Testing Ground: Halloween candy

Andrew Gaug, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Oct. 29—With Halloween on Monday, I figured it was about time to try some Halloween or fall-related sweet treats.

Here's what to try and what to avoid:

4D Gummy Candy Eyeballs — It feels very weird biting into what looks like a real eye but these are surprisingly soft and not too sweet. The packaging shows some kind of multi-eyed monster, which I'm guessing is to not make you think of consuming actual eyes. Some weirdness aside, these are recommended.

Warheads Sour Body Parts — An incredibly weird name makes for a pretty run-of-the-mill candy. First off, these are not the Warheads candy that makes your eyes water and tongue feel like it's about to shut down from the sour taste. Instead, this is sweeter with a little bit of sourness, as you try gummy brains, teeth and bones. It's a fun texture, but nothing notable.

Russell Stover Raspberry Creme Truffle — Every year, Russell Stover rolls out several varietals of its chocolate pumpkins. Raspberry Creme has become my favorite, right next to the regular Marshmallow Pumpkin. Both are a nice balance of chocolate coating and filling. The worst: Chocolate Truffle. It's a total chocolate overload.

Harry Potter Butterbeer Chewy Candy — This is like if caramel candy became soft, chewy and stripped of any kind of sweetness that almost renders it flavorless. Without the Harry Potter name, no one would give this a second glance.

Pumpkin Spice Oreos — This tastes surprisingly close to when Oreo did a Caramel Apple version of the cookie in 2015. The filling is a super sweet pumpkin flavor, while the cookie balances it with a little bit more of a buttery taste. Like all gimmick Oreos, it's good for a single purchase and nothing more.

Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins — These are the greatest Halloween candy of all time. There is no competition. Much like Reese's Peanut Butter Trees, there's something about changing the shape of an already-great candy that somehow enhances it. Don't go for the white chocolate version. Get the original and consider it a solid Halloween.

Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrew.gaug@newspressnow.com.

Follow him on Twitter: @NPNOWGaug