Posted by Irene Ng in candy, shops on October 17, 2007 at 8:02 am

Halloween is coming up, and that means sugar rush season is upon us too. Kids and adults alike will be chomping down on confectionery treats much to the delight of the big candy manufacturers out there. This year, I went on a mission to find Halloween candy and chocolates that were beyond the mini size branded wrappers and lollipops that I am used to seeing in drugstores and supermarkets. Is there Halloween candy out there beyond the big names that one can put in their candy tray to give out at rocking parties or to trick-or-treaters? I did a city wide trek to investigate beyond the multi-pack boxes and bags to see what else is out there.

For those who want to go down nostalgia road for Allan’s Kisses, candy corn and pumpkin shaped mellocremes, bulk candy stores are the best bet. I perused through three stores with bulk candy offerings to see what they have in stock, and they are all priced at $1.09/100g (or approx. $11.00/kg). Two stores on the Yonge Street strip between Bloor and College, The Bulk Mine (655 Yonge Street) and Tutti Frutti (1 Carlton Street) both generally had the same selection, but Tutti Frutti also sold pre-packaged treat bags priced between $2.99 - $4.99 before taxes. These are perfect for parting gifts at house parties.

Domino’s Fine Foods (Lower Level of South Market) in St. Lawrence Market had a bigger variety including Allan’s Kisses, rockets, chocolate flavoured concoctions shaped as body parts, and chocolatey balls packaged as eyeballs or pumpkins with a filling (e.g. peanut butter or caramel). Alas, this candy bounty is not to my liking, but I will admit I’m a confectionery snob. I found the mellocremes a bit too pasty in texture and the artificial orangey smell was a big turn off. Although the chocolate products had nifty packaging, the taste was just not there – it was more waxy than smooth. I do have a soft spot for gummy candy though, so I enjoyed the gummy worms. If sugary candy and artificial flavoured chocolate are your preference or guilty pleasure, then these products are divine to the taste buds!

For some alternatives, I went to see what the ethnic markets had to offer. First stop: an Asian mall in GTA north, namely Markham. Snack shops are aplenty in these major Asian marketplaces such as First Markham Place (3255 Highway 7 East) J-Town (3160 Steeles Avenue East, Unit 6-11) and Pacific Mall (4300 Steeles Avenue East). Imported candies are abundant, and the stores with candy bulk bins have prices starting at $2.00/100g. Some places will round the price down (i.e. my bill came to $10.60, but they charged an even $10 instead) and give extra candy samples with purchase. I bought a bag of fruit flavoured star-shaped hard candies for $2.99 that was branded with the ‘My Melody’ character with a devil vs. angel theme. It might be stretching it a bit as Halloween candy, but they are still a nice addition to the candy jar. Ginger candy and durian flavoured candy were my purchases from the bulk bins. The durian fruit lends its pungent odour to the candy drop, and it is definitely more of a trick than a treat! In the downtown area, T&T Supermarket (222 Cherry Street) is a good place to look for the aformentioned treats.

My second stop was to purchase confections with a European flair. I headed back to my favourite Polish store, Starsky Foods (2040 Dundas Street East, Mississauga) and purchased some imported bulk chocolates to try ($16.95/kg). There was one labelled ‘Kasztanki’, wrapped in orange foil, which is ideally packaged for Halloween. An added plus is that it is also mighty tasty. It is a praline with a cocoa and crushed wafer centre, enrobed in smooth dark chocolate. Other samples included the Milka brand milk chocolate shaped mountain and a sugary fudge offering named BonBon Vache. If Starsky’s is too far from the city core for some TasteTO readers, Benna’s Bakery and Deli (135 Roncesvalles Avenue) also has these products in stock, and some are already pre-packed in a mixed bag assortment priced at $5.99.

For those who want to impress their guests with premium and locally made products, JS Bonbons (163 Dupont Street) offers some milk chocolate moulded pumpkins, bats and witches, while a new shop in the Gay village, Adam & Eve Chocolatier (97 Maitland Street) also tipped me off that they will have some Halloween themed chocolates in the coming weeks. I will sacrifice my taste buds on a date closer to Halloween to see if they do!

All in all, there is an abundant supply of candy treats to purchase in time for October 31, with something for all kinds of candy fiends out there.