Ghoulish! Spooky! Shriek-y? It’s a Halloween candy roundup

The calendar has turned to October, and there’s never been a better time to swing by the seasonal aisles at your local Target, CVS and grocery store. (This follows the two worst times of year to visit a seasonal aisle if you’re looking for candy: Summer and back to school.)

For the past few weeks, I’ve been tossing both new varieties of candy and returning favorites into my cart in anticipation of breaking down my favorite finds on Snackology. Are there more than these ten options available? Well, duh. But for the sake of my budget and available storage space, I had to stop at some point. If I missed your favorite Halloween find, let me know.

If you’re asking where all the candy corn is, don’t worry — a ranking of candy corn and candy corn-adjacent offerings is coming soon. You can also check out my reviews of the Jim Henson/Monsters Cereal crossover and Crunch White for further Halloween-themed food fun.

Kit Kat Counts

What they cost: $8.29 for a 16.52 oz. bag of Counts at Target

My thoughts: I adore this series of holiday-themed Kit Kat bars. Like the Bunnies that I included in my roundup of Easter candy earlier this year, the Counts introduced for Halloween continue to deliver the perfect balance between the chocolate coating and the crispy wafers. With all due apologies to the smiling Counts, there’s an incredibly satisfying bite to this style of Kit Kat.

Snack score: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 (5 out of 5 cookies)

Kit Kat Breaking Bones

What they cost: $4.49 for a 10.29 oz. bag at CVS

My thoughts: Kit Kat Breaking Bones aren’t new this year, but they’re a hit with our daughter so they made the cut for Snackology’s Halloween roundup. I enjoy this flavor of Kit Kat, but I always forget that they’re not coated in white chocolate. Instead, it’s “vanilla flavored creme.” I wish Kit Kat would take a page from Crunch’s notebook and commit to making these white chocolate. (Halloween Kit Kats are also available in the cinnamon toast-flavored Ghost Toast and marshmallow creme-coasted Witch’s Brew flavors.)

Snack score: 🍪🍪🍪 (3 out of 5 cookies)

Twix Ghoulish Green and Snickers Ghoulish Green

What they cost: $4.99 for an 8.63 oz. combo bag at Target

My thoughts: Waitaminute, is Dubai chocolate just a twist on Ghoulish Green filling but for people who’ll spend fifteen bucks on a candy bar? I asked myself as I was taking bites of these Halloween-themed Twix and Snickers bars.

But, no, these seasonal candy bars aren’t filled with kadayif and a pistachio-tahini cream. You would never describe the filling in a Dubai chocolate bar as “ectoplasmic green.” But that’s exactly how Twix’s cookie layer and Snickers’ nougat layer are described in these spooky mini candy bars.

Snack score: 🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies) for Twix Ghoulish Green and 🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies) for Snickers Ghoulish Green

Snickers Pumpkins

What they cost: $2.49 for a two-pack at Harris Teeter

My thoughts: Sticking with Snickers, we move on to Snickers Pumpkins. I’m not sure when Mars rolled out this take on Snickers, but I’m all for it. Whether it’s a pumpkin at Halloween or an egg at Easter, I love this format of the classic candy bar. Like with Kit Kat Counts, the chocolate coating on Snickers Pumpkins delivers the perfect snap when you bite into one.

Snack score: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 (5 out of 5 cookies)

Reese’s Mini Pumpkins

What they cost: $5.19 for a 7.6 oz. bag at Target

My thoughts: Reese’s Mini Pumpkins are the Halloween sibling to Reese’s Mini Eggs, a version of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup that Snackology included in its rankings of Reese’s products back in March. The Mini Eggs finished at No. 4, and my opinion back that — “they were too soft, and the peanut butter didn’t hit in the same way” — applies to Mini Pumpkins too.

Snack score: 🍪🍪🍪 (3 out of 5 cookies)

Reese’s Werewolf Tracks

What it costs: $1.25 for a two-pack at Harris Teeter

My thoughts: Like with Kit Kat Breaking Bones, Reese’s Werewolf Tracks are not topped with white chocolate. This is once again “vanilla flavored creme,” a popular element in candy that I just can’t fully place. If you find yourself tempted to buy Reese’s Werewolf Tracks, do yourself a favor and pick up the infinitely superior Oreo Reese’s Cups instead.

Snack score: 🍪🍪 (2 out of 5 cookies)

M&M’s Milk Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

What they cost: $4.99 for a 7.44 oz. bag at Target

My thoughts: Pumpkin Pie M&M’s were one of the first items I covered for Snackology way back in last September. While I’m still hoping Mars brings back Cookies & Screeem M&M’s, I forgot how much I enjoy the Pumpkin Pie flavor. There’s a warmth to this variation on the classic milk chocolate M&M that you really don’t find in other flavors.

Snack score: 🍪🍪🍪 (3 out of 5 cookies)

Nerds Gummy Clusters Spooky

What they cost: $4.19 for an 8 oz. at Target

My thoughts: Five out of five. First-ballot, hall-of-fame candy. Nerds Gummy Clusters can do no wrong. It doesn’t matter if they’re for Valentine’s Day, Easter, the beginning of football season or Halloween — this is a perfect candy.

Snack score: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 (5 out of 5 cookies)

Skittles Shriekers

What they cost: $2.49 for a 3.6 oz. bag at Harris Teeter

My thoughts: There’s a chance I’ve completely misunderstood what Skittles Shriekers are supposed to be about, but I failed to find a single Skittles in this bag that was “so sour [it] will make me shriek!” (The exclamation point is part of the slogan.) Are some of the flavors — Rattled Raspberry, Ghoulish Green Apple, Spine-tingling Tangerine, Citrus Scream and Shocking Lime — a touch more sour than others? Sure. But none of them made me, um, shriek. They are a tasty mixture of Skittles, though.

Snack score: 🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)