Brach's, the candy company known for classic candy corn, has already created birthday cake, pumpkin spice, and caramel-macchiato flavors, so the natural next step was, of course, brunch.
Yes, brunch-flavored candy corn is now a real thing.
What does that mean, exactly? We had to get our hands on the candy — $2.50 for a 15-ounce bag, exclusively at Target this Halloween — to find out. Turns out there are three varieties: French toast, strawberry waffles, and chocolate-chip pancakes.
We know what you're thinking: They really dropped the ball on this one, missing an easy opportunity to serve up bacon-flavored candy.
But, alas, we were dealt this very sweet hand, so we had to play it.
Full disclosure: I was born without a sweet tooth, so I was destined to hate them. I never order pancakes, French toast, or waffles (unless they're topped with fried chicken) at brunch. But I also don't have strong feelings toward candy corn. As a kid, I'd happily plop them into my pumpkin basket while trick-or-treating. But I did hate these. They were way too sweet — nauseatingly so — but I thought Brach's did a pretty good job of emulating each flavor in tiny cone form.
French toast, the clear winner to me, tasted a lot like French Toast Crunch, strawberry waffles tasted like strawberry syrup, and chocolate chip tasted vaguely like pancakes with a slight chocolaty aftertaste.
To level the playing field, I recruited two of my colleagues: Kevin, who loves sweets but hates candy corn (so much so that he held a garbage can next to his face as he chewed, ready to spew at any moment) and Nathan, who loves candy corn so much he "could eat a whole bag, no shame."
I had them both close their eyes, taste each variety, then try to guess the flavor. Kevin was actually three for three but spat them all out, while Nathan couldn't really guess any of them. For French toast, he said "maple syrup," for strawberry waffles, he said "strawberry shortcake," and he was completely stumped on chocolate-chip pancakes. Both of them could identify the distinct smell of maple syrup as soon as I opened the bag.
It's clear how Kevin felt, but Nathan was a bit more conflicted. Even though he couldn't really tell what they were, he still liked them — just not as much as plain old candy corn — possibly because these impostors didn't fill his body with childhood nostalgia.
But, still, being the sugar addict he is, he asked me if he could take a bag back to his desk. Thankfully, he doesn't sit near Kevin.
Verdict? Well, if you're a sweet bruncher who loves pancakes doused in syrup, covered in whipped cream, and maybe even topped with a maraschino cherry, you'll probably like 'em. But if you're a bagel-and-schmear, egg-and-cheese-type of person like myself, you're probably going to want to pass on these. And if you're a die-hard candy corn fan, you'll either feel a little confused, like Nathan, or super excited to add these to your collection.
If nothing else, this is a great way to trick the little monsters that show up at your door with an unconventional treat.
Were Brach's willing to give this another shot for next Halloween, we'd recommend adding a savory component to counteract all that sweetness: perhaps chicken and waffles, sausage and pancakes, or bacon and French toast? A mimosa flavor could be pretty good, too — but we'd probably stay away from Bloody Mary-flavored candy corn.