The Junk Food Junkie’s Guide to The Best and Worst Halloween Candy
Posted in Candy, Halloween |By Maureen
“Trick or Treat,” my ass.
Everyone knows Halloween is all about the “treat” part, the free candy. It’s the one day a year where people of all ages can stuff their faces full of all kinds of junk food goodness under the single condition of dressing up and repeating this iconic phrase. Every neighborhood has their hot spots and their spots to avoid. There’s always a dentist somewhere giving out mini-toothbrushes, which makes kids groan. Every person has his or her own personal candy preferences, but like all holidays that involve overindulging in food, Halloween has some staples that are irrefutable.
Candy corn image by willc2
Candy corn, for instance. This sugar-and-corn-syrup confection tastes absolutely nothing like corn—it doesn’t really taste like anything, actually—but its addictive deliciousness is never more pronounced than during Halloween. Recent years have seen a branching out of the candy corn family, including the “Indian Corn,” (which has a bottom level of brown instead of the traditional yellow) and pumpkin-shaped candies. These are often packaged together in some kind of Fall-themed packaging. Personally I am a huge fan of the pumpkin-shaped ones, and I do actually think they have a slightly different taste. Their rounder, bigger shape allows the sugar to disperse more, and they don’t have that white tip which basically tastes of concentrated sugar.
There are lots of Halloween treats beyond candy as well. Caramel and candy apples are hugely popular at places like state fairs, orchards, nurseries, etc. I have always preferred the caramel variety and in fact, I have never tasted a candy apple. Within the caramel apple spectrum, however, there is still a lot of room for variation.
A lot of people advocate the soft, warm caramel. The logic behind this is that the combination of the caramel mixed with the crisp tartness of the apple creates a delicious, fall treat. The problem with this approach is that the caramel can be very drippy and difficult to eat. A lot of places serve these over plates to catch the falling caramel.
Some people prefer the apple once the caramel has had a chance to harden. This is certainly easier to eat and less messy, but the cold caramel and crunchy apple can wreak havoc on teeth, so chew carefully. These coated apples have also been getting a makeover of sorts recently. I have seen several with nuts or other types of toppings on them in the last few years. I have not tried these either, as a good old-fashioned caramel apple will trump all other options for me. They often look appealing, but as mentioned above, the caramel or candy topping will have to be hard to keep the nuts in place. Depending on your stance —warm and soft or cold and hard topping—this could be a bonus or a deterrent.
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