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Halloween Candy and Other Treats: The Favorites, the Best, the Worst, the Seasonal, the Weird

elfin

By elfin
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suzilightning

suzilightning

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reese's miniature peanut butter cups - the perfect ratio of chocolate to pb....

oh, for the kids? :shock: lollipops, candy corn, hershey's miniatures.

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

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Tmnoland

Tmnoland

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Resistance is futile - I love Smarties. As a kid, my friends and I would pretend they were pills. Make you all better.

I noticed the candy store is selling candy cigs again! haha! Nobody wants to be non-P.C., so I'm sure they won't make it into the trick or treat bags.

Why is the white part on candy corn the best? hmmmmmm

-therese, m.d. (take two white smarties and call me in the morning.)

Many parts of a pine tree are edible.
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chile_peppa

chile_peppa

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I went to the Dominick's supermarket the other day, searching for candy corn for my sweetie, but to no avail. All they had was Hershey's and Nestle's chocolate thingies...

Resistance is futile - I love Smarties. As a kid, my friends and I would pretend they were pills. Make you all better.

My sisters and I did the same thing. We also had "trading parties" after each Halloween, where we would sort out all the candy we didn't like and trade with each other.

"It is a fact that he once made a tray of spanakopita using Pam rather than melted butter. Still, though, at least he tries." -- David Sedaris
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cakewalk

cakewalk

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Halloween is interesting in big high-rise buildings in NY these days. In my building (which has over 1,000 apartments in it, talk about huge), we're asked to put a sign up on our doors if we want kids to come to us for Trick or Treat. At first I thought, well, who wouldn't want kids to come to them? I mean, I think it's such a lovely custom and the kids are so sweet. But the truth is, for the past two years I've gone from work to class on Halloween, and haven't returned home until late and night, so no trick-or-treaters for me. :sad: This year, it's on Sunday. YAY!!! I think I'm going to bake something (will the kids' parents throw it out? Hmmm.)

However, if I bought candy this early for Halloween, there'd be nothing left, nothing at all. I don't know how you all can SAVE candy for a particular day!

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RebeccaT

RebeccaT

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My poor mother-in-law. She still hands out that nasty peanut butter taffy, you know, those nasty rounds of chewy gross-ness wrapped in orange or black waxed paper? Poor hubby used to get made fun of for that, and he insists that he is scarred for life. Doesn't she get that the peanut butter taffy is what's leftover in the bottom of the bowl three weeks later, because no one likes that stuff??? :huh:

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reesek

reesek

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My poor mother-in-law.  She still hands out that nasty peanut butter taffy, you know, those nasty rounds of chewy gross-ness wrapped in orange or black waxed paper?  Poor hubby used to get made fun of for that, and he insists that he is scarred for life.  Doesn't she get that the peanut butter taffy is what's leftover in the bottom of the bowl three weeks later, because no one likes that stuff???  :huh:

mary jane's? charleston chew?

from overheard in new york:

Kid #1: Paper beats rock. BAM! Your rock is blowed up!

Kid #2: "Bam" doesn't blow up, "bam" makes it spicy. Now I got a SPICY ROCK! You can't defeat that!

--6 Train

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  • 2 weeks later...
Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

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At last! A resolution to the problem of leftover Halloween candy!

the Boston Herald offers solutions :biggrin:

your excess Halloween candy. But a person can only eat so many straight-up sweets, and somehow it's hard to just toss it in the trash. Well, you could try cooking with it. It's not really such an outlandish idea - since you'll probably have it hanging around, why not try it? If nothing else, it's a conversation piece: Who'd ever guess that the secret ingredient in your special cappuccino is a peppermint pattie?

Check out these recipes:

BUTTERFINGER CRUMB CAKE

GUMMI SAVERS NUT AND CRANBERRY SNACK

PEPPERMINT PATTIE CAPPUCCINO

BLACK & WHITE MOUSSE (Three Musketeers)

SNICKERS BAR CHEESECAKE

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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hillvalley

hillvalley

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The father of one of my students walked into his parent/teacher confrence last week with four shopping bags full of candy :biggrin: Everything from rollos to pixie sticks to junior mints to candy bracelets to smarties to almond joys :wub::wub::wub:

We have the stash hidden in the classroom. If the kids only knew! Granted, by the time they find out about it on Friday the stash will be much smaller :hmmm:

Edited by hillvalley (log)

True Heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic.

It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost,

but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. -Arthur Ashe

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M. Lucia

M. Lucia

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I had the exact same thought as elfin!

The rest of the year I barely eat candy, but Halloween rolls around and I just have to have some.

I love the candy pumpkins (candy corn shaped as pumpkins) which can be harder to find these days (I've already stashed some away). I also like caramels, mint patties, and jelly beans.

I bought those gummies shaped as hamburgers and hotdogs for kids this year.

Interestingly, a friend of mine had bought some "indian corn" the other day and the second ingredient (between sugar and corn syrup) was edible shellac! What is this?!

Desert Candy
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Shannon_Elise

Shannon_Elise

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Candy Corn, love the stuff, I'm in the white tip camp. The pumpkins are heaven, eaten very slowly and allowed to melt. Although I don't really like the Brachs version, they taste too waxy.

I love everything about Halloween, in fact this year I offered to let my sister and her husband both takes the kids trick or treating so that I could dress up and hand out candy.

Shannon

my new blog: http://uninvitedleftovers.blogspot.com

"...but I'm good at being uncomfortable, so I can't stop changing all the time...be kind to me, or treat me mean...I'll make the most of it I'm an extraordinary machine."

-Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine

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Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

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Sweet treats, then and now

1880s Wunderle Candy Company creates candy corn. In 1898, Goelitz Confectionery Company began making candy corn and has made this Halloween favorite longer than any other company.

Don't know about you but it is time to wax nostalgic about those Goo Goo Clusters and Necco Wafers... :laugh:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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  • 1 year later...
Kris

Kris

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I love Halloween. It's July and I'm already thinking about the costume I want to wear this year. Mind you, I'm 35 years old. :laugh:

Anyway, when I lived at home with my parents and outgrew trick-or-treating, I started handing out candy to the kids that would ring our doorbell. I always bought the "good" candy, which to me was miniature chocolate bars like Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Muskateer, et. al. I always hated getting cheap candy as a trick-or-treater, so I remembered that as a candy giver.

I would have my tape recorder (in later years a CD player) cued up with creepy music playing, have my Jason-from-Friday-the-13th hockey mask on and greet the kids with a bowl of candy in my hand. One year, I gave out pre-wrapped popcorn balls from a company called http://www.popcornfactory.com My sister had gotten 100 of them as a corporate gift but didn't want them. So she gave them to me to use for the trick-or-treaters. They were a BIG hit. Even some of the parents who accompanied the kids wanted one. :laugh:

I haven't had any trick-or-treaters for several years now because I moved into an apartment building when I married. But when hubby and I buy our house next year, just you wait...I'm going to be ready for 'em!

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Kris

Kris

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P.S. - To this day, I must buy a bag of candy corn every October! It's either prominently featuring during my Halloween party or during my Halloween movie marathon weekend (whichever event I'm having in a particular year - it changes).

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LindsayAnn

LindsayAnn

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My poor mother-in-law.  She still hands out that nasty peanut butter taffy, you know, those nasty rounds of chewy gross-ness wrapped in orange or black waxed paper?  Poor hubby used to get made fun of for that, and he insists that he is scarred for life.  Doesn't she get that the peanut butter taffy is what's leftover in the bottom of the bowl three weeks later, because no one likes that stuff???  :huh:

Shoot I love those..always have. I was that weird kid that WANTED them, I love Peanut Butter and those were one of my fav's...along with Mary Janes...on the plus side I got all of my neighbors (Erin) that I was childhood friends with (since age 7 when I moved into her neighborhood)...and this October I am in her wedding...oh wow we are all grown up now!!!

"One Hundred Years From Now It Will Not Matter What My Bank Account Was, What Kind of House I lived in, or What Kind of Car I Drove, But the World May Be A Better Place Because I Was Important in the Life of A Child."

LIFES PHILOSOPHY: Love, Live, Laugh

hmmm - as it appears if you are eating good food with the ones you love you will be living life to its fullest, surely laughing and smiling throughout!!!

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LindsayAnn

LindsayAnn

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Ah yes, and I almost forgot to mention...I too am in the candy corn camp...and I also reside in the cabin of white tip lovers....it jsut tastes the best (although the entire thing is heavely). I love the pumkins as well....candy corn is only a treat for halloween though, whoever said it jsut tastes better in October/November was right on...it must be ripest that time of year *laughs*

"One Hundred Years From Now It Will Not Matter What My Bank Account Was, What Kind of House I lived in, or What Kind of Car I Drove, But the World May Be A Better Place Because I Was Important in the Life of A Child."

LIFES PHILOSOPHY: Love, Live, Laugh

hmmm - as it appears if you are eating good food with the ones you love you will be living life to its fullest, surely laughing and smiling throughout!!!

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Kim Shook

Kim Shook

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Posted
My poor mother-in-law.  She still hands out that nasty peanut butter taffy, you know, those nasty rounds of chewy gross-ness wrapped in orange or black waxed paper?  Poor hubby used to get made fun of for that, and he insists that he is scarred for life.  Doesn't she get that the peanut butter taffy is what's leftover in the bottom of the bowl three weeks later, because no one likes that stuff???   :huh:

Shoot I love those..always have. I was that weird kid that WANTED them, I love Peanut Butter and those were one of my fav's...along with Mary Janes...on the plus side I got all of my neighbors (Erin) that I was childhood friends with (since age 7 when I moved into her neighborhood)...and this October I am in her wedding...oh wow we are all grown up now!!!

Me, too! But we're not weird - it's the haters that are :raz:! How can you not like peanut butter taffy :blink: ? It's sweet, chewy, peanut buttery...all good!

Kim

Kim's Cookbook

What Fresh Hell is This?

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LindsayAnn

LindsayAnn

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Posted
My poor mother-in-law.  She still hands out that nasty peanut butter taffy, you know, those nasty rounds of chewy gross-ness wrapped in orange or black waxed paper?  Poor hubby used to get made fun of for that, and he insists that he is scarred for life.  Doesn't she get that the peanut butter taffy is what's leftover in the bottom of the bowl three weeks later, because no one likes that stuff???   :huh:

Shoot I love those..always have. I was that weird kid that WANTED them, I love Peanut Butter and those were one of my fav's...along with Mary Janes...on the plus side I got all of my neighbors (Erin) that I was childhood friends with (since age 7 when I moved into her neighborhood)...and this October I am in her wedding...oh wow we are all grown up now!!!

Me, too! But we're not weird - it's the haters that are :raz:! How can you not like peanut butter taffy :blink: ? It's sweet, chewy, peanut buttery...all good!

Yes yes and the middle's were the best...the real peanut butter (not sweetened with sugar like the taffy exterior), and there were even little gritty pieces of peanuts in there....MMMMM YUMMY.. Now the question remainds were oh were can I find these little gems at this time of the year! I cannot possibly wait the three months till halloween comes around...now that Kim brought up thier magical yummyness!

"One Hundred Years From Now It Will Not Matter What My Bank Account Was, What Kind of House I lived in, or What Kind of Car I Drove, But the World May Be A Better Place Because I Was Important in the Life of A Child."

LIFES PHILOSOPHY: Love, Live, Laugh

hmmm - as it appears if you are eating good food with the ones you love you will be living life to its fullest, surely laughing and smiling throughout!!!

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Ktepi

Ktepi

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Oh holy cow, the grit's the best part.

When I was a kid, I realized that if I learned to love coconut, I could get more candy: because by the end of Halloween night (when I was a preteen, trick or treating was nearly always held on a Friday or Saturday night and we'd have a party at someone's house and stay up all night watching movies), people were willing to trade, say, two coconut candies for one non-coconut candy bar -- two Almond Joys and a box of Dots for a Snickers -- and so on. Anything to rid their bags of coconut that'd go uneaten, or corner the market on Skors.

I still really love Mounds.

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Kris

Kris

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Ah yes, and I almost forgot to mention...I too am in the candy corn camp...and I also reside in the cabin of white tip lovers....it jsut tastes the best (although the entire thing is heavely).  I love the pumkins as well....candy corn is only a treat for halloween though, whoever said it jsut tastes better in October/November was right on...it must be ripest that time of year *laughs*

Ditto. Indian corn (now known as harvest corn due to politically correct times), just doesn't taste the same to me. I love those pumpkins as well, although if I eat too many of them my teeth begin to hurt.

As for Mary Janes, peanut butter taffys and other candy of that ilk, those were ones I hated to receive as a young trick-or-treater. My mother loved them though, so she was more than happy to take them off my hands.

When I was a young trick-or-treater, my sisters and I (and the rest of the kids in the neighborhood) would visit the local mom & pop shops looking for treats. One of the best treats was the candy apple we'd receive from Mike's Fruit & Vegetable stand. The cool thing was that parents never had to worry about the apples being tampered with razor blades or poison since everyone knew Mike. So it was okay for us to eat Mike's candy apples before we even got home for mom to check our candy bags. Those were the days!

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