Ah, Halloween — back in the day, it was all about the costume, the candy and the sugar rush that had you bouncing off walls until the inevitable crash. Now, as college students, Halloween is more about scrambling to find a half-decent costume the day before, maybe attending a party and reminiscing about a simpler time when the only thing that mattered was filling up your plastic pumpkin with candy. And let’s be honest, a well-timed sugar rush is still a top-tier college survival tactic.
Now that this Halloween has concluded, to honor that nostalgia, we are going to, unquestionably, rank the top 10 Halloween candies.
10. Tootsie Rolls
Tootsie Rolls are some of the least exciting pieces of candy around. They may stick to your teeth, and if you need a snack, these are probably the last things you go for. However, they make it onto the list at 10 because of the different flavors of Tootsie Rolls that are out there.
9. Candy corn
Hot take — candy corn isn’t a horrible piece of candy. You could refer to it as the Tinder date of Halloween; either you love it with an unexplainable passion or you ghost it after a try or two. Considering candy corn is meant to be a Halloween time-of-year treat, I don’t mind having a piece here or there, and it doesn’t stick to my teeth like Tootsie Rolls do.
8. Regular Hershey’s Kisses or bars
The first chocolate item on this list comes in the form of Hershey’s candy. One of the most iconic pieces of candy, yet it can get a bit old when it’s one of the most popular things that is given out. It has nothing to compliment it —– no caramel, no crunch and a one-note flavor. Though when looking through the collection I’ve gathered, Hershey’s definitely wouldn’t be something I leave for last or get rid of it.
7. Sour Patch Kids
Sour Patch Kids is how you know it’s starting to get good in your candy-eating journey. The sourness of them when you first eat them is a different feeling than what anything else can give you. You also don’t know what type you may receive, considering they have anything from tropical to watermelon to all-blue raspberry. Then to top it off, you can dump the empty bag of sour sugar into your mouth and make weird faces from the taste.
6. 3 Musketeers
I’ve been asking the question all week: “What’s the best Halloween candy?” 3 Musketeers was never a top answer of anyone. In fact, I got some weird looks and reactions when I said 3 Musketeers was a favorite of mine. How can anyone turn down the softness of the whipped nougat mousse on the inside of one of these? It’s not crunchy, it won’t get stuck in your teeth and it almost has that melt-in-your-mouth feel.
5. Skittles
“Taste the rainbow,” they said. And we did. Skittles are the perfect snack when you want to take a break from the chocolate overload that typically dominates Halloween. Plus, there’s that one magical moment when you toss a bunch of different flavors into your mouth, and for a split second, you forget where you are and what you’re supposed to be doing — probably studying — then reality hits, and it tastes like a tropical sugar hurricane.
4. Almond Joy/Mounds
Almond Joy and Mounds are similar enough that I’m lumping them into one section at #4. Both of them have their pros; Mounds are dark chocolate, Almond Joy are made with… almonds. But the one thing that sets them apart from the others is the coconut used in them. I love coconut, but I also understand that people either hate it or love it, and there is no in between.
3. Kit Kats
These milk chocolate sugar wafers bring the best crunch of all the Candy Kingdom. The crunch is so good, it’s almost like you’re in some weird ASMR experience. So, let me get a piece of that KitKat bar.
2. Twix
Are you a left Twix person or a right Twix person? Either way, you know you’re going to enjoy a top-tier piece of candy. What more could you ask for than a combination of silky-chocolate, delicious caramel and a cookie-style crunch, all wrapped into a fun-sized or king-sized pack?
1. Reese’s Peanut Butter shapes
Let’s not kid ourselves — this was always going to be the number one pick. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the undisputed champions of Halloween candy. The perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter is so universally beloved that if someone tells you they don’t like them, you immediately question their judgment. The different shapes that they come in, especially the pumpkin, also adds on to the uniqueness of Reese’s that ultimately makes it the candy king of this list.
Don’t agree with something on my list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments of this article or on Instagram, @12gage_gun.
