11 Foods Inspired by Candy Corn

Whether or not you actually enjoy the flavor of candy corn, it’s hard to deny that its tri-color design has become a classic symbol of Halloween treats. It’s so iconic, in fact, the color combination can now be found in all kinds of foods, many of which even those who hate candy corn will still enjoy, like those limited edition Candy Corn Oreos.

1. Pudding

When Craftster user sweets4ever found out at the last minute that she had company coming over, she threw together these adorable candy corn puddings with a little instant vanilla pudding, some food coloring and some Cool Whip. The result was a delightfully festive and inviting dessert that took minutes to make.

2. Cocktails

Hate the taste of candy corn, but love tropical fruit flavors? Then this candy corn cocktail is for you. It's made with pineapple vodka, orange sherbet, pineapple juice, milk and simple syrup.

3. Jell-O Shots

If you like your drinks to jiggle a little, then perhaps you’d enjoy these candy corn Jell-O shots created by My Science Project. The white layer is unflavored Knox gelatin, sugar and coconut milk; the orange layer is a mix of orange Jell-O, butterscotch schnapps and orange sherbet; the yellow layer contains pineapple Jell-O and coconut milk; and all three flavors contain vanilla schnapps.

4. Cotton Candy

If you happen to be heading to Disneyland before Halloween, then don’t miss the opportunity to visit their Halloween carnival just behind Big Thunder Ranch. There you can not only take pictures with your favorite Disney villains, admire pumpkins carved by expert artists and play fun carnival games, but also buy yourself some candy corn cotton candy, which sounds so sweet that just saying it is liable to give you a cavity.

5. Cake Push Pops

All you need to make some candy corn push pops are plastic push pops (you can find them on Etsy or Amazon), some frosting, some food coloring and some white cake mix. It’s amazing how simple these treats are, given how impressive they look.

6. Bento Boxes

How do you make your kids a sandwich that looks like a piece of candy corn for their daily bento box? Just make a sandwich sans cheese and put a piece of provolone on top (your youngster can put the cheese in the middle at lunch time). Cut the sandwich into the right shape, use a food-safe marker to color the bottom of the provolone yellow, and put a small strip of cheddar in the middle. For the rest of the bento box, some baby carrots and real candy corn can round out the tasty lunchtime treat.

7. Rice Krispie Treats

To make these tasty treats, you’ll need to make three batches of Rice Krispie treats, dyeing the first one yellow, the next one orange, and leaving the last white. As each successive batch finishes, pack it in a cake pan, making an outer ring, then a smaller one next to that, until the white treats fill up the hole in the middle. Once they’re cool, cut in slices and enjoy your candy corn treats.

8. Fudge

Enjoy making and eating regular white chocolate fudge? Well, with a little food coloring and a bit of patience, you can easily convert your usual white fudge recipe into a tri-color masterpiece perfect for Halloween.

9. Marshmallows

Admittedly, most people think of marshmallows as a filling or topping for a real dessert, not a dessert on their own. But if you’ve ever had homemade marshmallows, then you know just how delicious they can be, and these candy corn mallows are sure to taste as good as they look.

10. Waffles

Spruce up the most important meal of the day with a little style. Like many of the other recipes listed here, all you need to impress your loved ones with this recipe is a little food coloring.

11. Milkshakes

These milkshakes are all vanilla with a little food coloring and layering, but if you were really so inspired, it would be easy to use sherbets in place of vanilla ice cream, creating a pineapple, orange and coconut milkshake in the process.

This story originally appeared last Halloween.