8 Halloween Candies That Aren’t Total Junk Food
Halloween is the season for a lot of things: horror movies, pop culture costumes, the return of Stranger Things, and, of course, candy. Even in the Healthyish office, the holiday's approach kicks our sweet tooth into gear. (There’s an ish in our name for a reason). Still, just because it's Halloween, doesn’t mean your candy should have scary ingredients. Whether you’re looking to stock up for trick or treaters, supplement craft beer with sweets at your costume party, or fill the office candy bowl, here are our favorite junk-free treats.
1/7Unreal Crispy Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
I consider myself a peanut butter cup connoisseur, and these are my new all-time favorites. Made from the holy trinity of dark chocolate, super creamy peanut butter, and crunchy quinoa, they stand toe-to-toe with Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups. Unreal Peanut Butter Cups check all the “good for you” candy boxes: vegan, organic, gluten-free, sustainably sourced, fair-trade certified, and they weigh in at a mere 5 grams of sugar per cup. (For reference, there’s 8 grams in a Reese’s cup and 8.5 grams in a Justin’s cup.) Packaged as single cups instead of in pairs, they’re the perfect size to pass out to friends or hoard in your desk drawer. Buy Unreal Crispy Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, (8 cups for $4.45).
Photo by Chelsie Craig2/7Torie & Howard Organic Hard Candy
When it comes to trick or treating, most hard candies are overshadowed by fun-sized chocolate bars. But Torie & Howard Organic Hard Candies provide a new layer of nuance worth considering. Flavors range from D'anjou pear and cinnamon to pink grapefruit and Tupelo honey, yielding a more complex hard candy that’s naturally colored with red cabbage, purple carrots, blackcurrants, and apples. If your neighborhood is particularly allergy-prone, add these individually-wrapped candies to your trick or treat arsenal—they contain no corn syrup, dairy, nuts, gluten, or soy products. Buy Torie & Howard Organic Hard Candy, (six 6 oz cases for $47.14).
Photo by Chelsie Craig3/7EatingEvolved Caramel Sea Salt Coconut Butter Cups
We’ve already sung the praises of cacao, and these coconut butter cups truly showcase the chocolatey superfood is at its best. EatingEvolved prides themselves on making “food, not candy,” and these cups are made from only five organic ingredients: coconut, cacao, coconut sugar, cacao butter, and Himalayan sea salt. The result? Balanced layers of slightly bitter cacao, thick coconut butter, and a hint of salted caramel ooze. It’s an honestly addictive chocolate cup you can really sink your teeth into—without worrying about a sugar hangover. Buy EatingEvolved Caramel Sea Salt Coconut Butter Cups, (9 packages for $36.87).
Photo by Chelsie Craig4/7Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels
Heavy cream is a key ingredient in most caramels, but rich coconut milk is the base for these chewy, dairy-free sweets. The slightly nutty hint of coconut contrasts beautifully with flecks of sea salt, yielding an ultra-creamy caramel made to melt in your mouth without dairy, gluten, high fructose corn syrup, or any other artificial ingredients. Buy Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels, (6 pack for $28.49).
Photo by Chelsie Craig5/7Lulu’s Chocolate Maca Buttercup Pumpkins
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Out of all the candies on this list, these raw vegan chocolate truffles are the least kid-friendly. Made from hand-harvested wild Ecuadorian cacao, low glycemic coconut sugar, sprouted almond butter, and maca root (a superfood believed to contain energetic properties), they’re something of an acquired taste. However, we bet that rich, satisfying taste will be acquired. Bonus: The festive pumpkin packaging is colored with vegetable ink and crafted from 100% recyclable material. Buy Lulu’s Chocolate Maca Buttercup Pumpkins, (5 oz bag for $18.99).
6/7Wholesome Skulls and Ghosts Lollipops
Most lollipop wrappers can double as a wanted list for bad candy ingredients like corn syrup and scarily-named additives like Red 40. In an act of great marketing, Wholesome! Lollipops are true to their name. Flavored with organic fruit juice and few other ingredients, they’re lollipops you won’t feel guilty giving out to trick or treaters. Spring for full festivity and get the Halloween package, which contains skull-shaped lollipops in “wicked watermelon” and “eerie orange.” Wholesome also donates some of its proceeds to health care for farming communities and environmental preservation initiatives, creating a candy that’s sweet in more ways than one. Buy Wholesome Skulls and Ghosts Lollipops, (7.3 pound bag for $46.67).
Photo by Chelsie Craig7/7And for the Halloween candy bowl:
Consider these Unreal Dark Chocolate Crispy Quinoa Gems M&Ms for the millennial generation. 72% organic dark chocolate gets colored with natural ingredients like turmeric and beetroot then studded with quinoa for the ultimate crunchy, chocolatey candy. On the gummy side, Squish Brainstorm candies are perfectly squishy and compulsively Instagrammable. Their texture reminds us of grown-up Gushers, and each colorful brain contains a distinct flavor, from grape and apple to cherry and orange.
Buy Unreal Dark Chocolate Crispy Quinoa Gems, (1 bag for $4.79) and buy Squish Brainstorm, (5 oz package for $6).
