Sweet Or Sour: My Favorite Halloween Candies

Whether old clothing or the playground, we leave behind many things in childhood — and every Halloween, I’m reminded that trick-or-treating is one of them. I vividly remember dressing up in princess dresses or pirate costumes, infatuated with the embellishments and sparkly details, and putting on a long-sleeve turtleneck underneath to combat the New England cold.

While many of us grow out of trick-or-treating, for those of us who become parents or the door that children knock on for candy, we still get to feel the excitement of finding out what houses are handing out which candy all over again. In the spooky spirit of reliving the post-trick-or-treat candy trading frenzy, here are some of my favorite Halloween candies.

Sour Patch Kids

Sour Patch Kids are my go-to movie theater, airport or Halloween sweet. To me, no flavor is outright bad, although some flavors are definitely better than others. The original packs have orange, lime, lemon, blue raspberry and ‘redberry’. My favorites are the blue raspberry and ‘redberry’, and orange is frequently the ones left in the bag. Unfortunately for a Sour Patch-lover like me, the brand’s slogan rings true: They’re always Sour. Sweet. Gone.

Reese’s

There is a great divide between people who believe peanut butter and chocolate pair well together, versus those who believe it’s an awful combination. I love Reese’s, but they’re like pasta: they really do taste different depending on the shape. I can’t explain why, but the Reese’s Pumpkins are the best. But whether a Reese’s is in its traditional grooved up or a specialty holiday shape, they’re always a 10.

3 Musketeers

Eating them now, it’s easy to remember why 3 Musketeers was my childhood favorite. Whether bite-sized or King-sized, I was always excited to see the silver wrapping in my ghost-shaped trick-or-treating bag. I don’t care for caramel, so just being chocolate and whipped chocolate nougat was perfect for me.

Junior Mints

I’m a huge fan of peppermint-flavored anything — and truly, I believe that most peppermint candies have a different flavor profile than toothpaste. Junior Mints have to be my favorite, though. They’re mini, and while most chocolate bars taste better frozen (the snap gets sharper), I love when Junior Mints melt inside the paper box.

M&Ms

Maybe another controversial take, but different colored M&Ms taste differently, and while the green M&Ms got her boots back, the blue ones taste the best.

Milky Way

Milky Ways are one of my mom’s favorites, and I’m sure when my candy went through the ‘metal detector,’ a few of these got confiscated. Although they have caramel, I can overlook the small amount. When you only focus on the bars’ dominant ingredients, it tastes exactly the same as a 3 Musketeers. What’s not to love?

Snickers

Sometimes, I naturally want a candy bar, and other times, commercials convince me that I need a candy bar. In my recent obsession with football, I stumbled upon a Snickers commercial from the 2010 Super Bowl. 

It shows a group of guys playing football and strangely, Betty White is in the center of the game. Unsure of where to go next, she’s tackled. The team huddles up, and one of the members says, “Mike, you’re playing like Betty White out there”; rather than coming across as a statement against women or Betty White, this witty moment displays how out of place people can feel when they’re ‘hangry’ or just hungry. Betty White was a brilliant actress and comedian, but when it comes to the football field, well, she’s not made out to be a lineman.

Since 2010, “You’re not you when you’re hungry” has been the commercial slogan for Snickers bars. Complementing the familiar nougat, roasted peanuts, and caramel covered milk chocolate that’s mass produced by the Mars Co, the campaign has truly set this candy apart.

Smarties

When I was in elementary school, my best friend was a British military child named Lottie. I loved being able to share American culture with her, and she would share British culture with me. If you’ve ever had American Smarties before, you know that they’re fruit-flavored disks that come in a cylindrical roll.

So you can imagine my surprise one day when at her house, she opened a cabinet and pulled out a bag of chocolate labeled Smarties. In the rest of the world, Smarties are more reminiscent of M&Ms: chocolate pieces covered in colorful shells. However what I love about American Smarties is that they’re another fruit inspired treat that have no bad flavor. Although I would argue an under-appreciated Halloween candy, whenever I saw them in my trick-or-treat bag, I was excited to have them.

Nerds & Nerds Gummy Cluster

When I was little, the only Nerds that we would see when trick-or-treating were the small paper boxes of purple or pink sugar crystals. Now, Nerds have flavor variations, including for their Nerds Gummy Clusters and Nerds Ropes. However, nothing beats the originals. I’ll never forget the small paper box immediately disintegrating when my mouth got too close to it.  

While these are just a few of my favorites, here are some of the candies that bring the spirit to Halloween.

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