Molasses Kisses Halloween candy by Kerr's Candy.The Canadian Press
The divisiveness of Halloween candy is not immediately apparent when you’re looking at brightly wrapped packages of corn syrup masquerading as treats in the grocery aisle. But we certainly learned our lesson when we launched a bracket to crown the best Halloween candy ever.
While Kit Kat was ultimately named the winner after more than 50,000 votes, there was much discussion in the comments, with many decrying the fact their favourite candy wasn’t on the list. In our defence, when you only have 16 candies battling against each other, some tough decisions need to be made.
But in the spirit of the free sugar rushes that embody Halloween, we wanted to give some space to the candies Globe readers most wish they’d seen on the list. Caramilk fans, we really do apologize.
Answers have been edited for clarity and length
Molasses kisses
By far and away, this was the most-noted candy in the comments, with a nostalgia value that can‘t be replaced. But in the interest of our dental bills, there’s no way we could have included them.
- The best candy is not on this silly corporatist list. Those tan-coloured molasses-based chewy candies were the best ever. Maybe they went away? I dunno. We’re talking the 1970s. - Angus S Miskers
- C’mon Globe, drop the treats made by multinationals and give praise to the best, most awesome Halloween candy of all time: Tire Sainte-Catherine, known outside of Québec as Molasses Kisses. You don’t get more traditional than these delightfully cavity-inducing blobs of sugar and molasses. - Gary Kohlruss
- I had a conflicted relationship with molasses candies (Kerr’s candy kisses) as a kid but perhaps because it was a candy that appeared only at Halloween it became indelibly associated with the trick-or-treat experience. Some were soft and chewy and others were so hard they could extract a filling (probably ones that had been saved by thrifty homeowners from the previous year). I remain committed every year to keep exposing younger generations to that uniquely Halloween candy experience. You can have a damn KitKat any time… :-) - rowbat
- Where’s the molasses kisses? Most of the above are just same-old year-round candies and snacks, not special “Halloween” treats. - CC6886
- You’re missing all the classics such as Halloween candy kisses. How many of your moms used to pick them out of your “pillow sheets bags” and then recycle them to kids still out trick or treating to prevent you pulling the fillings out of your teeth??? - app_75382823
- I loved them most as a kid, and now after many decades of handing a variety of candies to little Halloween trick or treaters at our door, I always hope there’s a few tasty molasses delights left over for me to enjoy. – Maurice Pratt
Though I’m usually sick of them by night’s end and only eat them one night a year I really look forward to the little blast of nostalgia they bring. They really define the taste of Halloween for me.
Crispy Crunch and Caramilk
We’ll admit it, taking Caramilk off the list was an agonizing decision. Ultimately we tried to create more competitive brackets, which left off a perpetual favourite.
- Why is the top Canadian chocolate bar, Crispy Crunch, not even listed to vote on? - sugarworks
- Crispy Crunch, a Canadian classic, used to be the best chocolate bar around until Neilson sold out to Cadbury and the recipe was changed. It was perfect before. - Leesel1
- Where was Caramilk? Or the classic Kraft caramel cubes? - Midtown Bob
- Best Halloween candy of all time is the crispy crunch chocolate bar! It What makes it the best? It has all the great ingredients rice crisps, caramel, peanuts all wrapped in a chocolatey coating. – Aileen Knip
Kraft caramels
- NONE of these. The best candy were Kraft caramels. We got hundreds of them. When we went to school our pocket would be full of 10, 11 and they would get us through the morning. The heat in the pocket made them soft and chewy, and the little plastic wrappers unfolded easily. Then home for lunch and 10 more. Enjoying candy surreptitiously during class. Oh, the thrill of it. -bradyjohnc
Homemade treats
- Best Halloween candy ever? Homemade red candy apples! The red ones, not the gooey caramel ones. Still recall mom making 150 or so, running out of them before the end of the night and just passing out an apple, which of course were fired back at the house by more than a few disgruntled kids and I guess pa looked like a running back chasing the kids! I believe that would be the last year candy apples if memory serves me correctly. Of course back then too there would be absolutely no concerns of somebody inserting something harmful into the apple. - OH BOY ME
- These are not special Hallowe’en treats, they are just mass-produced snacks. What about homemade treats? Like candy apples. Or popcorn balls. Or Rice Krispie squares. Or Nanaimo bar squares? Or cookies? - Overington1
- As trick or treaters many decades ago, the best Halloween treat my friends and I ever came across was from a household giving out full-size cotton candy on paper cones. The homeowner had set up his cotton candy machine in the foyer and churned out the treats one by one as kids came to the door. The thrill of getting such an unexpected, full-size treat was even better than the treat itself. - Prairie Voice
- Homemade popcorn balls and fudge are the best, much better than commercial candy! - Maria Blackmore
- Grew up in a Ukrainian/Polish neighbourhood. Best Halloween candy ever was marzipan! - app_72727376
- Homemade fudge. But that as 60 years ago. No one would allow their kids to eat unwrapped candy today. Of course everyone knew their neighbours back then. – Dennis Jones
Miscellaneous
- Twizzlers! This was the candy I sneaked from my kids trick or treat bags. – Leanne MacMaster
- Where’s Wunderbar? A rich caramel bar surrounded by peanuts and crunchy bits then smothered in smooth, thick milk chocolate. You can let it melt in your mouth and then enjoy crunching the remaining bits or bite off and chew getting the combination of milk chocolate, caramel and the crunch from the peanuts and bits. – Russ Bruch
- None of the above. Besides which, all of these are available year-round. So not really special. The best Halloween candy (manufactured) was Black Cat gum, IMO. That and the small packs of soap gum (Thrills). You can still get Thrills, but Black Cat Gum is not available anywhere (it was Halloween themed). - Not The Alliance
- I may be dating myself but I choose the 3 Musketeers bar. It had a silky, milk chocolate fluffy centre with caramel on top and the whole thing was enrobed with chocolate. – Candice Prior
- Best Halloween candy came to mind instantaneously, albeit a little on the retro side. Pink BB Bats, hands down! Why? Rarity in finding one in the big pillowcase of treats we would haul home as kids - the chocolate ones were more commonly handed out; flavour and chewiness are also factored. I’m not alone in this, my younger brother fully agrees, however it appears that many others are on board as it’s listed as one of the Top 20 retro candies! https://candyfunhouse.ca/products/b-b-bats - Carmen Bedard