Halloween is the season of nostalgia. It brings me back to getting dressed up for my elementary school’s annual Halloween parade. All of the students would bring their costumes to school waiting anxiously for the teacher to let us get dressed. 

Halloween is a night in which kids often debate what neighborhood to trick-or-treat to get the best candy. As a kid, I remember the pillowcase stuffed with candy feeling as though tons of rocks were in it and lugging it back to my house and trading the candies we disliked to the friends who liked them. The opinions revolving around which Halloween candy is the best are highly controversial, which is why we (Nik and Olive) are going to be giving our input on what truly is the best Halloween candy.

We rated a variety of 10 candies, ones that we remember being the most common ones received when we were kids. The candies were rated based on our own personal nostalgia as well as their texture, sweetness, and the uniqueness of our own taste buds. As you read, you will see just how wildly our opinions range on many of the treats, but we came to a consensus on what we deemed the prime Halloween candy.

#10: Whoppers

Nik: 4/10

Olive: 3/10

Whoppers are a candy that we both decided should be left out of people’s Halloween candy bowls. Whoppers, as we described, contain an awkward texture, are rough on the teeth, and lack that sweet chocolate flavor that one strives for in their Halloween candy. The Whoppers weren’t just lacking in “pizazz” when it pertained to our taste buds, but also lacked the eye-catching packaging. The packaging was dull, boring, and it was just depressing to look at. All of these reasons are ones we know many share with us. Whoppers are the Halloween candy that, when they get thrown into your pillow case, you roll your eyes and hope the next house doesn’t have them. For all these reasons, this is why Whoppers land at the bottom of our list of Halloween candies. 

#9: Almond Joys

Nik: 10/10

Olive: -10/10

Olive: Does anyone even eat these? I mean, honestly, the flavor combo of almonds, chocolate, and coconut do not mash up well in this treat. Nik seemed to really enjoy the Almond Joys, but I hate them. The texture was completely disgusting and whoever’s idea it was to combine nuts, cheap chocolate, and coconut that feels like shredded wheat in your mouth, was clearly not catering to younger kids’ tastes. They’re not even worthy of making it into your grandma’s candy jar. The only person who would ever be caught dead eating an Almond Joy is probably someone’s dad. For all of these reasons and more, it’s very evident as to why Almond Joys are so far down our list.

#8: Hershey’s chocolate bar

Nik: 3/10

Olive: 6/10

Olive: Hershey’s remains a classic candy staple through the years, but for us, that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re sad to say that we were truly disappointed by what we expected to be in at least the top five. Whether you enjoy this treat in your s’more or by itself, most people can agree that Hershey’s never fails to impress. However, we felt the chocolate was way too sweet with a super sour aftertaste. We were definitely under the impression that it was going to taste like it always has, but perhaps we got a bad batch of Hershey’s because I would never ever recommend these to someone with a small sweet tooth. Hell, I wouldn’t even recommend this to an avid chocolate lover. 

#7: Snickers

Nik: 7/10

Olive: 5/10

Nik: Snickers was a sweet that we both enjoyed, but a sweet that didn’t quite stand out. Though I rated it higher than Olive, we found common ground on what we disliked about it. The chocolate and caramel with the Snickers is nice, but that large peanut inside of it can make for an uncomfortable texture that makes you wonder if you just had a scoop of peanut butter in your mouth. Snickers is definitely a sweet that if it were to be in your trick-or-treating pillow case, you wouldn’t necessarily roll your eyes, but rather hope the next house has something better.

#6: Milk Duds

Nik: 10/10

Olive: 3.4/10

Nik: Milk Duds is one of those highly controversial sweets: if you like it, you will defend it with your life; if you don’t like them, you will make sure that it’s the last candy you eat from your bag. I love Milk Duds for its long lasting chewiness that makes a small box with only about four little chocolate buds in it make it seem much bigger than it actually is. Olive described this sweet as one that doesn’t necessarily taste bad, but definitely one you should stay away from if you want to prevent a sore jaw. The Milk Duds packaging could be improved; if it weren’t for the logo being plastered on both sides of the box, you might’ve thought you just bought something from the mechanics. 

#5: M&Ms (non-peanut)

Nik: 3/10

Olive: 10/10

Olive: Like Milk Duds, M&Ms have a pretty divided consensus. Nik didn’t care for them and claimed that their taste resembled “amino acids” – whatever that means. On the other hand, M&Ms are my go-to candy. Their perfectly round shape and diverse color makes for the perfect composition. You can even smell the chocolate through the packaging. M&Ms are so appealing to kids which makes them the perfect treat to hand out this Halloween!

#4: Peanut M&Ms

Nik: 8/10

Olive: 6.5/10

Nik: Peanut M&Ms are much different from the original, disgusting M&Ms that Olive loves. Though peanut M&Ms are different from the traditional M&Ms, the peanut M&Ms add a twist and spark to your taste buds. Unlike the original M&Ms, the peanut M&Ms don’t drown you in sweetness as the bitterness of the peanuts equals out the chocolate, which makes for an amazing tasteful experience. The yellow packaging with bursts of colors on it also makes it an appealing and eye-catching package and something you definitely couldn’t miss while trick-or-treating.

#3: Kit-Kats

Nik: 7/10

Olive: 8/10

Nik: Kit-Kats have an almost universal appeal. I mean, who could hate them? Its chocolate wafer contrast with that traditional Kit-Kat snap that anyone could remember from those tacky commercials is all something that makes Kit-Kat one of those traditional Halloween candies that everyone enjoys eating any time of the year. Its famous red packaging makes it stand out and also reminds you that you are about to eat one of the best sweets ever. All of these reasons are why we rated Kit-Kats so highly, though we felt that there was still something out there that could rival this traditional favorite.

#2: Twix

Nik: 9/10

Olive: 8/10

Nik: Twix were the very close runner-up in our Hallowen candy-ranking system. Olive and I almost gave it a perfect score for both its iconic “right and left” Twix scheme and also the taste. The chocolate is nice and soft with the wafer and caramel mix. Twix is a candy that we would eat religiously while binging horror movies on Netflix. The packaging of Twix is also something simple, yet catches your eye. The gold and red contrast of the packaging make it stick out in any candy aisle.

#1: Reese’s Cups

Nik: 8.5/10

Olive: 9/10

Olive: The classic chocolate and peanut butter combo never ceases to amaze. Reese’s have the perfect balance of sweet and salty along with the crunchy/smooth texture. This candy is nothing short of amazing! The orange packaging is eye-catching and makes this candy as iconic as it is. Nik and I strongly felt that none of the other treats could compare to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and they stand strong on top of our list!