If you’ve ever gone trick or treating on Halloween you know the best candies to pick from the bowl and the ones that everyone leaves behind. So, what Halloween candies are the best, and what candies are the worst?
1- The king of all Halloween candies is Snickers. This sweet treat is a tried and true staple of Halloween candies. Snickers has been around since 1930 but has never lost its popularity since. The candy bar is made of a thick chocolate layer encasing caramel and peanuts laid over a thin surface of crunchy wafer. Snickers bars are never too sweet or too bland and will always greet you with a perfect measure of flavor and good quantity as well as easy packaging.
2- Twix is close to the top but falls short of reigning over all other Halloween candies. The crunch of the shortbread cookie, mixed with the gooey caramel, and creamy chocolate creates a flavor that is unmatched. Not only is this a popular candy during Halloween but year-round. There is even a Twix ice cream and ice cream bar, which embraces the same beloved flavor, yet adds a new level of flavor and texture. This Halloween what will it be, left or right Twix?
3- The bottom of the top 3 is M&Ms. M&Ms are a classic candy that has carried everyone throughout their childhood. Whether they are peanut M&Ms, peanut butter M&Ms, classic chocolate, or any other of the 50+ flavors, they are well-loved throughout all households. This candy is not only well-loved by kids but by parents as well. Be careful, your parents might sneak into your room and steal a few M&Ms from you! Sophomore Luke Debenning says, “They’re a classic and you can’t go wrong with them.”
4- Up next is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. As soon as Halloween season rolls around, Reese’s commercials are all you can see when the TV turns on. Reeses are a simple cup-shaped chocolate filled with creamy peanut butter inside. Reeses just melt in your mouth and have a velvety texture that makes it such a popular treat. During other holidays like Christmas, Reeses comes out with winter-themed treats as well so it is no surprise this is such a popular candy.
5- Have a break, have a KitKat. Not only does KitKat have a catchy slogan, but it also has a great taste! KitKat is another quintessential candy, especially during the Halloween season. The crunchy layers of the wafer topped with the creamy chocolate layers make for a beloved candy. Many people complain that the small-size KitKats given to trick-or-treaters are just too small. People can’t get enough of this sweet treat!
6- All for one and one for all! Who doesn’t like to snack on a 3 Musketeers bar? This treat is chocolate heaven that is filled with the creamiest, whipped, nougat. Many trick-or-treaters like to enjoy the taste of pure chocolate which makes 3 Musketeers a must in your basket.
7- Whoppers are unique in their shape and taste; they are round balls of crunchy shortbread coated in a layer of smooth chocolate. Whoppers taste like a mix of wafers and milky toasted chocolate. These treats typically come in a small plastic wrapper with three balls inside. They’re fun to eat and easy to remove from the packaging.
8- Reese’s Pieces may be a rip-off of M&Ms but it may also be a beautiful creation. According to Reeses “there’s no wrong way to eat Reeses” and so far they have been correct. The best part of Reese’s Pieces is the classic Reeses peanut butter filling but it is also the texture. Reese’s Pieces just melt in your mouth and each one is silky smooth. It is always a treat to look in your Halloween bag and see a packet of Reese’s Pieces.
9- The sour-then-sweet, Sour Patch Kids provide the sugar to get kids through the long Halloween nights. Many love the punch of the Sour Patch Kids and crave the mouth-watering gummies. Not only are the original Sour Patch Kids treasured by many, but the Sour Patch Watermelon has stolen the hearts of many. Sour Patch Kids are sour enough, without being too sour, while also being sweet enough to keep kids up all night! Not only that, the gummy texture holds a nostalgic feeling and takes many people back to the sugar rushes of their childhood.
10- Taste the rainbow with Skittles! Skittles falls at the bottom of the Top 10, being #10 on our list. The variety of Skittles and its flavors is the heart of many people. Not only do Skittles have multiple different colors and flavors in each pack, but Skittles come in many different versions, like tropical, gummies, wild berry, and even more. Not only can you taste the rainbow, but you can also taste the immense amount of flavors this crunchy yet chewy candy offers. Typer Ortiz, a sophomore at Granada, has a different opinion, “I don’t like Skittles; they’re disgusting and taste bland in my opinion.”
11- Starbursts are just as their name states; it is a star in the candy bag and has strong bursts of flavor. Starbursts are a cute and vibrant candy assortment of chewy and gummy-like textures. Typically they come in a small wrapper with a quantity of two candies. The original flavors are strawberry, cherry, lemon, and orange but have now expanded to tropical varieties including mango melon, strawberry banana, and cherry kiwi. However, there are some strongly disliked flavors in the mix such as orange starburst.
12- Haribo is a true gummy treasure, well technically gummy bear. This candy is one that kids always want to trade for; they will give up their less beloved candy for this true treat. This candy has a true gummy texture, being one of the most chewy candy options. While trick or treating, many kids can count how many of these they have on just one hand, making them rare for this rare occasion. This just makes the candy even more special. The sheer-colored bears offer a sweet treat and an adorable shape.
13- If you’re feeling sick of sticky and overly sweet candies try York! Yorks are a refreshing peppermint treat. Their texture is creamy and gooey. The inside is filled with a cool minty paste surrounded by silky dark chocolate. It’s a perfect pick-me-up after eating the same types of candy over and over again.
14- A must-have in the candy bowl is a Milky Way chocolate bar. Milky Ways is like the child of 3 Musketeers and Twix. It is a chocolate bar filled with caramel and nougat. Milky Ways have a perfect balance of each ingredient. The chocolate is not too milky or too rich and the caramel paired with the nougat does not overpower the chocolate. Life really is better in the Milky Way.
15- Jolly Rancher is a rather odd name for a sweet and nothing about this cylindrical candy has anything to do with a jolly-looking rancher, but regardless it’s grown into a commonly loved candy. Jolly Ranchers are hard candies with nice deep colors and a clear sheen that makes them look very appealing. Their original flavors are watermelon, green apple, blue raspberry, and grape. Jolly Ranchers have introduced new flavors like lemon, orange, and pineapple since then. Although eating this candy can put your patience to the test it is definitely worth it. Luke Debenning states, “I like chewing on them and crunching them into little pebbles.”
16- Crunch, a true classic candy that many share their love for. As the name suggests, amongst the sweet, silky chocolate, there are little pieces of rice crispy cereal to offer a satisfactory crunchy texture. Everyone can recognize this royal blue wrapper anywhere, as it has become one of the most passed-out candies during this season, especially because it is included in nearly every Halloween mix with chocolate candy. Crunch always delivers a satisfying taste and texture! Though this candy is lower on this rank list, it will always be a staple chocolate, especially during the Halloween season.
17- Not only does everyone love to have $100,000, but people also love 100 Grand candy bars! This bar, like Crunch, offers a few different textures, which levels up this chocolate bar. The outside of the candy bar is crunchy, which is delivered by the crisp rice cereal covered in silky smooth chocolate. The inside offers a different texture from the sticky caramel, which adds even more sweetness to this treat. Not only is the name of the candy bar enticing but the flavor and textures are as well. Sophomore Kennedy Coli says “I used to think only moms liked 100 grand but now I can’t stop eating them.”
18- Butterfingers are an extremely rich chocolate treat that contains layers of bright golden goodness. The texture of the peanut butter filling can sometimes be questionable and overly rich but the chocolate coating can make up for that strangeness. You might not always see people picking butter fingers but there’s always someone raving about it to this day. Jack Shwabenland, a sophomore at Granada, says, “No one should lay a finger on mine.”
19- Swedish fish does not always appear like a Halloween candy but somehow always manages to make the cut every year. Luckily, Swedish fish isn’t all that bad. The color is a nice bright red and the candy itself is nicely detailed to look like a fish. The taste may be sweet but the lingonberry flavoring can be a hit or miss for many people. Luke Debenning elaborates, “They’re a secondary type of candy, you just have to accept it, they’re not a primary candy.”
20- Airheads are delightfully sugary and include flavors such as watermelon, blue raspberry, strawberry, and cherry but its consistency and texture can be an instant repellent. Airheads are notorious for being overly sticky and stretchy and get completely stuck to your gums and teeth when consumed. They take ages to eat and always stick to the wrapper and leave your hands a gooey mess.
21- Laughy Taffys are similar to Airheads in the sense that they are too sticky and gooey. What makes them worse than air heads however is their flavors which are banana, cherry, and grape. Laughy Taffys are also thicker than airheads which makes them especially difficult to eat.
22- Dum-Dums do not mean dumb, and other than that there’s nothing really special about this candy besides the fact that lollipops take a while to eat, and nowadays no one has the patience to eat one. A positive about Dum-Dums, however, is that their flavor choices are far and wide ranging from dragon fruit to coconut pineapple and root beer. Dum-Dums will always have a flavor for you which makes them a favorable hard candy.
23- Nerds, a true ball of sugar, have kids not only up for hours but have them begging for more! Though they are simple, they are also unique. There are no other candies that embody anything near this candy. The size of the candy allows for multiple to be consumed at the same time, making this easy yet messy. Not only do Nerds come in their classic spherical form, but they also come in gummies, gummy clusters, and ropes. This candy has recently leveled up by introducing these new developments and has heightened people’s love for the candy and its brand.
24- Only Smarties have the answer. That answer is the key to a sense of nostalgia for many people. Everyone can recall an occasion in which they were rewarded with this candy during elementary school. Though everyone wishes Smarties could actually make one smarter, they do make one happier as they are a tube filled with an enjoyable sugary treat.
25- Tootsie Rolls are controversial at times. Some people love Tootsie Rolls, while others would rather toss it to the side to trade with those who love them. Tootsie Rolls are a chocolate-flavored taffy with a slightly firmer texture than Laffy Taffy. They offer a one-dimensional flavor that tastes like a mutated version of traditional chocolate. Tootsie Rolls however are a childhood classic and fill many candy mixes every year.
26- Lemon Heads are typically not everyone’s cup of tea. This hard candy is disgustingly sour, Lemon Heads’ slogan is “Real lemon pucker power” but there cannot be any lemon in the world that is that unnaturally sour. There is no possible way someone eats Lemon Heads as a treat and it is quite disturbing when they do. They say that eating this candy will create a unique sensation in your mouth but realistically that sensation is most likely unbearable pain from the acidic taste. Unless you are looking for a challenge or like to eat revoltingly sour candies, stay away from Lemon Heads!
27- Hershey’s chocolate is the most BORING of them all. Halloween is decorative, festive, and fun- Hershey’s represents none of these adjectives. To be plain and simple, just like the candy, Hershey’s is boring and unexciting, which is not something one would reach for during Halloween.
28- Milk Duds, as the name suggests, are a dud on this list. There are enough chewy, caramel, chocolate treats, the candy industry did not need another one. These are also a choking hazard and the caramel seems significantly more sticky than the rest, leaving your mouth sticky and thirsty. If someone wants chocolate and caramel they typically reach for a Snickers or Twix, not a Milk Dud.
29- Twizzlers are a deceptive candy. They are just FAKE licorice. If someone wants a licorice-like candy, they would just reach for Red Vines, not the most imposter candy of them all. Though they resemble licorice in texture and overall look, the most common flavor Twizzler (strawberry), does not contain actual licorice, making this candy just a licorice-type treat. Twizzlers should just be renamed as knock-off licorice.
30- Dots can be used to decorate gingerbread houses during Christmas but somehow it’s wiggled its sticky way into our Halloween bowls. Firstly, these candies are packed into a small container and only provide a sparse amount of Dots. However, this may be an upside as dots should be avoided entirely. This candy has to be the stickiest out there, once you start chewing you’ll be chomping away for ages. Even when you think it’s all gone you find some more sticky candy stuck in your teeth hours later. This is the best way to get multiple cavities. Finally, Dots’ flavors taste like an overly processed plastic rainbow.
31- Candy corn may as well be the very last on the list but a rare few tend to like this oddly waxy and generally flavorless candy. Although candy corn is a cute decoration and looks appetizing, it is better to not attempt to consume it. The texture is purely like taking a bite out of a dusty candle and has an odd sugary slightly plastic taste.
32- Coming dead last is Almond Joy. This candy bar is more like a trick than a treat. Almond Joy is the definition of trying to be healthy in the worst situation. This bar is filled with coconut shavings and supposed almonds but there is such a sparse amount that it seems like there is a constant almond shortage. Kennedy Coli, a Sophomore, states, “Why put me in a situation to consume both coconut and almond at once.”
