Halloween Candy Picks
Reese’s Pieces
There’s no chocolate in these! Did you know that? Some people don’t and they should be shunned, because the peanut buttery goodness in these is more than enough. Fun fact: Spielberg asked Mars if he could put M&Ms in E.T., but Mars promptly told him to get fucked, and now you’re probably already thinking of the swirling, levitating Reese’s Pieces from the movie. It’s okay to never look back. –Elliot Alpern
Candy Corn M&Ms
The first time I saw these, I totally plotzed at CVS. They are so bizarre and don't actually taste like candy corn (they're basically just white chocolate M&Ms in candy corn-colored shells), but they are also very delicious. Weirdly, they put out the same thing in the springtime but in pastel colors. The point is, if you see these in the store and raise an eyebrow, also raise an arm to add them to your cart. –Rachel A. G. Gilman
Snickers Miniatures
This is the best iteration of Snickers, the chopped nuts make the texture of the miniatures sing. You can buy them year-round but Emily Post convinces me that they’re only appropriate at Halloween or Christmas. –Nathaniel Berry
Sour Patch Watermelons (and peaches!)
Look, I know a number of people who hate sour candy, and will still devour an entire bag of these watermelons. I don’t know what it is about them, but they’re absolutely delicious, and possibly sprinkled with crack. The Sour Patch peaches are notoriously hard to find, but they might even be better than the watermelons — think of tangy peach rings, with a much chewier texture. –Elliot Alpern
Take 5
When Take 5 came out I was near the end of my trick-or-treat phase and it was like when the bandits have harquebuses in Seven Samurai and the samurai start getting shot. I admired the Take 5 because I knew it would replace the Snickers Miniatures, even as I mourned the end of Snickers reign, and even, indeed, as I knew my own time as a trick-o-treater was drawing to a close. –Nathaniel Berry
Sour Power Straws
The best sour candy in the game, hands-down (if you are a true fan of sour). Skip sour punch straws and the Airhead X-treme belts and go over to the bodega and choose between Strawberry, Blueberry, Green Apple, Mango, and many other flavors. My go-to is forever Strawberry. –Giulia Di Stravola
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
I developed a huge hankering for these when I was in undergrad and they sold them at the campus convenience shop. I got so into them that it was a low-stakes addiction I had to wean myself off. Now I pass them in the aisle at Target, all wrapped up in orange for the holiday, and I get slightly teary-eyed and nostalgic...then I put them in my cart and whisper, "No one has to know about this," and carry on. –Rachel A. G. Gilman
Twizzlers (Strawberry Twist)
Twizzlers are underrated, versatile, and, as I discovered a couple years ago, totally vegan. I’m a big fan of the pull-and-peel variety as well, but, alas, they cannot be repurposed into straws. —Gauraa Shekhar
Peanut M&M’s.
I will never want anything else. –Madeline Garfinkle