A cruel joke for trick-or-treaters, or a mouth-watering seasonal delight? The great Halloween debate over candy corn is underway.
In the pantheon of high-sentiment sweets, fall’s classic sparkling tricolor of white, orange and yellow is head and shoulders above the rest. Fans and foes alike point to the same attributes: its plastic or candle-like texture (depending on who you ask) and the oversize sugary goodness it packs.
“I’m a big proponent of candy corn. It’s sugar! What’s not to love? It’s amazing. It’s like this waxy texture. You can have it once a year. It’s tri-colored. It’s always fun,” comedian Shannon Federer ( Shannon Fiedler gushed on TikTok. “And, I know it’s gross. Candy corn is objectively gross, but that’s the beauty of it.”
Or, as Paul Zaccone of Huntington, New York, puts it: “I love candy corn even though it’s supposed to look like a candle. I also love that a lot of people hate it. That makes me love it even more!”
Love it or hate it, market leader Brach’s produces about 30 million pounds of candy corn each fall, which the company says is enough to circle the earth about five times. Candy corn accounted for $75 million of $88.5 million in sales last year, according to consumer research firm Circana.
Candy corn is niche compared to top chocolate sellers and other popular candies. But few other candies have permeated culture like these spiky little sugar bombs.
While other candies have their haters (we’re looking at Peeps, Circus Peanuts and Brach’s Peppermint Christmas Nougat), candy corn has launched a world of memes on social media. It inspires home decor and fashion. There are knitters and crocheters, ombre hairstyles, makeup enthusiasts and nail art designs.
It’s also used in foods like nut bowls, trail mix, cupcakes, and Rice Krispie Treats. Vans released a pair of shoes emblazoned with candy corn, Nike used its color scheme on a pair of Dunks, and Kellogg’s borrowed the flavor profile of its Corn Pops cereal.
Singer and actress Michelle Williams is a huge fan. Last year, she recorded an ode to her love for Brahe.
As consumers rave or rage, Bracher has turned to fresh blends and flavors over the years. The turkey dinner mix came in 2020 and lasted two years. It has a variety of nuts and tastes like green beans, roasted bird, cranberry sauce, stuffing, apple pie and coffee.
It won’t come back.
“I would say it’s newsworthy, but maybe not consumer-worthy,” said Katie Duffy, vice president and general manager of seasonal candy and Brach brands at parent company Ferrara Candy Co. ) explain.
Other flavors include s’mores, blueberry, marshmallow, lemon-lime, chocolate and, of course, pumpkin spice. Nerds, another brand from Ferrara, has a hard-shell version.
It’s unclear when candy corn was invented. According to legend, Philadelphia’s Wunderle Candy Co. first produced the candy in 1888 in partnership with long-time employee George Renninger. It’s simply called Butter Cream and one is called Chicken Corn. This makes sense in an agricultural society.
A few years later, the Golitz Candy Company (now Jelly Belly) began producing corn candy, which it called “chicken feed.” The box is decorated with a rooster logo and the slogan: “Something to cheer about.” Brach’s began producing candy corn in 1920.
Today, kids love to stack the candy corn in a circle, pointing inward, to form a corncob tower. In terms of nutrition, 19 candy corns contain approximately 140 calories and 28 grams of sugar. To be fair, many other Halloween candy staples fall within the same range.
In terms of ingredients, it couldn’t be simpler. Corn candy is mainly composed of sugar, corn syrup, icing, salt, gelatin, honey and dyes.
“It’s no sweeter than a lot of other candies, and I’ve tasted them all,” said Richard Hartle, who teaches candy science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Hartle’s students make candy in the lab. He said the candy corn lab is one of his most popular labs because it’s fun to make. His unscientific survey of nine seniors who made the candy corn last showed that they didn’t have a strong feeling when they actually ate the candy corn.
“I think it’s the flavor that turns some people off. It tastes a little like butter and honey. Some people don’t like the texture, but it’s really not that different from the chocolate buttercream center,” he said.
Candy corn lovers have their nibbling rituals.
Maggie Song is a purist. She has been partial to the original tri-colored corn kernels since she was a child. She eats them by color, starting with the white tips, accompanied by a cup of hot tea or coffee.
“To this day, I swear the colors taste different,” she said with a laugh.
Fact check: According to Duffy, no.
And don’t get people started on Brach’s green-topped little orange pumpkin candies. That’s a completely different conversation.
“Pumpkin candy? That’s disgusting,” said Song, 59, who lives in New York. “Too thick, too sweet, not the right consistency.”
She likes her candy corn “closer to stale for a better consistency.” “Unfortunately, I can’t eat too much because I’m type 2 diabetic,” Sung added.
Aaron Sadler, 46, spokesman and mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, doesn’t share his candy corn. He hid items in drawers at home and in the office.
“My fiancée can’t stand my love of candy corn,” he said. “I bought it and I got a look of disdain, but I didn’t care. I just kept plugging it in.”
Sadler has been involved since he was a kid. How would he describe the texture and taste? “Sweet happiness.”
He will continue buying candy corn until mid-November.
“It’s 50 percent off after Halloween. Of course I’m going to buy it,” Sadler said with a laugh.
After Thanksgiving, he will continue to eat Christmas candy York peppermint patties. What about Valentine’s Day? Sandler is all about candy conversation hearts.
And there are hoarders. They freeze candy corn for consumption year-round. Others will simply mix it with dry roasted peanuts or other savory combinations.
“My ratio is 2 to 3 peanuts to 1 candy corn. That’s the only way I eat it,” said Lisa Marsh, a 50-year-old who lives in New York. She stores the candy corn in glass jars to enjoy year-round.
Of the haters, 71-year-old fan Diana Peacock of Grand Junction, Colo., chided: “They’re crazy. How could they not love it?”
Instead, Jennifer Walker fought back. Walker, 50, who lives in Ontario, Canada, calls the candy corn “big chunks of dyed sugar.” No taste. “
Her fellow Ontarians in Sault Ste. Marie. Mary Abby Obenchain isn’t a fan either. She equates candy corn to childhood memories of visits to the pediatrician who had a bowl at hand.
“To me, a bowl of candy corn looks like a bowl of old teeth, like someone pulled out a bunch of witch’s teeth,” said Obencharn, 63.
Savannah Woolston, 29, of Washington, D.C., said candy corn is more than just a candy
“I’m very passionate about spiritually engaging with each season, and I feel like candy corn is like pumpkin spice lattes and fall sweaters,” she said. “I’d die on the mountain because it tastes so good.”
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