What's Your Favorite?

Just in time for candy buying season, bulk candy dealer candystore.com broke down the most popular Halloween candy across all 50 states, based on sales data from 2007 to 2016 with a focus on the months leading up to Halloween. The online retailer sells Halloween candy to variety of customers, ranging from individual buyers to event planners to large businesses. By chronicling Halloween candy sales by the pound across the country, the candy dealer determined the top three choices in each state.
https://www.candystore.com/blog/facts-trivia/halloween-candy-map-popular/
Candy corn is the most widespread favorite, as the top Halloween candy in Idaho, New Mexico, Michigan, Alabama, South Carolina and Rhode Island. M&M’s are beloved on both coasts, winning the top candy spot in California, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

It seems to me Americans have a love hate relationship with candy corn. In 2012  it was the top selling Halloween candy but the general public seems to voice an opinion it's the worst. According to the National Confectioners Association, more than 35 million pounds (or 9 billion pieces) of candy corn will be produced this year. 
Candy corn is one of the better-for-you candies of the Halloween season. It contains roughly 28 grams of sugar and only 140 calories per heaping handful -- and it's fat free.

Candy corn history dates back to the 1880's when the Philadelphia based Wunderlee Candy Company invented and manufactured this popular treat. In 1900 the Goelitz Candy Company, which later became the Jelly Belly Candy Company started making these candies and continues today. There are a variety of recipes found online that use candy corn as an ingredient. 

A Personal Note: My favorite Almond Joy. Most kids do not like them so I always had my students bring me their surplus. What's Your Favorite?

If you happen to have a bag of candy corn stashed away here are two sweet ideas. 

Candy Corn Turkeys

published in Quick Cooking November/December 2004 p. 17
Ingredients:

• 40 fudge stripped cookies
• 1/4 cup chocolate frosting
• 2 packages of chocolate covered cherries can substitute Rollo caramel candy or chocolate donut holes
• 20 pieces of candy corn

Directions:

• Place 20 cookies on a flat surface, solid chocolate side down.
• With frosting attach a chocolate covered cherry/Rollo or donut hole to the top of each base cookie.
• Position another cookie perpendicular to each base cookie, attach with frosting.
• With frosting attach one piece of candy corn to the front of the chocolate.
• Let stand until set (I found putting turkey cookies in refrigerator for 45 minutes helped)

Owl Cookies
These cookies can also be made with your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe.
Ingredients:

• 1 tube refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 18 yellow candy coating disks (found baking section at Micheals or JoAnne stores) 
• 18 semisweet chocolate chips
• 9 pieces candy corn
• canned frosting

Directions:

• In a large bowl beat cookie dough and flour until combined.
• Set aside 4 -1/2 tsp. of dough for ears.
• Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls into nine mounds 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. .
• Coat the bottom of a glass with cooking spray
• Flatten dough with glass rim to about 1/8 inch thickness shaping dough into a circle. 
• Position two candy coating disks on each cookie for eyes.
• Place a chocolate chip on each disk.
• Use 1/4 tsp. of reserved dough to shape each ear-position on top of head.
• Bake @ 350 for 8- 10 minutes.
• Immediately position candy corn on each cookie for beak.
• Cool 2 minutes before removing from baking sheet. 
• Recipe makes 9 cookies.

Note: These were the original directions above but I had more success with the following:
immediately after taking cookies out of oven press candy disks into cookie for eyes and using a little frosting to attach chocolate chip to disk.