Amazingly Fun Treats You Can Make With Candy Corn

Candy corn is an iconic Halloween treat, and every year it's customary to pick up a bag of the sweet stuff whether you like it (or admit it) or not.

You will set it out in a glass bowl on the table because the colors are seasonal, maybe snack on a piece or two throughout the month, and of course give it out to trick-or-treaters. But other than that, the candy will just collect dust, and then after Halloween comes and goes, you will inevitably throw the whole thing out.

Click here to see Amazingly Fun Treats You Can Make with Candy Corn (Slideshow)

Candy corn, a confection based on corn syrup, sugar, and edible wax, was first made in the 1880s to resemble fall harvest corn kernels, and is one of the original candies handed out for Halloween celebrations. Candy corn fell out of popularity shortly after single-serving chocolate hit the market in the 1950s, but these sugary sweets continue to be part of the $2 billion consumers spend on Halloween candy each year.

Though candy corn remains a staple for the holiday, it's never the most popular in the trick-or-treat bag. Nine billion pieces of candy corn are made each year and about three-quarters are sold during the Halloween season, according to the Brach's candy company, a major producer of candy corn. The iconic flavor remains though, and has seen a recent surge in nostalgic popularity through seasonal items like candy corn Oreos.

Crafts, like candy-corn garlands, are a great (and inexpensive) way to incorporate candy corn into your Halloween celebrations without having to eat the sugary triangles. Alternatively, you can fill candle holders with candy corn for an easy DIY accent piece.

However, if you want to incorporate candy corn into your diet rather than your décor, try adding it to trail mix or caramel corn, or using as a cupcake topper.

Whether you love it or hate it, candy corn is here to stay. Celebrate National Candy Corn Day each year on October 30 with fun and festive candy-corn recipes.

Candy Corn Clusters

(Credit: flickr/pengrin)

Salty and sweet, these clusters are an easy treat you only need a microwave to make. Click here to see the recipe.

Candy Corn Upside-Down Cake

(Credit: Jessie Oleson)

A traditional upside-down cake with a seasonal twist! Candy corn bakes right into the cake, creating a syrupy-sweet dessert. Click here to see the recipe.
 

 

Julie Ruggirello is the Recipe Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @TDMRecipeEditor.