October Thought Day 21: The Classics Never Go Out of Style

We’ve come to the point in the October Thoughts where my mother asks if I have written about candy corn yet. I told her no and that I was thinking skipping it this year because what more is there really to say on the subject. She was quite disappointed and it occurred to me that candy corn for her is like my Halloween tape to me. Who was I to stand in the way of a tradition? So I scoured the internet and found some tasty tidbits about my mother’s favorite tri-colored treat. Here we go.

For something that was invented in the 1880’s candy corn has held up considerably well. Rather than fading into obscurity like some holiday confections, it has grown and evolved and continues to do so. I could say that candy corn is unique to October, but like most prosperous things, it has branched out and expanded to other parts of the year as well. Now there is a type of candy corn for almost every holiday. The only one not coopted so far as I can tell is St. Patrick’s Day.

According to the internet, candy corn is the top selling candy with American’s purchasing over 20 million pounds of it a year. If all the kernels sold were laid out end to end, they would wrap around the earth 4.25 times. That’s a lot of corn; and now I’m picturing Earth with a candy corn ring around it. How cool would that be! Candy corn is also the most searched for candy term in Google, and out of all 50 states, people in Alabama search for it the most. I have no idea why. Once a candy corn bag is opened, if stored properly it should last 3-6 months, if unopened nine.

I enjoy seeing what the candy corn companies come up with year to year; they never fail to surprise and delight. During my pumpkin spice buying binge I managed to come across three, no make that six new types of corn and of course I had to give almost all of them a test run.

There are the new Fall Brunch Favorites, which consist of French Toast & Maple Syrup, which tastes almost exactly like it sounds. Then there is Waffles & Strawberry, which surprisingly tastes more like waffles than strawberry. Rounding out the mix is the Chocolate Chip Pancake candy corn that as far as I can tell tastes exactly like regular candy corn. I was a bit disappointed by that one.

Then there are the chocolate candy corns, Birthday Cake and Chocolate Sea Salt. The birthday cake corn tastes exactly like a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and the chocolate sea salt is very nice. I couldn’t really taste the salt, but that’s not a bad thing. There is also a Peanut Butter Cup candy corn which I was not brave enough to try. After all, a girl has to draw the line somewhere. Peanut butter cup candy corn just sounds too weird.

While I was searching the web for candy corn facts, I found out that they also came out with a Caramel candy corn this year. Now that sounds promising. During my search I also came across a candy horoscope that gives you a chart of popular Halloween candy and you pick which is your favorite. If you happen to choose candy corn, your Halloween candy horoscope calls you an “illusionist” and explains that “You keep people at a distance so as not to reveal your true self, adapting your personality to fit in with those around you.” I think that’s a touch heavy handed for a simple candy choice, but then again, it is an online quiz about candy.

While I love candy corn dearly, I am not as crazy about it as I am pumpkin spice. Some candy corn products go a bit too far in my estimation, like the candy corn flavored Oreos. Maybe it’s because I really don’t like Oreo’s all that much, but candy corn flavored ones weird me out. They just sound wrong. There are also candy corn MnM’s which I seem to recall not being overly fond of, candy corn popcorn and Fruity Pebbles cereal which both sound horrible, but not as horrible as candy corn coffee. There are also candy corn marshmallows which are good, candy corn kisses which are ok, candy corn Dots which can swing from yuck to yum in the same tasting and my new favorite, Hershey’s candy corn chocolate. I thought it might turn out to be not so great, but it is heaven in a wrapper. I can’t even begin to describe it, it’s that good. If you see a bag, I highly recommend that you grab it.

Brach’s is my favorite purveyor of the tri-colored deliciousness and the only other company that can even compare is Jelly Belly which makes its own wonderful corn contribution. Handy fact, if you find yourself with extra time on your hands and a solid piece of clay, you can actually make an ear of corn out of your candy corn. Exciting stuff I know.

There is a National Candy Corn Day on October 30^th and now that you are well armed with all sorts of candy corn trivia and product recommendations you can celebrate accordingly. If any of you are brave enough to try the peanut butter cup corn, let me know how it goes.