Move over, pumpkin. There’s a new taste in town that’s turning up in everything from booze to bagels: candy corn. Yes, that waxy, tri-colored childhood favorite is this season’s “it flavor.” Nabisco kicked off the corn-y trend when it released limited-edition candy-corn Oreos last month. The cookies, sold exclusively at Target, have vanilla wafers and yellow-and-orange cream filling. There were reports of sellouts shortly after the cookies made their debut, but if you’re curious and missed the launch or don’t live near a Target, there’s a brisk secondary market for the cookies on Amazon.com.
Not to be left out, Wal-Mart landed its own exclusive candy corn-inspired junk food: candy corn M&Ms. The jumbo-sized yellow, orange, and white candies have a white-chocolate-candy-corn filling. (Just typing that made my teeth ache, although the food bloggers at YumSugar gave the candies three stars out of a possible five.)
If you’re over pumpkin-spice coffee or just like the idea of candy corn and caffeine in one convenient beverage, JarBee Coffee’s “Witches Brew” is — you guessed it — candy corn-flavored. Keeping up with that other “it food” trend, JarBee also makes maple-bacon coffee. (Both are available ground or as whole beans.)
Want a more substantial breakfast? No problem: The Bagel Store in New York City has you covered. The Brooklyn shop is baking a candy corn bagel for the Halloween season. Hold the lox and get a schmear of marshmallow chocolate chip spread instead, made especially for the candy corn bagel.
Movie buffs with a sweet tooth looking for the perfect thing to munch on while watching a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon this Halloween season can get their fix thanks to Act II, which makes candy corn popcorn. Skeptical? Its site calls the salty-sweet combo “surprisingly delicious.” It’s sold in mini bags, so you could even share the snack with trick-or-treaters.
Happy hour hasn’t been left out of the candy corn craze, either. Although we’re pretty sure James Bond wouldn’t drink one, you can get a candy corn martini at the JW Marriott Los Angeles hotel at the Staples Center. If you’re not in L.A. but don’t want to be left out of the candy corn cocktail party, there are a dizzying array of recipes for candy corn-infused vodka and candy corn-inspired mixed drinks online. Perhaps this isn’t surprising, given that adults have pretty much taken over Halloween these days, anyway.