We’ve already weighed in on what we think is the best Halloween candy for those who enjoy the best.

For trick-or-treat candy for kids, MSNBC has nominated the five best and five worst of the popular kids’ candies. Their evaluation was based on the saturated fat and sugar content.

 
As you scan the supermarket aisles, think of the “better” choices.
 
Why We Trick Or Treat On Halloween

This custom comes to us from the ancient Celts (who date to 450 B.C.E. and were prevalent in Ireland and Scotland from 1500 C.E. to 1800 C.E.). They believed that on October 31st, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped, and the deceased came back to life and caused havoc. The night was known as All Hallows Even (evening).

To avoid the ghosts, fairies, demons and other spirits that roamed the countryside that night, people began to wear masks and costumes so they would not be recognized as human by the “walking dead.”

To keep the spirits away, people also placed candles in their windows, using hollowed-out turnips and other vegetables as the holder (pumpkins are an American tradition).

In seventeenth- and eighteenth- century Scotland, guisers—people who had disguised themselves from the spirits—would parade from house to house, singing and dancing to intimidate the spirits.

“Guising” evolved into a masquerade for children, who disguised themselves in costumes and went from door to door for round loaves called soul cakes, fruit and/or coins. They carried candles in scooped-out turnips to light their way. If the guisers were refused a treat, they would retaliate with a prank “trick”—hence the term “trick or treat.”

According to Magick7.com, traditional tricks in England included stopping up chimneys with pieces of turf, blowing smoke through keyholes and smashing glass bottles against walls.

Immigrants from the U.K. brought guising to America. All Hallows Even became Halloween.

The first printed record of “guising” in North America was in 1911. “Trick or treat” first appears in print in 1927.

And the rest is Halloween history.
  

Candy apples are a Halloween favorite (photo © Sevenmarie Creative Commons CC-BY-2.0).

Today we present candy apples: the same concept, but with a hard, crackly red candy coating instead of the softer caramel.

The practice of coating fruit in sugar syrup dates back to ancient times. In addition to tasting good, honey and sugar were used as preserving agents to keep fruit from rotting.

> The recipe is below.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CANDY APPLES

Who Invented Candy Apples

According to FoodTimeline.org, food historians generally agree that caramel apples (toffee apples) probably date to the late 19th century.

Both toffee and caramel candies (the difference) can be traced to the early decades of the 18th century. Inexpensive toffee and caramels became available by the end of the 19th century. Culinary evidence confirms soft, chewy caramel coating from that time.

Red cinnamon candy apples came later. And, while long associated with Halloween, they were originally Christmas fare, not a Halloween confection.

Experimenting with red cinnamon candies for Christmas, he dipped apples into the mixture, and the modern candy apple was born. The tasty treat was soon being sold at the Jersey Shore, the circus, and then in candy shops nationwide.

Red candy apples were once a popular trick-or-treat booty. Beginning in the 1960s, they became less popular when news reports scared the public into thinking that sociopaths were inserting razor blades or needles into the apples. (This was later exposed as a hoax.)

As a precaution, newscasters advised parents that their children should accept only factory-sealed, packaged candy. Candy bar companies jumped on the opportunity to advertise their packaged candies as the “safe alternative” for Halloween treats. Parents would sort through the candies kids brought back to discard any unwrapped, loose treats (and they still do).
 
 
CARAMEL APPLES ARRIVE

Caramel apples debuted many years later.

In the 1950s, a Kraft Foods employee, Dan Walker, melted Kraft caramels and dipped apples on a stick, following the lead of candy apples.

Walker said that he created the treat while experimenting with excess caramels from Halloween sales.

While caramel apples were dipped by hand for the first decade or so, Vito Raimondi of Chicago made and patented the first automated caramel apple machine in 1960 [source].

National Candy Apple Day and National Caramel Apple Day are both celebrated on October 31st, Halloween.
 
 
RECIPE: CANDY APPLES

You can whip up a batch in just 20 minutes.

Ingredients

Here’s a different approach to caramel apples (also called toffee apples*): Use pretty twigs instead of the same old predictable wood popsicle/craft sticks.

The recipe comes from the book Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has a Story, by Kimberly “Momma” Reiner and Jenna Sanz-Agero. The book will be published on October 25th, but you can order it now.

First, send the kids to the backyard or the park in search of twigs. Look for twigs that are about five inches long, although anything from four to six inches will do.

Note that this is a quick recipe for busy mommas. If you make caramel from scratch, you’ll notice the superior taste.

And if you prefer sugar-free treats, get sugar-free caramels.
 
 
CARAMEL APPLE RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. DE-STEM the apples, wash and drop into boiling water for 10 seconds. This removes any wax from the apples and helps the coating adhere. Alternatively, you can soak the apples for a few minutes in a bowl of hot tap water with a splash of vinegar (known as a “vinegar wash”) or clean them with a produce wash such as Veggie Wash, a spray solution that removes the wax from fruits and vegetables.

2. REMOVE and polish the apples dry with a soft cloth. You may also wish to let the apples air dry for an hour, to be sure all the moisture is gone. (Moisture hinders the coating from adhering properly.)

3. RINSE the twigs under water and set aside to dry.

4. LINE a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.

5. CRUSH the toppings and put them in separate bowls.

6. USE a sharp paring knife to cut a small “X” in the top of each apple where the stem was. Gently push the twig down into the center of the apple.

7. PLACE the Caramel Bits and the water in a medium glass bowl or other microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave (be careful not to burn yourself—it will be hot).

8. STIR the caramel with a wooden spoon until all the bits are melted. If necessary, heat in additional 30-second increments until caramel is thoroughly melted and smooth. Let the caramel sit 1 to 2 minutes, until it is thick enough to coat an apple. If it is runny like water, the coating will drip off the apple.

9. CAREFULLY SWIRL the apple in the caramel, making sure it is completely coated. Tilt the bowl as needed. You may need to spoon the caramel around the top rim. Let the caramel drip off the bottom of the apple onto wax paper. Then…

10. ROLL the apples in the desired topping(s). Once coated, place the apples on wax paper to set for a minimum of 30 minutes to one hour. Enjoy your twiggy treat or store it in the refrigerator.
 
____________________

*Caramel and toffee are part of a family of butter-and-sugar confections that also includes butterscotch. Here’s the difference. Often, red candy apples, coated with a colored sugar syrup, are called toffee apples. This is incorrect. The terms caramel apple and toffee apple can be used interchangeably.

†These little caramel balls melt easily and provide the perfect consistency for caramel apples. However, you can cut up and melt full-size caramels, too. We do this with our favorite gourmet caramels, as we prefer the flavor.

Pheasant, buffalo, duck, rabbit and
venison…for dogs. Photo courtesy Evanger’s.

Canned pheasant for dogs!

Evanger’s Grain Free 100% Pheasant Canned Dog Food is made with only one ingredient: pheasant, in some pheasant broth.

The rich food is recommended as a mixed/topper. Not only is it gourmet, but it’s also great for pets with food allergies and sick dogs/fussy eaters.

And that’s not all: Canine connoisseurs can enjoy buffalo (more accurately, bison—here’s the difference), duck, rabbit and venison.

While we don’t write about products we haven’t tasted, this is the exception.

Treat your pup with a can or two. While you’re at it, get a smoked pheasant—for yourself and any other humans you’d like to treat.

At the end of the 11th century, when the Crusaders returned to Europe from the Middle East bringing ginger and other spices, gingerbread became popular in Germany.

It was baked during the Christmas season as well as for year-round festivals. It engendered a trade guild: Only guild members could bake gingerbread, except during Christmas, when anyone could bake it.

According to a reference in FoodTimeline.org, the tradition of baking gingerbread houses began in Germany after the Brothers Grimm published their collection of fairy tales in 1812.

Inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel, who nibbled at the witch’s candy-covered gingerbread house, German bakers created miniature houses from the already popular lebkuchen (gingerbread). Artists were employed to decorate the houses, which became particularly popular during Christmas.

The tradition crossed the ocean with the German immigration wave that began in 1820. But it’s only in recent years that we’ve seen gingerbread houses for Halloween.
 
 
HALLOWEEN GINGERBREAD HOUSE KITS

Halloween gingerbread houses are available in easy-to-assemble kits; Those who just want to decorate can buy pre-assembled houses.

This week, we tasted two different brands. The Wilton kit we tried was a Victorian mansion—not particularly haunted based on the kit’s contents, but you can add your own touches.

[2] A new tradition: the Halloween gingerbread house available from Wilton (photo © Wilton).

The assembled Wilton gingerbread house measures 6 inches wide by 3.5 inches deep by 9.5 inches high. It is available at Michael’s Stores and Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores. You can find it online at Amazon.com.

If you want to buy one online, here’s a haunted gingerbread house with all of the aforementioned Halloween decorations. We haven’t tasted it. If you buy one, please send us your opinion on gingerbread.

ASSEMBLY TIP: Some of our gingerbread pieces arrived cracked. This is a relatively common occurrence, but not a disaster. The same royal icing you make to decorate the house is a good mortar to “glue” the pieces together. Glue it from the back.
 
 
START A FAMILY TRADITION

Decorating a gingerbread house is a family activity that can be carried through the generations. Start the tradition and take a photo of the finished house and the participants. See how the skill at decorating changes from year to year.

If you don’t have kids but want the tradition, invite your friends to an annual Halloween tea party with the gingerbread house as the centerpiece. Here are tea party ideas for every month of the year.

Gingerbread Recipes