As a kid, I always knew which houses to hit first and which ones to skip every Halloween—personally, I always went for the Kit-Kat and Snickers houses and by-passed the people who were notorious for giving out Mary Janes and Necco wafers (turns out, I’m not the only one). So if your goal is to be the trendy neighbor who gives out the newest chocolates on the market, you’re in luck: the big candy makers have new twists on old favorites this year.
Milky Way Caramel Apple Miniatures
Handing out real candy apples is cost-prohibitive of course, so you might want to try the next best thing: Milky Way’s new caramel apple minis. The apple flavor is subtle, but just enough to satisfy that sudden craving for apple cider that you get this time of year. They only come in mini sizes though, so you might want to give the kids a couple. $3.49 for an 11.5-ounce bag, at grocery and drug stores
Nestlé Crunch and Butterfinger Pumpkins
Don’t worry if you’re on pumpkin overload, you can rest assured that these Nestle Crunch and Butterfinger bars are not pumpkin flavored, but pumpkin shaped. The Butterfinger pumpkins are a little different from the typical bars—these are mostly chocolate, with Butterfinger bits sprinkled throughout—while the Crunch pumpkins taste like a thicker version of the classic thin bars. 69 cents for Nestlé Crunch Pumpkin Singles; $1 for two Butterfinger Pumpkins, at grocery and drug stores
M&M’S Candy CornWhite Chocolate Candies
Candy corn and white chocolate are two of the most divisive sweets out there—but if you love both, you should check out these new M&Ms. You’ll taste the white chocolate more than the candy corn flavor, with some sugar cookie notes—needless to say, they’re super sweet. Set them out in a bowl for a colorful party snack or buy the mini bags for the kids. $3 for a 9.9-ounce bag, at grocery and drug stores
Cadbury Screme Egg
Peeps broke out of the Easter-only rut long ago, and now, fans of the Cadbury Crème Egg no longer have to wait for spring to roll around either—this year, Hershey launched the Cadbury Screme Egg. It tastes just like the one you eat at Easter, only the fondant center has a green “yolk” to be more seasonally appropriate. Prices vary, at grocery and drug stores
Unreal Chocolates
If you want to give out something healthy on Halloween but don’t want to be the lame neighbors who pass out pretzels, check out the new line of Unreal chocolates. A 15-year-old boy got the idea to start the line a couple of years ago, after his parents confiscated half of his Halloween stash. The line includes chocolate peanut butter cups, chocolate-caramel nougat bars and other classics, all made with no corn syrup and 30 percent less sugar than typical versions. $5 for a family-size bag, at CVS, Kroger and other grocery and drugstores
What are you giving out to the kiddos this year? Tell us below.
Tracy Saelinger is a freelance writer in Portland, Ore.
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