The Six Worst Halloween Treats

Oh, the pleasures of Halloween! To dress up in elaborate costumes, stay out late, and roam the streets in search of candy and other Halloween treats would seem to be paradise for a child. Unfortunately, not everything that gets put into a trick-or-treat bag is tasty and delicious. In fact, some Halloween treats are best left with their original owners.

What are the worst Halloween treats? While everyone has different tastes and probably no two people can totally agree on the best and worse Halloween goodies, these typically “bad” Halloween treats deserve mention:

1. Apples

This is usually given out by some well meaning neighbor who doesn't want to contribute to tooth decay and thinks that kids should be eating healthier. With all the good intentions in the world, she plops an apple into each child's bag and sincerely wishes each witch and goblin a happy and safe Halloween. Unfortunately, those apples can really weigh down a Halloween bag and if you happen to have one of those flimsy paper ones, you run the risk of a disaster. Plus, you're not going to eat that apple anyway. You have plenty more like it at home. It's even worse if the apple happens to be rotten.

2. Boxes of Raisins

These aren't quite as bad as the apple. At least they don't weigh down your Halloween bag and potentially tear a hole in the bottom of it. Yes, they're a healthy alternative to candy, but this happens to be Halloween and it's not a time to worry about tooth decay and childhood obesity. This holiday is all about stuffing your face full of decadent candy. Probably the best solution is to give that box of raisins to mom to use when she next bakes a batch of oatmeal cookies.

3. Candy Corn

If there is ever a Halloween candy that's been completely overdone, it's candy corn. You see it displayed and given out so many places before Halloween that you can hardly stomach it when the big day finally arrives. Are you really going to snack on that candy corn when you have a full-sized Snicker's bar in your bag?

4. Dum Dum Suckers

This is another completely overdone candy treat. You can find them ad nauseum in doctor's offices, restaurants, and stores where they're being given away as something sweet for kids and adults alike. They're almost as ubiquitous as those very uninspiring peppermint hard candies. The only advantage to these overexposed candies is that occasionally you'll end up with the crème soda flavor which happens to be the best of the bunch.

5. Old, Stale Candy

Some folks decide that Halloween's the time to get rid of all that candy laying around the house that they can no longer eat because they're on a diet, just got dentures, or just found out they have a sky high cholesterol. The only problem is that the candy's been lying around a very long time. While it may not poison you, it certainly isn't going to tantalize your taste buds.

6. Baked Goods

Some well meaning people spend hours over a hot oven preparing fresh baked cookies for the trick-or-treaters. While these cookies may taste perfectly fine, do you really want to eat a cookie from someone's house you don't know? Who knows what ants and roaches lurk in their pots and pans? Plus, if you put one in your Halloween bag, it's going to crumble in the bottom and create quite a Halloween mess. It's best to leave the fresh cookies for the next bake sale.