Last Minute Candy Fix

Kirk Cassels

Organic chocolate at King Kullen in Bridgehampton.

There are burgers, veggie burgers, and now marshmallow burgers.

Almost like a Tootsie roll with a cream center, Cow Tales Candy is a delectable treat for Halloween.

Secondhand smoking is bad for your kids. Secondhand candy isn't that bad though.

Happy Halloween. Are your candy baskets ready yet? If not, we've made sure to take the time to sample some goods for you and make some recommendations.

If You Live in East Hampton Town:

Your two best bets are Fudge n Stuff on The Circle in Montauk and Dylan's Candy Bar on Main Street in East Hampton Village. The drive out to The End to get to Fudge n Stuff is worth it, especially if you are an avid chocolate eater. Legend has it that a man who is allergic to chocolate once entered the Fudge n Stuff store and immediately went through a sneezing fit due to the significant aura of chocolate in the air. When the attack subsided, he still wolfed some some fudge and was fine. There must be something magical in it.

Meanwhile, Dylan's has perhaps the greatest chocolate pretzels ever made on the East End. The pleasant, extra touch is the mini M&Ms topped on the savory milk chocolate and crunchy pretzels. As you may or may not know, Dylan of Dylan's Candy Bar is the daughter of designer Ralph Lauren. Imagine the delicately crafted and creatively designed fabrics of his clothing magically transformed into works of candy, and you have good reason to stop by the store.

If You Live in Southampton Town:

The Fudge Company on Jobs Lane in Southampton Village has your chocolate candy, fruity candy, chewy candy, and bizarre candy. How bizarre? As bizarre as a cheeseburger made of marshmallows. It looks just like a cheeseburger and feels just like a McDonald's concoction, yet it tastes kind of fruity. The bun tastes like strawberry, the cheese tastes like Starburst/Skittles orange, and we're not sure what the meat tastes like, but it's not meaty. Also in the store were Cow Tales (think Tootsie Roll meets Ho Hos- chocolate chewy candy roll filled with cream), the classic Stallion Candy Cigarettes (but don't use them around kids because of secondhand sugar highs) and an entire yard stick of gum, which is very handy to have around when the flavor of your chew fades.

Going Nuts is another Southampton Village candy store on Jobs Lane, but it wasn't open yesterday afternoon so we can't tell you about, what we assume is, its wide array of candy.

In fact, because the Fudge Company was the only candy-specific store that was open the day before Halloween, we were forced to expand our research to King Kullen and Rite Aid in Bridgehampton. While there, we learned a couple of interesting bits.

First, there's such a thing as healthy chocolate (we think). Rich with antioxidants, we're familiar with the whole craze about dark chocolate being not so bad for you. King Kullen has plenty of dark chocolate, and much of it is organic. How much healthier does the word organic make chocolate? We don't know and we don't care, but we know it's healthier than most candy so therefore we draw the conclusion that it's pretty good for you on top of good tasting.

Another fascinating discovery we made was that Rite Aid is the only place that sells Candy Corn. Imagine that? One of the most popular staples of Halloween candy could only be found at a franchised pharmacy. Because Rite Aid was so plentiful with its variety of candy, we took an extra look around and found these delicious candies called Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers Bars, and Kit Kat Bars. We heard lots of great things about these items in the past, and after sampling them around the office could not agree more. The Peanut Butter Cups had a rich compound of peanut butter that blended perfectly with the mass-produced milk chocolate. Meanwhile, the peanuts, nougat, caramel and chocolate combination of the Snickers Bar was packed with multiple flavors that danced on the palate like a ballerina. Finally, the Kit Kat Bar went down too easily because of its light and crispy texture beneath the chocolate. The wafers never fill you up, which makes them all the more dangerous.

Our sweet tooth is still aching. Got any recommendations for a cure? Tells us by posting a comment below.