Raise Your Candy Corn Game This Halloween With These Recipes

Halloween season is well and truly upon us. We’ve moved past the “it’s still too early!” stage, and we’re just about through the “is it too early?” stage. Now that we’re firmly in October, it’s all systems go, and the candy corn afloweth. Wherever you stand on this divisive candy, there’s no point in denying its iconic status in the Halloween food pantheon: It’s everywhere, whether you’ve bought some of it yourself or been presented with the image of it on a frozen pizza. Yes, that is now a thing. What a world. 

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Maybe this year, though, it’s time to do something different with it. Maybe it’s time to show that candy corn can move beyond its singular status. Or maybe you’re reading this after Halloween, and you have a load of it leftover, and you’re desperate to use it up. Well, these recipes will allow you to do just that. And don’t worry: No pizza to be seen here.

Candy Corn Popcorn

Candy corn can be melted down pretty easily, and this presents you with a world of new options – the easiest of which, perhaps, is candy corn popcorn. This one goes down a treat at Halloween parties or on spooky movie nights.

Here’s what you do: Take two tablespoons of candy corn and a tablespoon of water, and combine them in a heatproof bowl. Heat in short blasts in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds or so, and watching out for splatters. Once melted, stir in a tablespoon of butter, and pour the mixture over plain popcorn. Mix, allow to cool, and serve. 

Stuffed Candy Corn Cake

This one takes a little bit of crafting, but the reveal of candy corn in the middle is too good to pass up. You start by making a standard sponge cake (we’re not gonna go into the recipe for that one here – any boxed mix will do, or your favorite homemade recipe): if you want to really get the full effect here, make one with three layers in orange, yellow, and white. 

Then, once the cake is baked and cooled, cut a circle out of the middle of the cake. Fill it halfway with candy corn, and then pop the circle you cut out back in, trimming it down as needed so it lies flat on the surface. Frost the whole thing, and serve. When you slice into it, the corn will spill out, everyone will gasp in wonder and adoration, and you’ll be the talk of the town for decades to come. 

Candy Corn Old Fashioned

Maybe don’t serve this one to trick-or-treating kids – but at the end of a long evening of handing out candy, you deserve to kick back and relax with a drink. Don’t knock this one until you’ve tried it: Candy corn’s blend of vanilla, butter, and honey notes works surprisingly well in a cocktail.

To make a candy corn Old Fashioned, you start the same way as you do with the popcorn above: Melt down two parts candy corn to one part water, setting it aside. Add 50ml of bourbon to a glass with one or two large ice cubes, and a half-ounce of candy corn syrup (you can use less if you prefer your drink to be less sweet). Add two dashes of Angostura bitters and stir until the syrup is fully dissolved. Finish with an orange twist and a piece of candy corn as a garnish.