9 Homemade Versions of Halloween Candy Classics

If you’re looking forward to Halloween candy, wait until you try these homemade versions of your favorite store-bought treats. Perfect for Halloween parties or trick-or-treaters, most are quick and easy to make and taste even better than the originals!

1. CANDY CORN

Supersweet and just as brightly colored as you remember! Making candy corn from scratch is like a craft project—you get to roll out the dough, and if you’re tired of the traditional yellow, orange, and white, you can get creative with the colors.
Photo/Recipe: Food Network

2. CARAMEL APPLES

Making caramel apples from scratch is much easier than most people think. With a simple caramel sauce and some craft sticks, you can construct an uncomplicated Halloween treat jazzed up with different toppings. Try chopped nuts, pretzels, sprinkles—the sky’s the limit!
Photo: Chris Rochelle / CHOW.com

3. CHOCOLATE BAR

If you can melt chocolate, you can make a custom chocolate bar in no time. This recipe from David Lebovitz is rather fancy, but you can make these bars as humble or as elaborate as you want. Anything you like to snack on would be a great addition: nuts, dried fruit, pretzels, even crumbled potato chips!
Photo: Oh! Nuts

4. PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are only minutes away—these mouth-watering bites are practically as simple to make as melting chocolate chips in the microwave. Experiment with different shapes and sizes too!
Photo/Recipe: The Comfort of Cooking

5. ALMOND “JAYS”

Step aside, Almond Joy, the Almond Jay is here! A less sweet, unprocessed version of a Halloween favorite, the Almond Jay has shredded sweetened coconut just like the original and roasted almonds.
Photo: Chris Rochelle / CHOW.com

6. CRUNCH BARS

Cereal is the secret ingredient here: Rice Krispies put the crunch in these childhood favorites. And they’re even cheaper to make than buying a bag of Crunch bars at the store!
Photo/Recipe: The Ginger Snap!

7. “SNICKLES” BARS

Try out CHOW’s version of a Snickers bar, the Snickles. The same salty peanut caramel and milk chocolate, enhanced with creamy peanut nougat. The bars may not be quite as uniform as the originals, but they’re twice as tasty.
Photo: Chris Rochelle / CHOW.com

8. PEPPERMINT PATTIES

The classic chocolate-mint combo never gets old. These come together in a snap, and you can use the pure peppermint extract the recipe calls for in a variety of other baked goods (even milkshakes!).
Photo/Recipe: Epicurious

9. BUTTERFINGERS

You’ll never guess the secret ingredient that makes the texture of these bars so special. Cornflakes! This recipe takes a bit more time than the others on this list, but the end result is worth it—the peanut buttery goodness just melts in your mouth.
Photo: Serious Eats

Top Photo: Caramel Apples / Williams-Sonoma

Caitlin M. O'Shaughnessy is a New York City–based food writer and editor at Penguin who has worked on and recipe-tested several cookbooks. She is currently in search of NYC's best ramen, and is one of the few people who admit to disliking brunch.