1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Every kid (and grown up) wants to find Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in their Halloween candy sack. This candy was found at the top of nearly every list we reviewed. “Not only is it the greatest candy out there, it’s also one of the greatest snacks, period, the perfect alchemy of peanut butter and chocolate. And it’s so, so versatile… especially at Halloween,” writes Thrillist.

When it comes to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, every Halloween candy expert wants to make one thing clear: “There’s simply no denying that this is the best Halloween candy of all time,” shares Pure Wow. “Salty, sweet and color-coordinated to the holiday. Disagree? Come at us. (Oh, and the pumpkin-shaped ones are even better.)”

“You can’t tell me that if you went up to a house, and they were giving out Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, that you weren’t totally hyped,” writes Delish. “It’s peanut butter, it’s chocolate, it’s nostalgia, it’s joy.”

2. Snickers Bars

Snickers Bars came in a close second to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in the race for Halloween candy supremacy. “Right up there at the top is the satisfying, crowd-pleasing Snickers bar. If you can’t get enough, try the almond, hazelnut, and peanut butter options,” writes Country Living.

What is it about Snickers that places it on everyone’s must-have list? The Kitchn has the answer: “Why don’t we talk more about just how good nougat is? We have Snickers to thank for our current appreciation of this delicious sweet filling (especially because Snickers kicks it up a few notches with peanuts, caramel, and a chocolate coating, of course). If you’ve got a few straggler bags after the treaters leave, chopping these up and adding them to cupcakes, ice cream sundaes, and cookies is the easiest decision you’ll make all year.”

According to Consumer Reports, “‘Snickers satisfies,’ and CR staffers could not agree more. This hearty candy bar is filled with nougat, caramel, nuts, and chocolate, practically making it a meal—albeit a very unhealthy one.”

3. Twix

Third on our list of Halloween treats is Twix. “Twix are similar to standard KitKats in that they, too, are milk-chocolate-covered cookie bars, and, with the larger-sized ones, you also get two pieces in a package (although Twix is already separate, so there’s no breaking apart involved). They are different, however, in that the cookie layer is more substantial and contains caramel. Twix also likes to stay in its lane — Twix is what it is, and the company doesn’t spend all its time coming up with crazy flavors they refuse to sell to us. For that, we salute you, Twix, left/right silliness notwithstanding,” writes Mashed.

Trick-or-treat yourself this Halloween when you indulge in a Twix. The LA Times writes, “Caramel, cookies and chocolate are an unbeatable combination any way you slice it. I also appreciate the fact that full-sized Twix are split into two bars, allowing you the self-delusion that you’re somehow not eating an entire candy bar.”

Most of us actually have a love affair with these chocolate-covered goodies. “The cookie crunch. The deliciously hard caramel. The ultra-silky chocolate. There are a lot of things to love about Twix (three, actually), but this thing’s even better in fun-size form. The ratios between the three main components are simply perfect, striking a balance that makes the intense sugar rush completely worth it,” writes Thrillist.

4. M&M’s

A reviewer from Mashed shares, “If your Halloween candy gets jumbled up and you can’t tell which candies are which, M&M’s will stand out due to the ‘m’ stamped on each piece of candy. That was originally done to thwart counterfeits but it becomes especially useful on Halloween.”

If you place M&M’s head-to-head against most other Halloween candies, guess who wins? “On Halloween night, American adults favor Original M&M candy, with the colorful, chocolate pack winning 76.1% of the match-ups it was shown in,” affirms You Gov.

In the world of M&M’s which color tastes best? Pure Wow has a theory, “Listen, we’ll trade you six green M&M’s for three red ones. We know all the colors taste the exact same…or do they?”

5. Starburst

As the only Halloween candy on this list that is not made of chocolate, Starburst deserves a special salute! “Starbursts come in so many flavors, the permutations among flavor combinations are almost endless. Until you get a little pack with two lemons in it—a cruel twist of fate that happens all too often. Pink Starbursts are the best, but at least the other flavors aren’t too far off,” shares Thrillist.

Halloween candy as a form of currency? In some circles this was the case. Delish reminds us, “Here’s the thing about Starburst. They come individually wrapped, which meant tradability was high, and we know those pink ones were a hot commodity on the playground. Luckily, now we can just buy that single flavor without having to offload the reds and yellows.”

Measuring social worth by the color of your Starburst was also a thing, according to The Kitchn. “One of the best things about Halloween is the special end-of-evening trading of Halloween candies, and one of the most highly prized during my elementary school trick-or-treating career was Starbursts (especially the Red- or Pink-wrapped varieties). Chewy, juicy, and coming in a kaleidoscope of flavors and colors (like strawberry, orange, lemon, and cherry), Starbursts make you feel rich when it comes time to swap.”

You might also be interested in:

• Best Candy Bars
• Best Sour Candy
• Best Halloween Costumes
• Best Haunted Houses

Sources:

• The Kitchn
• Delish
• Thrillist
• Pure Wow
• You Gov
• Market Watch
• Mashed
• LA Times
• Consumer Reports
• Country Living

Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations.