A lot of people have memories of spending Halloweens walking around neighborhoods, filling bags or baskets up with candy. I definitely spent many nights trading candy with my brother and friends, because let’s be real that’s the most important part of Halloween. Whether you were aiming to hoard all the fruity candies, all the chocolates, or you were just trying to get as far away as possible from anything with nuts, this was probably the most important bargain of your short life. Scroll down for my ranking of the top 15 Halloween candies!
15. Gobstoppers
These jawbreakers are iconic. Not only do they make you feel like you’re in one of the Willy Wonka movies, but they also change flavor the more you suck on them! The only thing is you can only have so much of them before you’re ready to swear off candy forever… or maybe just a week
14. Butterfinger
I admit it was only pretty recently that I tried a Butterfinger myself, but man I wouldn’t mind getting one this Halloween. As a hardcore chocolate lover, I’m almost guaranteed to like anything with chocolate, especially peanut butter. But while it does taste great, the crumbly texture of this candy isn’t my favorite.
13. M&M’s
Another iconic candy. Did you really trick-or-treat if you didn’t get at least one of these in your candy bag? These candies are great for sharing, great for trading, or great for keeping all to yourself. They’re a great staple for anyone giving away candy, but I wouldn’t miss them if I gave them all away.
12. Mounds/Almond Joy
If you’re a fan of coconut then this candy is a great Halloween treat! This candy is chocolate and coconut heaven, and definitely transports me back to summer (or home in Florida where it’s permanently summer). But this is another candy where I’d be ready to take a break from sugar for a while after eating a lot of it.
11. Three Musketeers
This is a solid chocolate. It’s light, tasty, and a perfect treat if you just want a little pick-me-up after eating way too much candy the night before.
10. Airheads
Honestly I don’t like Laffy Taffy but I am 100% here for Airheads. It’s thinner than taffy, sweet, but also has a bit of a sour punch. If you like fruity and chewy candy this is a great addition to your Halloween candy haul!
9. Hershey’s
This is possibly the most classic candy ever. Whether you’re here for Hershey’s milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or their cookies and creme flavor, if you like chocolate it’s not Halloween unless you get a few Hershey’s bars.
8. Milky Way
Milky Way is like a combo of Three Musketeers and Twix. They’re great if you love the lighter taste of Three Musketeers but also love the caramel in Twix. Honestly the version of Milky Way I really love is the dark chocolate variety. And Halloween’s the perfect time to get Milky Way because I honestly can’t imagine eating a normal-sized Milky Way bar by myself (nor could I imagine doing that with Three Musketeers, and probably a lot of chocolates)
7. Starbursts
Anyone else remember opening up the Starbursts packet on Halloween to trade away the colors you got with your friends or siblings? We all have strong feelings about at least one color in the Starbursts packet; which side are you on?
6. Kit-Kat
True or false: There’s a right way and a wrong way to eat Kit-Kat. Kit-Kat is great if you’re here for the cookie or wafer bar and want something that isn’t overly-coated in chocolate.
5. Sour Patch
If you like being a little more adventurous with your candy, Sour Patch is the way to go. If we were only talking about Sour Patch Watermelons I’d probably move this higher on my list since those definitely taste sweet and sour, but IMO Sour Patch Kids just aren’t all that sour, so they feel like a bit of a disappointment, even though they still taste great.
4. Skittles
Skittles are great. I could just leave it there, but honestly after a long Halloween night these are probably one of the first candies I would rip in to. Skittle are great if you want something small and sweet.
3. Twix
So the Left Twix vs. Right Twix commercials are kinda stupid, but Twix is still a great candy. Chocolate, caramel, and a cookie all wrapped into one, personally this is one of the candies that would make me most look forward to Halloween, since I’m not really getting candy bars any other time of the year.
2. Reese’s
As a lover of peanut butter and a lover of chocolate, Reese’s makes its way to the top of my list without much of a fight. I would gladly trade my brother for candy so I could get his Reese’s, since he’s not a huge fan of peanut butter. But if you really want to treat yourself to peanut butter cups on Halloween and you don’t mind splurging a bit, definitely try Justin’s peanut butter cups. Reese’s are definitely a classic, but honestly Justin’s just feels creamier where Reese’s can be a bit gritty, and it’s also easy to find their dark chocolate variety if you prefer that over milk chocolate (sorry, Reese’s).
1. Heath
I love toffee. Heath and toffee in general is another candy that I didn’t try until high school, and it soon became the candy that my brother and I would request as our techie gift after doing tech for our school’s theatre productions. Heath (and toffee in general) is one of my (many) weaknesses when it comes to junk food. If I got a whole bag of Heath bars for Halloween I’d probably be jumping around the room from excitement. Seriously, I think that would make the rest of my year.