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While major retailers are selling bags of traditional Halloween candies like Reese’s or Skittles, local candy stores are creating some unique sweets. Many shops around the city aren’t afraid to get a little weird with it.
While candy corn typically gets the crown for most headscratching Halloween treat, these Philly candy sellers are taking things in a different direction. Here are some stores that are flipping the script when it comes to Halloween confections.
Chocolate SEPTA Rats
The city just released a new initiative to curb Philadelphia’s rat population, after parts of Lower Northeast Philly were reported to have an infestation. In homage to those pesky little rodents that scurry and make us jump, Shane’s Confectionary is selling chocolate SEPTA rats. They include two chocolate-coated rodents with crunchy peanut praline inside. Sounds both delicious and stomach churning.
Gummy Pickle Spears
All Aboard Candies in Rittenhouse sells high quality confections, including a pucker-inducing gummy mix with sour treats in all different shapes and sizes. However, they are also selling gummy pickle spears from Frankford Candy. The candy is billed as “tangy,” but luckily not actually pickle-flavored. They are tart green apple, instead.
Chocolate-covered Onions
Mueller Chocolate Co. in Reading Terminal has a variety of fun chocolate shapes, from chocolate Liberty Bells to chocolate cheesesteaks. Still, it is their chocolate-covered onion that must go on this list. Mueller has been selling this unique item since 1983. What originally started as a gag for a comedy show, is now one of the store’s staple items.
Chocolate Gummy Bears
Lore’s Chocolates has plenty of yummy candy this Halloween season, including pumpkin chocolate fudge and an adorable pirate ghost pop. But they’ve also combined two candies that we feel do not need to go together — chocolate and gummy bears. Perhaps what makes this item such a novelty, is that it’s unclear if it’s supposed to be one at all.
Insect Lollipops
Rocket Fizz’s Philadelphia location is selling lollipops with bugs in them — including a worm lollipop. This item seems like it should be a part of a massive recall instead of something that a store would willingly put on shelves.
Candy in the form of soda
Sweet As Fudge is run by the family behind Beiler’s Doughnuts. The store has many delicious candies for sale, as well as handmade fudge. However, their decision to sell candy-flavored soda seems like it’s going a step too far. Sweet as Fudge sells Ring Pop Soda, Bazoooka Bubble Gum Soda, Skittles Soda and Warheads Soda. Candy is not meant to be a carbonated beverage, but that is not stopping Sweet as Fudge from enabling this chaos.
Magical Chocolate Mushrooms
John & Kira’s magical chocolate mushrooms aren’t actually psychedelic, but they certainly look like they could be. The colorful little chocolate fungi are hand-piped and filled with salted honey caramel made with local clover honey. The filling also has a touch of dark rum and ancho chili pepper. Sounds magical indeed!
Smoked Bacon Chocolate
Marcie Blaine Artisanal Chocolate is a gourmet chocolate shop in Center City. Most of their chocolates not only will make your mouth water, but also they are beautiful to look at. Still, the store is pushing the envelope (and perhaps some buttons) with a smoked-bacon flavored chocolate. Meat and candy do not typically mix. Still, Marcie Blaine makes this sweet, savory, salty combo actually work.
Chocolate Beetles
Eclat Chocolate is selling a chocolate beetle. Sure, they call it a “June bug” to make the candy sound cute, but we all know that’s just a dressed up word for beetle! The June bugs are both creepy and whimsical. They come in three flavors: apple and smoked cinnamon, black cherry and vanilla, as well as lemon and mint. Perhaps, the beetles can go hang with Shane’s Confectionary’s SEPTA rats.
