"candy corn" news and stories

Happy National Candy Corn Day!

Popular since their creation in the 1880s, the bright tricolor sweets have long been a Halloween tradition -- so much so that the October holiday accounts for 75 percent of their annual production. But did you know they're produced for different holidays as well? There's pastel Easter candy corn, rosy Valentine varieties, red-green-and-white Christmas corn and even chocolate- and vanilla-flavored Indian corn.

For more information on the history of candy corn and how it's made, click here. Or you can learn how to make your own festive sugary spikes by following this recipe from Serious Eats, which, according to them, yields "large, plump candy kernels infused with a sweet vanilla flavor."

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When Slashfood saw these cute 8-ounce cans of limited-edition Halloween flavors, we had to try them. Every year Seattle's Jones Soda puts out four flavors suitable for trick-or-treaters -- and this year, they're tempting us with Buried Pomegranate, Spooookiwi, Candy Corn and Lemon Drop Dead.

We cracked open each so you don't have to. See how they stack up after the jump.

Here at last is the final installment of 5 Easter Candies in 5 Days before we send you off with a sweet adieu for the weekend. It's worth keeping in mind that these treats can be made any time of year. In fact, the darling flowers and bunnies from "The Ultimate Candy Book" shown above are actually found in the "Halloween Candy" section, but are the "Easter" variation. Confusing, we know ... but deliciously confusing. It strangely makes sense because the taste of these pretty blooms will remind you instantly of an autumnal treat -- candy corns.

Regardless, the treats are delish, and this recipe makes a firm sugary mixture that can be molded into nearly any pastel configuration for the Easter basket or springtime candy bowl. Press it into molds for an assortment of cute bunnies and chicks for a perfect family afternoon project. The candies come together much like fondant truffles, but this recipe doesn't take a lot of fuss, just a little help. Four or six hands are better than two, so get some kids, get cookin' and have fun!

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of tidbits from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• Candy corn face-off! YumSugar puts Hershey's up against Brach's to see whose candy corn reigns supreme.
• Debunking the myths around cooking mussels.
• It seems that table salt has gone AWOL from many restaurant tables.
• Did you know that you can now order pizza through your Facebook account?
• Lobster prices have fallen drastically this season, leaving many Lobstermen in the financial lurch.
• Spice up Halloween morning with these spooky pancake molds.
• Next time you have a craving for deep dish pizza, consider trying this polenta version.
• It appears that Bennigan's is back!

I guess I don't know that much.

I took this Halloween candy quiz over at AOL Food, and I got only three right out of ten, and two of those were complete guesses. But some of the questions are quite hard. I mean, how the heck am I supposed to know when Lemonheads were first developed or how many million pounds of candy corn Americans eat every year? I'm amazed it's even in the millions.

How did you do?