31 Days till Halloween

And, thus, we begin!  True, we are still a month away but stores are now fully stocked with Halloween goodies.  Speaking of which, as most of you have probably noticed, each year the first reminder of the impending haunting season to appear is nothing else but the candy.  Admit it, you can't help but pick up a bag of candy corn in the checkout of the grocery store in late September.  That's what I thought.  So, without further ado, let's jump right in:

The Top 10 Halloween Candies

10. Peanut Butter Taffy/Kisses

The outside was wax!  The inside was...wax?

We've all had it.  I'm talking about those little (somewhat) circular pieces of peanut butter that come wrapped in the plain black and orange wrappers.  It was chewy (to the point of ridiculousness at times) and, often, stale...and, well, bluntly, not that good.  But we all eat it when offered.  Why?  Because it tastes like childhood.  I didn't know a single person as a kid who was like, "OMG! I hope I get some peanut butter taffy this year!" But sure enough, if it showed up in their little pumpkin pail, it was gone by the end of the night.  I have a personal memory that I associate with the candy.  My great Grandma Williams (that's pronounced "Willums"...at least when you're 4 years old), lived in a senior community.  Her next door neighbor and good friend, Evelyn, loved Halloween, she decorated every year and always had a bowl of the black and orange wrapped "rocks" on her mantle...in fact, I'm pretty sure it was the SAME batch EVERY year.  But anyway, I would go to Grandma's after preschool and we would often go over and visit Evelyn, and I would shovel the candy in my mouth while watching an old Gemmy Rocking Chair Witch rock and cackle.  You know, I can almost guarantee I ate a good amount of orange/black wax paper in those days...

9. Mary Jane (Honey Candies)/Bit-O-Honey

Old school

Mmmm, another candy that is a dental hygienic nightmare.  These things are guaranteed to be rock hard. They should have a disclaimer on these things, "Happy Halloween, you're gonna need to see the dentist tomorrow."  OK, OK, it's not that bad.  After a few Halloweens, you learn that you have to just suck on these like hard candy for a while before biting in.  These are a personal favorite of Mom's, so we were rarely without these in our house around Halloween time.  This, like the peanut butter taffy, is one of those timeless Halloween classics.  They haven't even changed the wrapper since the 1950's and that's the way it oughta be!

8. York Peppermint Batties
What's better than a classic York Peppermint Patty?  A York Peppermint Patty shaped like a bat!  I'm not even gonna lie, this is a candy I would fight to defend if found in my Trick-or-Treating stash.  What more can I say?  These things are awesome!  ("Aweshum, mom! Awwwwweshuuuuuummmm!")

7. Caramel Apple Pops

Economy packs at Sam's Club were Dad's Kryptonite

First of all, OW!  No, seriously, I once bit into one of these things and ripped out a filling.  Other than that, I love them.  A salty-sweet snack for a crisp Autumn afternoon.  My family was first introduced to these when I was about 7.  As far as my Dad was concerned, it might as well have been crack.  Hey, don't laugh at that!  He was addicted.  He would buy like 10 bags at a time just so he wouldn't run out.  There'd be a bag in the kitchen, a bag in the van, and several bags in his semi for long trips.  To this day, a bag can always be found in his kitchen this time of year.  To me, this is one of the most perfect Halloween treats out there.  It is a combination of a Harvest classic (caramel apples) and a childhood favorite (lollipops), all wrapped up in a small, convenient size ready to be dropped into the bags and buckets of little trick-or-treaters.

6. Fun-Sized Candy Bars

We all know it, this stuff is the big time.  Houses that gave out these little treats were labeled the "good houses."  I mean, come on, it's like a Snicker bar that I can shove in my mouth and finish off it one bite - with or without the wrapper!  Snickers and Milkyways are probably the most common of these little delectables.  Of course, Butterfinger and Baby Ruth were out there as well...though these were the first to get traded in the after-Halloween sort for me.  To this day I'm still bitter that very few houses ever gave out the fun-sized PayDay bars!  I don't care if these peanut-laden treats are as dangerous as anthrax for some kids, I want my freakin' chewy caramel and salty cashews! Ahem, anyway, those few families who gave out the FULL-SIZED versions of these candy bars were just the gods of Halloween to neighborhood children...especially my brother.  He often argued, "Who the Hell decided that bite size is 'fun'?"  *shrug* Whatever, I think a mini-Snickers is fun.  But you know what's not fun?  This commercial:

I mean, come on!  There is no other person in that store!  And, what the Hell, the lights are OFF beyond that isle!  Shady grocery store is shady!  RUNBITCHRUNGETSOMEHELP!

5. Generic Chocolates with Halloween Wrappers
Who makes these things?  Pfft, I dunno.  Palmers?  Palmolive? Panasonic?  Whatever, they're the generic chocolates that just come wrapped in Halloween wrappers.  They could be squares, they could be balls, or coins, or vaguely shaped like Halloween symbols and characters.  While they candies themselves are not inherently Halloweeny but the wrappers more than make up for it.  These are really common at school carnivals and parties because you can by 5 dozen bags for a nickel.  Want to hand out trick-or-treat candy on a budget?  This is the way to go.  Most dollar stores as well as Wal-Mart and other supermarkets carry one variation or another.  Want to know a secret?  When I was like 6 or 7, I would carefully unwrap them and then stockpile the wrappers.  I would sometimes put them up on the bulletin board in my room as decorations.

4. Marshmallow Halloween Treats

Ew, coconut.

Like with the generic chocolates, there is no need for brand specificity.  Although, I am very partial to Russell-Stovers.  They come in variants of shape and flavor.  My personal favorite is the caramel pumpkin.  Hershey's also makes marshmallow pumpkins as well as Peeps.  Let me specify, I like the chocolate coated Peeps treats, not necessarily the classic sugar-coated ones.  Don't get me wrong, I love those and will eat them if offered.  It's just that associate the classic Peeps with Easter, not Halloween...but those chocolate powder-covered Black Cat Peeps are pretty delicious.

3. Candy Apple Corn
A new twist on a Halloween classic.  There isn't really all that much to say except that this stuff is goooood.  I always buy it saying I'll just have a few pieces here and there throughout the week or so.  Nope, we always finish it off that night while watching a movie or something.  It's so tiny and easy to shovel a handful at a time into your mouth.  Damn its deliciousness!!!  Never had it?  You have to try some this season.  It's about $3 per large container at Marsh and other supermarkets.  Another great aspect of this is that I can eat is in August and September without feeling weird.  Classic candy corn just seems out of season if eaten anytime but October.

2. Candy Corn

Can I swim in there?

What more can be said?  It is THE Halloween candy.  The original.  The ultimate.  It doesn't really taste or look like corn, but it is one Hell of an icon.  Just look, it is everywhere this time of year from the actual candy to fake pieces for decoration to jewelry to blow molds to candles and fragrances to clothing and costumes, signs, doormats, window clings, etc., etc., etc.  Personally, I like the candy apple corn more, but this one just has to rank higher as it came first...and come on...what is Halloween without this waxy stuff?  OK, I know, some of you may be saying it should be number one but I just can't do it.  I have to put my absolute favorite first.







1. Mellowcreme Pumpkins and Assortments
Oh, God, I love this stuff.  Oddly, enough I think it's a love formed of habit.  It's not the best tasting stuff but something about it just brings back floods of memories of happy Halloweens gone by.  I can sit there with a bowl and just eat pumpkin after pumpkin.  Now, what's even better than the pumpkins is the Halloween assortment.  This one has shapes like witches, bats, scarecrows, cornstalks, and skulls and crossbones in shades from brown to yellow to orange.  They are often interspersed with candy corn, candy Indian corn, and pumpkins.  Unfortunately, this is harder to find these days.  I can't even find photos!  It makes me kind of sad.  This assortment is colorful and eclectic - just like Halloween should be!


Honorable Mention

• Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses
• Reese's Pumpkin-Shaped Peanut Butter Cup
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Ghosts

Your Thoughts?

See that little box down there?  Feel free to share your thoughts.  What are your favorite Halloween candies?