Halloween has not subsided in the least. Especially when it comes to the treats. Halloween is the perfect time to let your creativity flow. Whether it’s through an imaginative costume, a crafty pumpkin or even a festive food, this spooky season is all about ingenuity. In the spirit of All Hallow’s Eve, I’m sharing a twisted treat that’s as speedy as it is wickedly sweet. (No cook time required!) Ladies, I present to you: Witch Hat Delights.

Take heed. This is what you will need…

• 1 box (12 cones; pointy tip) ice cream cones
• 12 thin, round chocolate cookies of your choice (I used fudge strip cookies.)
• 12 Hershey Kisses
• 1 bottle of Smucker’s Magic Shell topping (or quick dry chocolate of your choice)
• 2 ½ cups chocolate frosting (I bought the premade tub of frosting or make your own using this recipe.)
• 1 cup orange frosting (The premade orange frosting tubes work well.)
• 2 plastic sandwich baggies (to use for frosting)
• scissors
• serrated knife
• 1 jar of marshmallow fluff
• Optional: M&Ms

Prep Steps

• On a cookie sheet, lay out 12 cookies (if you are using the fudge strip cookies, place the stripped side down).
• Scoop some frosting into a sandwich baggy and seal. Snip a small corner off the baggy. Squeeze the baggy to pipe the frosting out. Do a separate baggy for the chocolate and the orange frosting.

Construct at your own risk. Here’s how…

1. Unwrap 12 Hershey Kisses. Set aside.
2. Place a glob of chocolate frosting on the bottom a Kiss.
3. Press Kiss into place over the center of the cookie. The frosting will be acting like the glue to keep these two pieces together.
4. Cut the cones in half, about two inches from the base. Use a serrated knife and gently saw through the cone. Be careful not to apply any pressure or else the cone will crack.

5. Fill the inside of the cone about ¼ full with frosting.
6. Optional: Drop in a few M&Ms for an added surprise!
7. Fill ½ of the remaining space in the cone will marshmallow fluff.

8. Coat each cone with Magic Shell topping and let dry for 2 minutes.
9. Trace the rim of the cone with chocolate frosting.
10. Place the chocolate-rimmed cone onto the cookie, directly over the Kiss and press into place. See the witch hat yet?
11. Using the orange frosting, trace the base of the cone. Add additional frosting decoration as you see fit! I, of course, added bows… Enjoy!

These wickedly delicious treats are quick and easy to make. Plus they are always a hit at Halloween parties. Just be sure to keep them refrigerated until you are ready to serve them.

Try them out, snap a photograph and let me know how you like them!

Do you have a crafty Halloween treat to share? If so, upload your recipe to your profile page and click “Submit this recipe” for a chance to be featured in a Member Spotlight post! Click here to learn how to upload and submit recipes.

XO Lauren

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If you’re in need of an inexpensive, last minute Halloween costume, I’ve got just the getup for you: The Cat Burglar. While cat costumes are adorable (and very common), the Cat Burglar adds the perfect twist of mystery and mischievousness to this traditional Halloween garb. Did I mention it’s a fairly cheap costume to put together?

Topshop Cat Ears ($8), Costume Specialties Cat Tail ($3), Free People Opaque Tights in Black ($12), American Apparel Bodysuit in Black ($32), Brian Atwood Alexa Booties, PaperMoon Small Burlap Bag ($9)

Wear a black bodysuit (American Apparel has a great selection), black tights, a black bandit mask, fierce heels, a pair of kitty ears and a pin-on tail. Instead of carrying a purse, use a burlap sack and draw a “$” on it. Finish off your look by drawing a little cat nose and whiskers on your face… and voila, you are a Cat Burglar!

I love this costume. It’s fun, simple and quick. Plus, everyone will think you’re the cat’s meow…

Will you be a cat burglar come Halloween? If not, what are you going to dress up as?

XO Lauren

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Photo: Chanel

I hope everyone enjoyed my DIY Halloween Costume Guest Blogger Series! Today’s blog is a bit of a surprise. It ends up one of the lovely ladies from the “Rock Paper Scissors” costume I included in my post, Tuesday Ten: Creative & Crafty Halloween Costumes, is a LaurenConrad.com member! As luck would have it, Courtney Richards (aka “Scissors”) offered to provide everyone with a step-by-step tutorial on how to recreate the fabulous costume trio she made with her friends! Below are Courtney’s instructions… If you have any questions for Courtney, feel free to message her on her LaurenConrad.com account. Happy crafting!

XO Lauren

Hi everyone! Courtney here. For the past couple years, while my friends and I were in college, we always strived to have super creative costumes for sorority and fraternity theme parties and, of course, Halloween. Some of our past costumes (together and separately) included: the "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday girls" from the Nuva Ring commercial, the "balloon boy" from the popular 2009 scandal, a PB&J sandwich, post-it notes and more! For us, the brainstorming of Halloween costume ideas starts as early as a month to two months ahead of time. For the Rock, Paper, Scissors costume we knew that we wanted a group costume to suit 3 people. We Googled "things that come in threes" to find inspiration, and voila: The Rock, Paper, Scissors costume was born! The Rock, is an Illinois Elementary School teacher named Lauren Miller, Paper is also an Illinois School teacher named Kierstyn Hacker, and I am the Scissors, an Industry Events Manager from Chicago. Enjoy the tutorial!

Dresses

All three costumes have the same dress underneath. Here is what you will need:

• 3-4 yards or silver, sequin fabric (per dress)
• Scissors

To make the dresses…

1. Cut the fabric to a length you prefer.
2. Wrap the fabric around you until the piece meets at both ends.
3. Cut fabric in half so that each cut is on your side.
4. Extend the fabric about 3 inches on each side. Cut strips into each side of the fabric where the sides met. These strips should be about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.

5. Once all of the strips are cut, tie the sides together (it is easiest to tie the sides together when you are wearing it). This process looks similar to tying fleece blankets.

The finished product should look something like this:

Rock

Supplies

• Large piece of thick foam blocks
• Can of silver and gray spray paint
• 1 yard of velvet fabric
• Hot glue gun
• Silver tights

Instructions
1. Cut the foam into two large, uneven circles.

2. Spray paint the foam circles to look jagged. (To the lighter make it look jagged, spray it entirely color first, then take the darker color and accent it). 

3. Spray with sparkle spray paint at the end.

4. Once the spray paint is dry, cut out two velvet pieces to hot glue on each side of the rock. The length of the velvet will vary depending on the person.

5. Glue additional sequin straps like suspenders. Elastic sequin strips work really well!

Paper
Supplies

• 2 large white foam boards
• Light blue paint
• Hot pink paint
• Scotch tape (or blue painter tape)
• 2 yards blue and/or pink sequence straps
• Hot glue gun

Instructions
1. Hung like suspenders, the “paper” costume is made from a giant white foam board, which can be bought at Hobby Lobby (or any office or craft supply store). You will need two white foam boards, one for the front and one for the back. 
2. On the front of the board paint with a light pink color, horizontal stripes and one thick light blue stripe vertically on the left (so it looks like a sheet of ruled paper). With black paint, create 3 circles to represent hole punches vertically on the left. Do this twice, once for the front and once for the back board.

Scissors

Supplies

• 2 large white foam boards
• 2 hot pink, lightweight poster boards
• 1 can silver spray paint
• 4 yards of black sequence straps
• Sparkle spray paint
• Hot glue gun
• Box cutter
• Clear gems/jewels

Instructions
1. Scissors: To start off, use a pair of regular scissors as reference to draw an outline of a pair of scissors on the white foam board. You will create two complete pairs of scissors, one for the front and one for the back. Do this two times. Using a box cutter is the easiest way to cut out your shape after its drawn on the board. Use a hot glue gun to combine the sides of the scissors. Spray paint all sides of the scissors with the silver spray paint.

2. The pink handles: For the pink handles trace the outline of the scissor handles on the pink poster board. Cut out and glue to the to the silver scissors.

3. Once the two separate scissors are made, make them mirror each other when you’re wearing them. It’s easiest to create the handles when the scissors are on your body. Glue the sequin straps across the inside of the scissors like a guitar straps.

4. Glue additional sequin straps like suspenders.

5. When you are finished you can add cute gems and jewels to the corners of the scissors and the handles!

For all three costumes…
To make them extra girly, use the sparkle spray paint generously! The sparklier the better!

XO Courtney Richards

Are you going to make this costume?

This year I am throwing a pumpkin decorating party for Halloween. I’ve been scouring the Internet for fun decorating ideas, easy appetizers and creative Halloween themed cocktails. Below are 10 tips and ideas for making your Halloween party spook-tacular too!

1. Chill out. Keep drinks chilled with a pumpkin cooler dreamed up by the one and only Martha Stewart! Simply cut an extra large pumpkin in half, scoop out the icky insides and place a punch bowl filled with ice inside.

2. Whiteout. Makeover your living room by covering all the furniture with white sheets. This will give the space an eerie feel…

3. Go batty. Tack paper cutout bats to your walls. Click here for an easy tutorial…

4. Label away. Make festive labels for drinks and snacks…

5. Lighten up. Put tea lights into old mason jars (or baby food jars) and add a spooky face…

6. Add some creep factor. Drizzle red candle wax onto white candlesticks to create a slightly haunted ambience as spotted on Martha Stewart…

7. Much on these. As for snacks, these “Mummy Mia!” mini pizzas are serious crowd pleasers…

8. Tasty treats. Your guests will go crazy for these devilishly delicious Skeleton Cupcakes…

9. Say cheese! Set up a Halloween themed photo booth! Click here to check out my blog about making your own…

10. Get inspired. Coordinate a beautiful spread... (I am pretty much obsessed with these decorations featured on Hostess Blog.)

What’s your party plan for Halloween?

XO Lauren

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Photos: MarthaStewart, CountryLiving, Dana-made-it, Etsy, TheHouseofSmiths, Skiptomylou, Decorologist, Parents, MyRecipes, SmileBooth, HostessBlog

Well ladies, this is the third and final post in my DIY Halloween Costume Guest Blogger Series. Our last guest blogger is LaurenConrad.com member Noel Fortier. Congrats Noel! Noel will show you how to make a beautifully crafted peacock costume. I am somewhat obsessed with it... It’s brilliant! Anyway, let me know if you give it try.

XO Lauren

Hi everyone! This was my costume last year. I got tons of complements and many people asked how I made it. Here is what I did…
 
Step 1: Take a strip of elastic with sequins on it and a blue feather boa. Cut the elastic band so it will comfortably fit around your waist and secure it with a safety pin. Next, pin one end of the boa to the sequin strip and loop it up and down, attaching the boa to the elastic band with small safety pins. See photo below for better understanding:

The resulting skirt, should look something like this:

Step 2:  Find a tight fitting tank you don't mind changing up. Add the same color elastic sequins wherever you would like on the tank using hot glue gun. I chose to put it down the center because everywhere else what just a mesh material. Add feathers to the cups of the top. Use any colors you want to match your peacock feathers. Attach feather and sequins using hot glue.

Step 3:  Using a handheld fan or a mask, attach a variety of lengths of peacock feather so that they are spread out. I found my feathers at an online hobby store. Arrange the feathers so that they fan out and look full. I used the hot glue to attach everything. It won't be extremely sturdy just yet so be careful holding it up.

Final Look:  Add some fun make-up or face paint to tie the whole look together. Put the skirt on with hot pants (or biker shorts) under, then the top. I wore bright yellow/green tights to add to the look as well. Tie the base of you feathers around your waist and hide the tie under your top and the waistband of your skirt. Then, loop two strings through the feathers and tie them to your straps for added support so they don't fall backwards. You can't ride in the car like this, so do this right before you enter the party. The fan of feathers should be really easy to take off and on if you do this without making any knots.

There you go! This is what I did to create this costume.

XO Noel

P.S. Has anyone tried out Pauli’s Dorothy tutorial or Laura Pifer’s Carrie Bradshaw tutu skirt yet? If so, upload a photo and post it to your profile. I’d love to see your handy work! I hope you guys are enjoying these DIY costume tutorials!

XO Lauren

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As always, I had a wonderful time sorting through all of your photo submissions in response to my post about fall crafts, Tuesday Ten: Let’s Get Crafty. I am thrilled so many of you gave the projects a try!

Today I thought I’d spotlight a few of my personal favorites… Hopefully they will inspire you to get your craft on too!

Jamie’s pumpkin bouquet:

Melissa Panici’s creative candy tray:

Jessie McCormick’s take on the leaf wreath (I love the personalization!):

Kiera Stachowiak’s pretty glittery pumpkins:

Nuniell’s classic jack-o-lantern (As Nuniell puts it, “Classic is better!”):

Brittany Ibsen’s cute Halloween décor:

Cathie’s spin on leaf-bound candleholders:

Great job everyone! And thanks for sharing your photos.

Not sure how to upload and submit photos, videos or recipes? Fear not! It’s easy. Click here to learn how.

Which craft is your favorite?

XO Lauren