We talk a lot about what makes a great Halloween candy—as well as a terrible one. Given this stark divide, stocking your candy bowl for trick-or-treaters can be mildly nerve-racking. Kids are a font of unfiltered honesty and not one of them has a good poker face, so if they’re disappointed in your candy selection, you will know about it. Beyond the classics—Reese’s, Snickers, Skittles—what is a unique offering that will surprise and delight your trick-or-treaters this year?
We decided to seek answers on Reddit, where the world’s most opinionated people have a lot to say on the topic. Here are some of the more unique suggestions we found.
Spooky-looking candies
Sure, M&M’s come in orange and brown packs this time of year, but how about something with the potential to turn your spit totally black? For that, one Reddit user recommends Charms Blow Pops in Black Ice flavor.
“It is a clear lollipop that has black gum inside,” the user explains. “Shit is spooky and tasty like a motherfucker. Also hard to find [so] order online.” Sure enough, ordering online seems to be the way to go: you can get a 48-pack for $12 on CandyWarehouse.com.
Second-tier treats
From a strategic standpoint, a lot of Redditors seem to favor the approach of going with a well-known candy that, for whatever reason, tends to get short shrift on Halloween specifically; this ensures a bowl stocked with crowdpleasers that have the added benefit of being unexpected. Suggestions include York Peppermint Patties, Airheads, and Tootsie’s Caramel Apple Pops, the latter of which now comes in three different flavors of green, red, and yellow “apple” varieties.
Savory Halloween snacks
One Reddit user says they have been giving out little bags of pretzels for years, much to the satisfaction of trick-or-treaters—no, really. Kids love it. Or so this user claims.
“I think kids are just happy to see something besides chocolate covered chocolate with chocolate centers all.the.dang.time,” they write.
I for one can’t imagine wanting to snack on something as quotidian as a pretzel on my trick-or-treat route, but maybe cutting through the wall of sweets with something savory and crunchy makes the candy taste all the better once you turn your attention back toward it. Variety is the pumpkin spice of life, I suppose.
The best Halloween candy is a beverage
If you really want to buck tradition, how about offering a beverage pairing for all that candy? Something to wash down the grainy center of a Reese’s cup, perhaps?
For my money—and for this Reddit user’s—you can’t go wrong with a can of soda. To children who are used to being handed dinky little cartons of Nerds and one fruity Tootsie Roll at a time, the metallic heft of a soda can (even a squat 7.5-oz. mini can) feels sleek, sophisticated, and grown up. It also has the potential to explode, which adds a thrilling element of danger to the whole thing. And given this year’s markup on chocolate, it might even make sense from a cost perspective.
But soda can be heavy and bulky. How about stationing a cooler full of juice pouches on the porch?
“When I was a kid, someone was giving out cold Capri sun.” wrote one Reddit user. “It was such an awesome surprise refreshment after wandering around hollaring ‘Trick or Treat!’”
Parents might even thank you for giving out Capri Sun pouches this year, given that the brand’s new formulation has half the sugar. Just pray that the kids have enough good sense to keep the pouch near the top of the pile, lest it get punctured and flood the rest of the stash.