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AAAAH, Halloween, besides pumpkins, costumes and hay rides the one thing that really gets me in the mood for All-Hollows Eve is� (drum roll please) Candy Corn!! 90% sugar, 10% food coloring- I ask you what�s not to like? In honor of October 30th being National Candy Corn Day I thought it would be a perfect time to declare my love for them!
Yes I�m talking about those tiny mellow cr�me yellow, orange, and white candies that you only see this time of year. You spot this candy and you automatically think of Halloween. And no, reindeer corn and cupid corn do not count, sorry.
They are just so Halloween-y- kinda like the fruit cake is to Christmas (I know no one really eats �em but they practically scream �holiday, don�t they.�) and can�t forget Peeps, the marshmallow chicks, for Easter.
Anyhow, I love them! I really do. Not only are they yummy, but they really put you in the spirit. Odd really considering I don't have a sweet tooth at all, but these lil� guys are my weakness. I still bite off and eat one color at a time, just like I did when I was 8!
As a matter of fact, I picked up some bags today. (Yes, bags! Well I might get a lot of trick-or-treaters this year and I want to be prepared.)
YUM! I�m snacking on them as I type.
Think You Know Candy Corn? Did you know that:
-George Renninger, an employee at the Wunderlee Candy Company in Philadelphia, invented candy corn back in 1880. Thanks Georgie!
-In 1900, the Goelitz Candy Company, now the Jelly Belly Candy Company started making the tricolor goodness and linked it to Halloween. The how and why of this link up is unclear, but it works!
- There's real corn in there! Okay, more like a method using a corn starch than actual kernels but still!
-The 3 different colors on this bite-sized treat were actually considered revolutionary during this time period.
- Even though it tastes rich, it's actually fat-free. Candy corn has 3.57 calories per kernel that's fewer calories than a cup of raisins!
- One kernel has as much protein as a 15 ounce steak!
-The National Confectioners Association estimates that 35 million pounds of candy corn are sold at Halloween each year. It�s nice to know that I�m doing my part in keeping the business going.
-One factory can produce 50,000 pounds of candy corn a day. That weighs as much as four African elephants!
-Candy corn is the only candy in the history of America that's never been advertised.
-Is the only candy named after a vegetable.
-Hershey's has just released a new seasonal kiss flavor: Candy Corn. I personally find them to be adorable, but way too sweet. See 2nd pic. on right.
-Einstein ate six bags of Candy Corn every day of his life!
-October 30 is National Candy Corn Day. And you thought Halloween was the big event!
Don�t like candy corn much? Well, don�t despair because December 7 is National Cotton Candy Day.
Umm, bag 1 is gone! But bag 2 is for the kiddies I promise.
Melody Townsel, a spokesperson for Brach's, the nation's No. 1 maker of candy corn said "Candy corn is such a nostalgic candy, and anything that brings back memories to a better, simpler time is popular, This is a banner sales year and our candy corn sales have gone up 22 percent." The reason it�s still a classic Halloween candy is because of its colors and the feelings it evokes. The very people who say they don't like it, well our studies show they really do eat it."
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When it comes to candy corn, there are the lovers and the haters. By now as you have probably guessed I am on the lovers� side, which means that I get them all to myself, since almost everyone I know hates them.
You know I cannot remember when my love affair with the kernel shaped candy began. But each October brings a new season to eat the stuff, and I make sure to ingest a few pounds of the stuff!
My enjoyment of candy corn does have some limits, though. Firstly, it has to be candy corn and not those candy pumpkins. You know the things I'm talking about. They are about the size of a sour ball are orange colored and look like� pumpkins. They taste almost the same, but the eating experience is somehow very different.
Please tell me that some of you have Halloween candy vices that are so strong they prevent you from doing anything, like writing a somewhat short, (but whimsical blog) such as this.
It�s quite sad actually I go over to my laptop, I sit down, I think about those sweet, creamy pyramids and I get right back up. Sigh. I promise to do better tomorrow, but right now I need to refill the bowl�
As much as I love candy corn, there are instances where I can�t stand them. If you�ve ever had slightly stale candy corn, you know what I�m talking about. If you happen to have any bags left (amateur!) around mid-Nov. or so they get really hard and gross the sweetness is gone, and the bitterness fills you up.
However, this can be avoided. I implore you don�t let your candy corn go stale! And if you are the one handing them out to the kids on Halloween, make sure they are not from last years stash.
Save the kids from the bitter candy corn. The world will be a better place.
Umm, bag 2 is gone now too! But bag 3 is far enough away from me to tempt me. I swear!
For all you Martha Stewarts and Rachael Rays out there.
Homemade Candy Corn Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup white corn syrup
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup powdered milk
Red and yellow food coloring
Directions:
Combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup in pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn heat low and boil 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and add vanilla. In a separate dish, combine powdered sugar, salt, and powdered milk. Add all at once to the mixture in the pan. Add food coloring. Stir until cool enough to handle. Shape into pieces.
(Considering a 9.5 ounce bag will only set you back 99 cents or so I don�t know why you would bother but hey I applaud your ambition, knock yourselves out. But if it turns out tasting great, be sure to send me a batch okay? Wink)
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