Nothing beats a sweet decadent treat that delights the taste buds and gives you a slight sugar rush. Candy comes in a variety of different forms, from hard Jawbreakers that are practically indestructible to crunchy brittle that’s just begging to be broken. There’s truly a type of candy for everyone. Even those who aren’t that big on cloyingly sweet confections can choose a less sweet option, such as dark chocolate.
We’ve gathered up 50 different types of candy that you absolutely need to try if you haven’t already. Feel free to browse through our list to find a new hidden gem. Here are 50 types of candy you have to sample:
1. Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Fresh and plump strawberries are topped with semisweet chocolate. The chocolate forms a crunchy shell around the strawberry that contrasts so nicely with the juicy strawberry.
2. Caramel Popcorn
Caramel popcorn consists of popcorn covered in a caramel candy shell made of sugar and butter with just a hint of salt. It features both sweet and savory flavors and is seriously addicting.
3. Gummies
Gummy candies include anything that’s sweet and chewy. Gummy bears, gummy rings, gummy worms, fruit slices, Swedish fish, gummy sharks, and more are all grouped together in this delicious candy category.
4. Hard Candy
Hard candies are basically the opposite of gummy candies. This category encompasses everything that has a hard outer shell, such as Jolly Ranchers, Lifesavers, Runts, hard caramels, and more.
5. Candy Canes
Red and white and shaped like a hook, candy canes are the quintessential Christmas treat. Legend has it that a choirmaster in Germany created the candy when he handed out sugar sticks bent into shepherd hooks to children attending the ceremonies in 1670.
6. Licorice
Licorice is a polarizing treat: you either love it or you hate it. It was created in 1790 when a pharmacist mixed sugar with cough syrup containing licorice root and only expanded from there.
7. Lollypops
Lollypops are everyone’s favorite candy on a stick. Though likely invented thousands of years ago, the first modern version of the lollypop was created in the Civil War era when hard candy was put on the tips of pencils for children.
8. Sours
Sour candy is not for the faint of heart. From Lemonheads to Cry Babies, sour candy will make you pucker and tear up. Many types of sour candy incorporate sour ingredients into the candy, while others are dusted with sour-tasting sugar.
9. Chewing Gum
Chewing gum has been around for quite a while. In the late 1840s, a man named John Curtis developed the first commercial chewing gum by boiling spruce tree resin, cutting it into strips, and coating those strips in cornstarch to keep them from sticking together.
10. Cotton Candy
Everyone knows and loves this candy that’s as soft as a cloud. Surprisingly, cotton candy was invented by a dentist and a confectioner who created a machine that spun heated sugar through a screen, creating a floss-like texture.
11. Caramels
Made by heating sugar, water, and cream or milk, caramels feature a chewy texture, a deep, rich flavor, and a dark golden brown color. Caramel can be eaten alone or combined with milk chocolate, creme, or other add-ins.
12. Candy Buttons
Candy buttons are small rounded pegs of candy in varying colors (often blue, pink, and yellow) that are attached to a strip of paper. They were originally created in the 1930s and remain popular to this day.
13. Bon Bons
Often called chocolates or confections, bon bons are molded chocolates with a non-chocolate center, such as fruit or caramel. They differ from truffles, which feature a chocolate center and are rolled in another ingredient, such as cocoa powder or nuts.
14. Brittle Candy
Brittle candy consists of hard sugar candy embedded with nuts such as pecans, almonds, or peanuts. According to legend, a Southern woman added baking soda instead of cream of tartar to her taffy recipe, resulting in a crunchy brittle instead of a chewy taffy.
15. Candy Corn
A Halloween favorite, candy corn is made with a mixture of sugar, fondant, corn syrup, vanilla, and marshmallow creme. It was originally created in the 1880s by a candymaker at the Wunderlee Candy Company in Philadelphia.
16. Candy Sticks
Stick candy or candy sticks are long, cylindrical hard candies that come in virtually every flavor under the sun. First manufactured in America, candy sticks were introduced at the Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association in 1837 and instantly caught on.
17. Candy Straws
Candy straws deliver a burst of sweet or sour sugar right onto your tongue for a delicious treat. They typically come in a variety of flavors, including cherry, orange, grape, and blue raspberry.
18. Circus Peanuts
Circus peanuts are peanut-shaped marshmallow candies. No one really knows how circus peanuts got their shape or their name. They may have originated at traveling circuses where peanuts and candy were often sold.
Confectioners make maple syrup candies by heating maple syrup and then whipping it until it’s light and fluffy. As this mixture cools in maple-shaped molds, it develops a soft crystalline texture and delicious maple flavor.
20. Fizzies
Fizzy candy delivers a taste explosion on your tongue. Pop Rocks, a popular brand of fizzy candy, delivers a one-of-a-kind crackle and pop sensation in your mouth. This is caused by pressurized carbon dioxide gas bubbles inside the candy.
21. Jelly Beans
A sweet maker from Boston named William Schrafft came up with the idea to mold jelly into small round shapes, or beans. The candy took off in the 1930s when it became a popular Easter treat.
22. Jordan Almonds
Popular at celebrations like christenings and weddings, Jordan almonds feature almonds, hazelnuts, anise, coffee beans, marzipan, or chocolate topped with a smooth candy coating. They come in a variety of colors to match the occasion.
Malt balls are made with a crunchy and sweet malted center topped with milk chocolate. Providing the perfect crunchy and creamy combination, they taste like a chocolate malted milkshake.
24. Marshmallows
Marshmallows are a delicious, chewy, airy confection. They contain sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin, along with some air suspended in the mixture that gives them their pillowy texture.
25. Nonpareils
Nonpareils feature premium dark chocolate discs coated in crunchy white sprinkles on one side. They were first used in the 18th century to decorate an American wedding cake and quickly became popular all over the country.
26. Mints
Mints come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They typically contain some type of peppermint or spearmint oil to help freshen your breath and provide a burst of minty freshness.
27. Nut Clusters
Nut clusters feature chocolate-covered clusters of your favorite nuts, such as almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, and cashews, for a sweet and crunchy treat. Sometimes nut clusters even include other delicious add-ins, like caramel, toffee, or pretzels.
Chocolate covered raisins combine the chewy texture of raisins with decadent milk chocolate flavor to delight your taste buds. They’re perfect for snacking any time of the day.
29. Rock Candy
Rock Candy has been around for centuries. In fact, the Persian poet Jalal-ad-Din Rumi who lived in Turkey in the middle 1200s mentions it in his poetry. It’s made with a mixture of dissolved sugar and water.
30. Cherry Cordial
Cherry cordials feature cherries coated with a sweet syrup and topped with a coat of rich milk or dark chocolate. Originally, they were made with cherry cordial liquor, which was eventually replaced with a sugar syrup flavored with cherries.
31. Toffee
Made with sugar and butter, toffee is similar to caramel but features a distinctive crunch. Toffee is often topped with milk chocolate, nuts, pretzels, or other delicious add-ins to make a delicious treat that’s simply irresistible.
32. Sprinkles
Sprinkles are made from corn syrup, sugar, cornstarch, wax, and artificial flavors. Rainbow sprinkles were invented by French bakers in the 18th century, while chocolate sprinkles weren’t perfected until 1936 by Dutch chocolatiers.
33. Jawbreakers
Jawbreakers feature multiple layers of water, corn syrup, food coloring, and a sugar called dextrose, to form a hard candy shell that’s nearly indestructible. They’ve been around since the 1800s and have been produced by multiple companies.
34. Candy Bars
Candy bars encompass any chocolate bar with a sweet filling inside, such as Snickers, Milky Way, Almond Joy, and so much more. Chocolate has been around for over 3,000 years, but it wasn’t until 1900 when Milton Hershey began manufacturing it in America that candy bars really started to take off.
35. Milk Chocolate
It’s uncertain when milk chocolate was first invented. It’s thought that in 1672, Sir Hans Sloane (who would later become a British physician), added milk to drinking chocolate; however, he was only 12 years old at that time. In any case, milk chocolate remains to this day one of the most popular candies of all time.
In 1866, a man named Daniel Chase figured out how to print words on candy wafers with vegetable dye during the cutting process. Conversation hearts have been a Valentine’s Day staple ever since.
37. Mellowcreme
Mellowcreme features a soft and dense texture similar to marzipan with a slightly harder outer shell. Mellowcreme pumpkins sold during Halloween are a popular iteration of this candy, often found along with candy corn.
38. Liquid Candy
What’s better than squirting liquified sugar right onto your tongue? Liquid candy is any candy that has been liquified into a spray, gel, or syrup. It can be either sweet, sour, or even spicy.
39. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate comes from Mexico and South America. Ancient Mayan and Aztec societies used a dark cacao drink for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. Today, dark chocolate is still revered for its antioxidant properties.
40. White Chocolate
Similar to milk chocolate, white chocolate is made with a blend of cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla, just without the cocoa solids. According to Nestlé, white chocolate was originally created as a way to use excess cocoa butter.
Peanut butter cups are created by smothering creamy peanut butter in rich milk chocolate. They were originated by the Reese’s company in the 1920s, which was eventually bought out by Hershey in 1963.
42. Chocolate Covered Caramels
These delicious candies offer the best of both worlds. They combine chewy caramel with rich and creamy milk chocolate. You can also include delicious add-ins, such as nuts, pretzels, or fudge.
43. Salt Water Taffy
Salt water taffy was originally created in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the late 19th century. Legend has it that a candy store was flooded during a major storm, along with the entire stock of taffy. A little girl came in asking for the candy and the store owner offered her some “salt water taffy.” The rest is history.
A classic candy dating back to the early 1900s, cinnamon imperials add some spice to your life. They’re made with a spicy cinnamon kick that provides an irresistible blend of spicy sweetness.
45. Lemon Drops
Another classic candy, lemon drops have been around since the early 1800s when they were used primarily as throat lozenges or cough drops. They feature a tart lemon flavor that dissolves into a gentle sweetness in your mouth.
Boston Baked Bean candies feature a classy burgundy-colored candy shell and peanut center. A favorite among New Englanders, they look similar to real baked beans but differ in almost every other way.
47. Caramel Cremes
Old-fashioned caramel creams were first created in the early 1900s by the Goetze family, who had previously worked in the chewing gum business. They feature a distinctive soft, chewy caramel with a sweet cream center.
48. Truffles
Chocolate truffles feature a chocolate ganache center topped with cocoa powder, sprinkles, nuts, chocolate shavings, or coconut. They look similar in shape and size to the truffle fungus, which is how they got their name.
49. Gumdrops
Gumdrops first appeared in the early 19th century. They feature a soft and chewy texture and come in a variety of flavors, including cherry, orange, black licorice, lime, lemon, and pineapple.
50. Fudge
The exact origin of fudge is unknown, but it likely originated by the end of the 1800s. It’s made with sugar, butter, and milk to create a creamy and smooth confection that’s unmistakable.
If you’re like most sugar lovers, you’ve probably tried all of the delicious candy on this list at least once. But, if there are any variations you haven’t yet sampled, it’s about time to try something new (and completely delicious).
Frequently Asked Questions About Candy
For the sweet tooth lover in your life, you may be familiar with some common questions about various types of candy. To help satisfy their active mind, please find the most common answers to these candy FAQs.
What is the top 10 favorite candy?
The top 10 favorite candies (in alphabetical order) consist of the following sweet treats.
- Gummy Bears
- Hershey Chocolate Bars
- Kit Kats
- M&M’s
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Skittles
- Snickers
- Sour Patch Kids
- Starburst
- Twix
What is the sweetest candy?
The sweetest candies are Pixie Sticks and Fun Dip. Both candies are more than 90% sugar by weight, which should come as no surprise if you’ve ever enjoyed these flavored-sugar sweets.
What is the oldest candy?
The first-ever candy bar was the Chocolate Cream bar, created by Joseph Fry in 1866. Fry first began pouring chocolate into molds in 1847, and the Chocolate Cream bar was the first to be mass-produced. Fry’s Chocolate Cream bar had a fondant center covered in plain chocolate. These candy bars were made with various fondant flavors over the years, such as peppermint, strawberry cream, orange cream, and others.
What candy doesn’t melt in the mail?
Generally, hard candies don’t melt in the mail, as well as sugary candies like Fun Dip and Pixie Sticks. Gummy candies and chocolate candy are most likely to melt when sent in the mail without proper packaging. However, you can send any candy in the mail without worrying about it melting when you package it with frozen gel packs or dry ice and insulation to keep the cool in and the heat out.
