First of all, let it be known that I love all candy equally. I can easily eat an entire bag of those mini Butterfinger bars in one setting. And that is a problem.
But it wasn't always so.
My Halloween candy history goes something like this: I grew up in a very unpopulated rural area, on a hill with a quarter-mile-long driveway. Trick-or-treating was always a fun idea in theory, but, in reality, it meant having your parents drive you up and down dark dirt roads, usually in the freezing cold, in hopes of collecting a few granola bars and candy corn. Was it worth it? Not really. When I was around 12 years old, a "haunted" hayride was organized in my hollow as a festive way to shuttle children from house to house. I was the wrong age to appreciate any of the magic or efforts that went into it, and on its very first run, I got my very first period, epically staining my costume and embarrassing me so thoroughly I have no intention of ever "stepping foot" on a hay wagon again. It wasn't until my early 20s that I finally overcame the Halloween disappointments and traumas of my past and began to embrace the season once again. As a nanny in Brooklyn, New York, I became the recipient of all excess candy. Selflessly agreeing to take as many Reese's peanut butter cups as necessary, saving the children (really, the parents) from tummy aches and tantrums, I began to experience Halloween candy as a source of joy.
Unfortunately, as I left my early 20s behind, I began to find that binge-eating candy had much the same effect on me as it had on the seven-year-olds I had once pilfered from.
And so, it has happened: I have slowly come to appreciate quality over quantity when it comes to candy. (I've lived above a Duane Reade for the past six years so you can imagine the physical pain I've been through to reach this point. I mean, see above reference to Butterfinger bars.) The truth is, a nibble from a really good candy bar is way more satisfying than stuffing your face with an entire not-so-good candy bar. And why eat basic candy when there are so many other options?
Click through the gallery below to check out some of my favorite best-looking and best-tasting candy options for the sophisticated palate.
Dottie’s Toffee, Dark Chocolate Tin, $25, available at Dotties Toffee
Cranberry Sweets, Sugar Free Peanut Brittle, $11.95, available at CranberrySweets.com
Dean and Deluca, Pure Chocolate Skull, $18.75, available at Dean and Deluca
L’Abeille Occitane, Honery Pearls Candy with Violet, $8.50, available at TheFrenchFarm.com
Justin’s, Peanut Butter Cups, $2.49 - $136.28, available at Justins.com
Bloomsberry Think Chocolate, 1000mg of Happy Bar, $4.99, available at Bloomsberry Think Chocolate
Big Picture Farm, Farmstead Cider Honey Caramels, $7.49, available at BigPictureFarm.com
Bisous Ciah, Jack-O’-Lantern Macarons, $59, available at Dean and Deluca
Tea Room, Milk Chocolate Bar Infused with Bedouin’s Mint Tea, Organic, $3.29, 5/$15.00, available at Tea Room
Chowards, Violet Mints, $1.09, available at OldTimeCandy.com
Butter & Scotch, Boozy Popcorn Variety Pack , $24, available at Scoutmob.com
Amarelli, Anise Licorice Tin, $4.32, available at Eataly
Recchiiuti Confections, Pates de Fruits, $23, available at Recchiuti.com
Malaco, Allsorts Liquorice Mix Candy 300g, $12.74, available at Amazon.com
Domori, White Chocolate and Matcha Bar, $6, available at CocoaStore.nyc
Dandelion Chocolate, Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania - 70%, $8, available at Dandelion Chocolate
Boissier, Parisian Caramels Candies Pencil Box, $19.99, available at Lepanierfrancais.com
San Churro Chocolateria, Crispy Bliss Balls - Strawberry, two for $12, available at San Churro
Sugar Knife, "Blood And Sand” Jameson Whiskey, Blood Orange Bitters, Tart Dried Cherry Lollipops, $22, available at Sugar Knife
Quin Is Candy, Oregon Cherry Sparkling Candy, $8.50, available at Quin Candy
Wondermade, Fall Flavors Marshmallos, $30 for 4 boxes, available at Wondermade
Black Pig Meat Co., Bacon Toffee Pig Pop, $5.75, available at Mouth.com
Quin Is Candy, Butterscotch Old Fashioned Hard Candies, $5, available at Quin Candy
Canels, Chicle Miniatura 320-piece pack, $4.89, available at mymexicancandy.com
Sugarfina, Pale Ale Pint Gummies, $7.50, available at Sugarfina
